The clevis jaw shackle solves a specific connection problem: joining a chain sling to a fixed lifting point where a hook would not sit correctly. The jaw takes the padeye, lifting eye or shackle bow, the pin passes through it, and the clevis end connects straight to the chain. The result is a rigid, positively pinned connection with no hook to work loose, which suits semi-permanent rigging and any lift where the leg may go slack. Grade 10 alloy steel to BS EN 1677-1, for chain sizes 8 mm through 16 mm.
Key Features
- Positively pinned connection: Unlike a hook, the jaw shackle cannot disengage under a slack leg. Once pinned it stays connected until deliberately removed.
- Clevis to chain: Connects directly to the chain end link, removing the coupling link and shortening the assembly.
- Generous jaw: Dimension F, the jaw opening, runs from 36 mm on the 8 mm chain size to 70 mm on the 16 mm, taking substantial padeyes and shackle bows.
- Grade 10 alloy steel: Meets the Working Load Limit performance requirements of BS EN 1677-1 plus 25% of loads.
- Four chain sizes: 8, 10, 13 and 16 mm, covering the general rigging range.
- Full traceability marking: Material grade, manufacturer's identification, size, product ID mark and traceability code.
Technical Specifications
| Product Code |
Chain Dia (mm) |
A (mm) |
B (mm) |
C (mm) |
d (mm) |
E (mm) |
F (mm) |
L (mm) |
| G100CJS8 |
8 |
31 |
51 |
36.3 |
9 |
20 |
36 |
103.5 |
| G100CJS10 |
10 |
34 |
62 |
48 |
12.5 |
25 |
46.5 |
130.7 |
| G100CJS13 |
13 |
49 |
83 |
64 |
15 |
31 |
59 |
160 |
| G100CJS16 |
16 |
58 |
95 |
69.5 |
19 |
40 |
70 |
190.5 |
All dimensions in millimetres. F is the jaw opening, d is the pin diameter. Working Load Limits by chain size are given on the specification sheet below.
BS EN 1677-1 | Grade 10 | +25% Over Grade 8 | LOLER Ready
Grade 10 alloy steel, quenched and tempered, meeting the Working Load Limit performance requirements of BS EN 1677-1 plus 25% of loads. Each shackle is marked with material grade, manufacturer's identification, size, product ID mark and traceability code, and supplied with a 2.1 Declaration of Conformity. Under LOLER 1998, lifting accessories require thorough examination by a competent person at intervals not exceeding 12 months.
Suitable Applications
The clevis jaw shackle is the right termination wherever the chain must connect to a fixed point and stay connected. Typical uses include attachment to padeyes and cast-in lifting eyes on plant, machinery and precast concrete, semi-permanent rigging where a sling is left in place, lifts where the leg may go slack as the load settles, and connection to shackle bows where a hook would sit awkwardly. It is not the choice for work requiring rapid attachment and release, since pinning takes longer than hooking on. For that, a sling hook is more practical.
More About This Product
Shackles are the most-handled component in any lifting operation, and that is precisely why they wear out first. A sling gets rigged and derigged; a shackle gets rigged, derigged, dropped, driven over, thrown into a box and picked up by whoever needs one. Most lifting gear fails from a single overload; shackles fail from accumulated inattention.
The grade markings matter more than most people realise. A Grade 6 high tensile shackle to BS EN 13889 and a Grade 8 alloy shackle look similar and share the same body shape, but the alloy version carries considerably more at the same size. Once a shackle is in a box with fifty others, the only way to tell them apart is the marking — which is why an unmarked shackle has to be scrapped no matter how good it looks.
Understanding the Load Path
A shackle has two distinct load-bearing elements and they do different jobs. The bow takes the sling; the pin takes the load. Reverse that — put the sling on the pin and the load on the bow — and two things happen. The sling bears on a smaller radius than it was designed for, and any movement in the sling starts to rotate the pin.
On a screw collar pin that rotation is the failure mechanism. A sling shifting under a settling load, or vibration transmitted from plant nearby, will slowly unscrew the pin over minutes or hours. It rarely happens quickly enough for anyone to see it happening.
The second consideration is angle. A shackle loaded in line with the pin carries its full rating. Loaded at an angle across the bow it carries substantially less, and published derating tables cover a limited range of angles — beyond that range no figure is published because none applies. On a multi-leg sling every leg is at an angle by definition, which is why the bow shackle exists and why putting a multi-leg sling into a dee shackle is a genuine mistake rather than a preference.
How to Use the Clevis Jaw Shackle
- Match to the chain size: Select by nominal chain diameter and fit the clevis pin fully into the chain end link.
- Check the jaw fits the lifting point: Dimension F must clear the padeye or eye thickness without forcing. A jaw spread to fit is a jaw that has been damaged.
- Fit the load pin fully: Insert the pin completely and secure it. A partially engaged pin bears on a fraction of its length and will fail.
- Load in line: The shackle is designed for in-line loading through the jaw and clevis. Side loading reduces capacity substantially.
- Inspect the pin at every use: Check for straightness, wear at the bearing surfaces and full engagement.
- Do not modify: Never weld, heat, machine, drill or repaint a Grade 10 component.
Warning: Never use with a partially engaged or substitute load pin. The pin is a matched load-bearing component. Never side load. Never exceed the Working Load Limit for the chain size.
Safety Information
- Use only with Grade 10 chain and components of the matching size.
- Both load pins must be fully engaged and secured before every lift.
- Never substitute a bolt, rod or other pin for the original load pin.
- Load in line through the jaw. Side loading requires derating.
- Withdraw from service any shackle showing jaw spread, distortion, cracks or wear beyond the manufacturer’s stated limit of original dimensions.
- Never weld, heat treat, machine or repaint.
- Do not use above +200 °C or below -20 °C.
- Thorough examination by a competent person required at intervals not exceeding 12 months under LOLER 1998.
Inspection and Maintenance
Jaw spread is the measurement to watch. Record dimension F at first use and check it at thorough examination, since an overloaded jaw opens gradually in the same way a hook throat does, and the change is not obvious by eye. Both pins need checking for straightness, wear at the bearing surfaces and full engagement, and the pin bores should be inspected for elongation. Keep the pin threads clean so the shackle can be dismantled when required. Replace rather than repair, and never substitute a pin from another component even if it appears to fit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When would I use this instead of a hook?
Whenever the connection must not come undone on its own. A hook can disengage if the leg goes slack; a pinned jaw shackle cannot. It also sits properly on a flat padeye where a hook would want to roll. The cost is speed, since pinning and unpinning takes longer than hooking on.
Q: How is this different from a standard bow shackle?
A standard shackle connects two things through its bow and pin. This has a clevis end designed to take a chain end link directly, so it terminates the sling leg without a coupling link. It is a chain fitting first and a shackle second.
Q: Can I use a bolt if I lose the pin?
Absolutely not. The pin is a heat-treated Grade 10 load-bearing component matched to the shackle. A bolt of the same diameter has neither the material specification nor the shear strength, and substituting one voids the certification and invites failure.
Q: Will it fit my padeye?
Check dimension F, the jaw opening, against the padeye thickness, and dimension d, the pin diameter, against the hole. Both must clear without forcing. The 8 mm size gives a 36 mm jaw with a 9 mm pin, rising to a 70 mm jaw and 19 mm pin on the 16 mm size.
