Steel Strapping, Steel Straps, Seals

Strapping or banding is a common practice when dealing with heavy loads. Whether it’s for long-distance transportation or simply moving something to a higher location, strapping must be used properly to prevent accidents. Heavy objects can tear things apart when they fall from a significant height; easily destroying what they hit after detaching from their band.

Straps can be made of different materials depending on the objects they are designed to carry or hold together. They can be constructed from metal, plastic or textile. The most common type used for heavy load strapping is steel. It’s a very strong metal made from refined iron. There are also bandings made of pure iron but these products are usually not resistant to extreme tension and corrosion because of its low passivation properties.

The performance of iron can be improved if it is bonded with a percentage of carbon to form steel. To make it even stronger for manufacturing straps and bands, it is alloyed with chromium until it forms around 10 percent of the entire composition’s mass. It can also be alloyed with other metals to achieve different useful properties. The resulting product should be malleable and ductile while remaining strong and durable.

The use of steel straps is not limited to gripping heavy objects or keeping groups of items from falling apart. Government steel strapping is often used for attaching shipments to pallets and reinforcing objects like wooden containers, crates and corrugated boxes. Steel banding is also very effective at securing cargo to flatcars and flatbed semi-trailers.

Steel straps are naturally hard materials; as they are tied around an object they can damage its edges or its facade. A stainless steel band is usually accompanied by edge protectors to prevent unsightly punctures, especially when the cargo is particularly valuable like an expensive car. Shipments are usually secured in an intermodal container that serves as additional shielding against the pressure from the straps.