Glossary of Tie-Down Webbing Terms
Abrasion
The gradual wear of webbing caused by repeated friction or rubbing against surfaces or materials.
Binder Yarn
A secondary yarn woven into webbing to hold layered plies together, increasing structural cohesion.
Breaking Strength
The maximum amount of force (in pounds or kilograms) that webbing can withstand before failing. Also known as tensile strength.
Catch Cord
Yarn that helps lock weft yarns in place during weaving, preventing the webbing from unraveling.
Creep
A slow, time-based stretch in webbing when it's under a continuous load. Some creep may be reversible once the load is removed.
Denier
A measurement of yarn thickness. It's the weight (in grams) of 9,000 meters of yarn. Lower denier means finer yarn, higher denier means thicker.
Elongation
The stretch of webbing under tension, shown as a percentage of its original length.
Filling / Weft / Picks
The horizontal yarns in woven webbing, running across the width from edge to edge.
High Tenacity
Refers to yarn with above-average strength — typically between 6.0 to 9.5 grams per denier.
Multifilament
Yarn made from many fine strands twisted or bundled together, offering flexibility and strength.
Narrow Fabric / Webbing
A tightly woven, non-elastic textile that's 12 inches wide or less, typically with finished edges.
Picks (or Weft/Filling)
Another term for the crosswise yarns in woven webbing that interlace with lengthwise yarns.
Raveling
The unwinding or fraying of fabric or webbing edges due to broken or loosened yarns.
Selvage / Selvedge
The tightly woven edge on each side of the webbing that prevents it from fraying.
Shuttle Loom
A traditional weaving machine that uses a shuttle to carry yarn across the loom during fabric construction.
Stuffer Yarn
Strong yarns added in the warp (lengthwise) direction to boost the webbing’s strength and weight.
Surface Plies
The outermost layers of plied webbing, which may also be called the face or back layers.
Synthetic Fiber
Man-made fibers such as polyester or nylon, commonly used in webbing for their strength and durability.
System 3 / System 5
Specialized edge-weaving techniques designed to prevent the webbing from raveling during use.
Tensile Strength
See Breaking Strength — the force required to break the webbing under tension.
Tie-Down Assembly
A complete strap system including webbing, hooks, and ratchets — used to secure cargo to vehicles or equipment anchor points.
Treated Webbing
Webbing that has undergone a chemical process for added resistance to UV, abrasion, moisture, or chemicals.
Untreated Webbing
Webbing with no protective coatings or chemical enhancements — more vulnerable to environmental wear.
Warp
The set of yarns that run lengthwise through the webbing, interwoven with crosswise weft yarns.
Webbing
A flat, tightly woven textile made from synthetic yarns, used in load securement due to its high tensile strength and durability.
Woven
Fabric produced by interlacing two sets of yarn — warp and weft — using a loom.
Weft
Yarns that run across the width of the webbing and interlace with the warp to form the woven structure.
Yarn
A continuous strand of fiber or filament used as the building block of webbing and other textile products.
