If you’ve ever stood beneath a rigged truss and wondered what’s holding it overhead, the answer is usually a length of aircraft cable and a handful of fittings that don’t get nearly enough credit. Rigging cable is one of those products that only gets attention when something goes wrong, which is exactly why it’s worth understanding before you buy.
Whether you’re hanging a lighting truss, securing a backdrop, or building a safety system for overhead scenery, the rigging cable you choose affects everything downstream: how much weight it can safely carry, how it behaves under repeated use, and how it pairs with the rest of your hardware.
What Does “7×19 Cable” Mean?
Aircraft cable is labeled by construction, and in theatrical rigging, you’ll mostly run into two types: 7×19 cable and 7×7 cable.
- 7×19 Cable: Made of 7 strands, each containing 19 individual wires. This construction is highly flexible and ideal for applications involving pulleys, sheaves, or repeated bending which describes most stage and event setups.
- 7×7 Cable: Stiffer, with fewer, thicker wires per strand. It holds its shape well for static, permanent runs, but it is not ideal where the cable needs to flex or route around tight hardware.
For most stage rigging, including trusses, drop points, and safety cables, 7×19 galvanized aircraft cable is the industry standard. It strikes the right balance between flexibility and strength, holding up through demanding setup and strike cycles.
Galvanized vs. Stainless Steel Rigging Cable: Which Do You Need?
- Galvanized Cable: Carbon steel coated in zinc for corrosion resistance. It is budget-friendly and performs exceptionally well for indoor venues, theaters, and touring rigs protected from the elements.
- Stainless Steel Cable: Costs more upfront but offers superior, long-term corrosion resistance without a surface coating. It is the preferred choice for outdoor events, coastal venues, or permanent installations exposed to high humidity and moisture.
If your rigging lives indoors and gets struck after every show, galvanized is typically sufficient and more budget-friendly. If it’s a semi-permanent outdoor install, stainless is worth the upgrade.
Understanding Minimum Breaking Strength and Working Load Limit
Every cable carries a Minimum Breaking Strength (MBS) rating the load at which the cable is expected to fail under controlled testing conditions. This number is not your safe working load.
Standard safety practice in entertainment rigging requires a safety factor commonly 5:1 for static loads (and up to 10:1 for human suspension). A 5:1 ratio means your actual Working Load Limit (WLL) should never exceed one-fifth of the cable’s rated breaking strength.
Example: A cable rated for 1,000 lbs MBS should never be loaded beyond 200 lbs in practice to account for dynamic movement, wear, and hardware connection losses.
Because a rigging system is only as strong as its weakest connection point, choosing high-quality rigging hardware is just as critical as selecting the cable itself.
Pairing Rigging Cable with the Right Rigging Hardware
Cable alone doesn’t rig anything. It needs proper terminations and connectors:
- Cable clips/clamps for forming loops and eyes (always match clip size to cable diameter)
- Thimbles to protect the cable where it bends around a loop, preventing kinking and premature wear
- Shackles and carabiners rated for the same working load as the cable. Never mix a high-capacity cable with an undersized shackle
- Turnbuckles where tension needs to be adjustable after installation
Treat rigging cable as a system, not a single product. Under-spec any one piece of hardware, and you’ve created a bottleneck for the whole assembly’s safe working load.
Essential Rigging Accessories to Keep On Hand
A few items make rigging setups faster and safer:
- Gaff tape to secure loose cable runs and prevent trip hazards, and to bundle cable neatly for strike
- Cable protectors or floor covers for any run crossing a walkway
- Spare thimbles and clips, since these are common points of wear on cable used repeatedly across load-ins
A Quick Pre-Rig Checklist
- Verify Construction: Confirm 7×19 cable is selected for flexible setups or 7×7 for static runs.
- Match the Environment: Choose galvanized steel for indoors or stainless steel for outdoor/moist environments.
- Calculate Safe Loads: Apply a minimum 5:1 safety factor against the cable’s MBS.
- Inspect Hardware: Ensure all clips, thimbles, and shackles match the system’s working load limit, not just the wire diameter.
- Conduct Visual Inspection: Check the cable for kinks, bird-caging, broken wires, or corrosion prior to every installation. Replace damaged cable immediately.
Getting rigging right isn’t about buying the heaviest cable available — it’s about matching cable construction, coating, and hardware to your specific load and environment. If you’re specifying cable for an upcoming production or need professional rigging installation and inspection services, our team can help you match the right cable and fittings to your rig.