The standard terminal fitting on a chain sling leg — the part that actually connects to the load. An eye connects through a coupling link or component connector, which means the hook can be replaced without disturbing the rest of the sling — useful on a fleet where hooks wear faster than chain.
The safety catch stops the load coming off the hook when the sling goes slack, which happens more often than people expect: as a load lands, as it settles, as a multi-leg sling takes up unevenly. It retains the load; it does not carry it.
The temperature rating is the Kito range’s distinguishing feature: -40 °C to +400 °C, against +200 °C for most Grade 10 fittings. That covers foundry, forge and heat treatment at one end and cold store at the other, with reductions in Working Load Limit above +200 °C.
Key Features
- Eye fitting: Connects via a coupling link or component connector, so the hook can be swapped without disturbing the assembly.
- Safety catch fitted: Retains the load when the sling goes slack. Replacement catch kits are available — a broken catch is a repair, not a scrap.
- -40 °C to +400 °C: Twice the upper range of most Grade 10 fittings, with derating above +200 °C
- BS EN 1677-2 +25% of loads: The sling hook standard, at Grade 10 capacity
- 8 sizes: Chain 6 mm – 26 mm
- Grey painted finish: Identifies the Kito Grade 10 range — never repaint a lifting fitting
Technical Specifications
| Product Code |
Part No. |
Chain Dia (mm) |
D (mm) |
E (mm) |
F (mm) |
G (mm) |
H (mm) |
O (mm) |
O1 (mm) |
R (mm) |
| G10ESH6 |
SHE6 |
6 |
18 |
10 |
20 |
16.5 |
21 |
25 |
19 |
84.5 |
| G10ESH8 |
SHE7-8 |
7/8 |
24 |
11 |
25 |
19 |
27 |
32 |
25 |
106 |
| G10ESH10 |
SHE10 |
10 |
30 |
16 |
34 |
26 |
33 |
40 |
31 |
131 |
| G10ESH13 |
SHE13 |
13 |
38 |
19 |
43 |
33 |
42 |
48 |
39 |
164 |
| G10ESH16 |
SHE16 |
16 |
44 |
25 |
50 |
40 |
50 |
55 |
45 |
182.5 |
| G10ESH20 |
SHE19-20 |
19/20 |
53 |
27 |
55 |
48 |
54 |
61 |
54 |
205 |
| G10ESH22 |
SHE22 |
22 |
60 |
29 |
60 |
50 |
61 |
71 |
61 |
225 |
| G10ESH26 |
SHE26 |
26 |
72 |
36 |
70 |
60 |
69 |
84 |
73 |
265 |
Working Load Limits and full dimensional data are in the user information sheet. The 20 mm hook suits both 19 mm and 20 mm chain.
BS EN 1677-2 +25% of Loads | Grade 10 | Safety Catch | -40 °C to +400 °C | LOLER Ready
Meets the Working Load Limit performance requirements of BS EN 1677-2 plus 25% of loads for sling hooks. Grade 10 alloy steel with a grey painted finish. Marked with material grade, manufacturer’s identification, size, product ID mark and traceability code, and supplied with a certificate. Rated for continuous service from -40 °C to +400 °C, with reductions in Working Load Limit applying above +200 °C — see the user information sheet for the derating figures. Under LOLER 1998, thorough examination by a competent person at intervals not exceeding 12 months.
Suitable Applications
The terminal fitting on single and multi-leg chain sling assemblies for general lifting: fabrication, machinery handling, construction, plant maintenance and materials handling. The wide temperature rating specifically suits foundry, forge, heat treatment and furnace work, and cold store or winter outdoor use at the other extreme. Keep the assembly to one grade throughout — mixing grades derates the whole sling.
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
- Match the chain size and grade: The fitting is sized for one chain diameter and the assembly must be one grade throughout.
- Check the coupling link is closed and pinned: Before every lift.
- Seat the load in the throat: Load bears in the throat, never on the tip. Tip loading is the classic cause of hook failure.
- Check the safety catch springs fully closed: Against the hook nose, with no gap.
- Derate above +200 °C: Use the figures in the user information sheet.
- Do not modify: Never weld, heat, machine, drill or repaint.
Warning: Never tip load a sling hook. Never use one with a missing or damaged safety catch — replacement catch kits are available and a repair takes minutes. Never exceed the Working Load Limit for the chain size.
Safety Information
- Never exceed the marked Working Load Limit.
- Use components of the same grade throughout the assembly.
- Load must bear in the throat, never on the tip.
- Confirm the safety catch closes fully before every lift.
- The safety catch retains the load, it does not carry it.
- Operating range -40 °C to +400 °C, with derating above +200 °C.
- Withdraw any hook showing throat opening, wear beyond the manufacturer’s stated limit, distortion or cracks.
- Never weld, heat treat, machine or repaint.
- Thorough examination by a competent person required at intervals not exceeding 12 months under LOLER 1998.
Inspection and Maintenance
Measure the throat opening against the original dimension at every thorough examination, since throat opening is the classic evidence of overload and develops progressively rather than suddenly. Check the tip and throat bearing surfaces for gouging and wear and withdraw at the manufacturer’s stated wear limit. Confirm the safety catch springs closed under its own tension and sits against the nose with no gap; a catch that closes sluggishly usually has grit or corrosion in the pivot. Inspect the eye for elongation and wear where the coupling link bears. On assemblies used at temperature, look for heat discolouration and scaling, and confirm the grade marking remains legible.
Downloads
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Eye or clevis hook?
A clevis pins directly to the chain end link, so no coupling link is needed: cheaper, shorter and one fewer component to inspect. An eye connects via a coupling link, which makes it easier to replace without disturbing the rest of the assembly. Both are common.
Q: What does the safety catch actually do?
It stops the load coming off the hook when the sling goes slack — as a load lands or settles, or when a multi-leg sling takes up unevenly. It retains the load, it does not carry it, and a hook with a damaged catch must be withdrawn until the catch is replaced.
Q: Can I really use it at 400 °C?
Up to +400 °C, yes, but the Working Load Limit reduces above +200 °C. The user information sheet gives the derating figures. That range is what separates the Kito Grade 10 fittings from most others, which stop at +200 °C.
Q: Grade 10 or Grade 8?
Grade 10 carries about 25% more for the same size, so a lighter assembly does the same work. On this Kito range the temperature advantage goes with it too. Whichever you choose, keep the assembly consistent.
