Kito Grade 8 Short Link Chain is the industry standard for chain slings, with the widest range of matching fittings.
Chain is sold by the metre and the weight is quoted per metre, so an assembly’s weight depends entirely on the length ordered. That matters for delivery and for anyone who has to carry the finished sling up a ladder.
Note the temperature rating: -40 °C to +400 °C, with reductions in Working Load Limit above +200 °C. That is considerably wider than the Cobra Grade 80 range at +200 °C.
Key Features
- Grade 8 alloy steel: BS EN 818-2
- Black painted finish: Identifies Grade 8 on site — which is why chain must never be repainted
- -40 °C to +400 °C: With reductions in Working Load Limit above +200 °C
- Weight quoted per metre: So the assembly weight depends on the length ordered
- Matching fittings available: Keep the whole assembly to one grade — mixing derates the sling
- Sold by the metre: Specify the length required at order
Technical Specifications
| Product Code |
W.L.L. (t) |
Weight (kg/m) |
| G8C7 |
1.5 |
1.17 |
| G8C8 |
2 |
1.51 |
| G8C10 |
3.15 |
2.23 |
| G8C13 |
5.3 |
3.9 |
| G8C16 |
8 |
5.79 |
| G8C20 |
12.5 |
9.21 |
| G8C22 |
15 |
11.2 |
| G8C26 |
21.2 |
15.2 |
| G8C32 |
31.5 |
23 |
Working Load Limits and full dimensional data are in the information sheet. Weight is per metre, so multiply by the length ordered.
BS EN 818-2 | -40 °C to +400 °C | LOLER Ready
Grade 8 alloy steel with a black painted finish. Meets the requirements of BS EN 818-2. Rated -40 °C to +400 °C, with reductions in Working Load Limit above +200 °C. Marked with material grade, manufacturer’s identification and traceability code. Under LOLER 1998, lifting accessories require thorough examination by a competent person at intervals not exceeding 12 months.
Suitable Applications
The basis of chain sling assemblies and also used extensively for load restraint on vehicles. Keep the whole assembly to one grade — mixing grades derates the sling to the lower and it must be marked accordingly. The wide temperature rating suits foundry, forge and heat treatment work as well as cold store.
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
- Keep the whole assembly one grade: Mixing grades derates the entire sling and it must be marked accordingly.
- Never knot or shorten by wrapping: Use a grab hook or shortening clutch. A knotted chain loses substantial capacity.
- Recertify any assembly built or altered: Proof testing and certification by a competent person is required.
- Inspect link by link: Chain fails at a single link, and that link is usually the one nobody looked at.
- Check the temperature rating: And derate where the standard requires it.
- Do not modify: Never weld, heat, machine or repaint. Repainting conceals cracks.
Warning: Never repaint chain — the finish identifies the grade and paint conceals the cracks and wear an inspection is looking for. Never mix chain grades within an assembly without derating to the lower grade and recertifying.
Safety Information
- Never exceed the Working Load Limit for the size and grade.
- Use fittings of the same grade throughout the assembly.
- Never knot, twist or shorten by wrapping.
- Withdraw any chain showing stretch, wear beyond the manufacturer’s stated limit of nominal diameter, nicks, gouges, cracks or bent links.
- Measure a defined length periodically to check for stretch.
- Never weld, heat treat, machine or repaint.
- Operating range -40 °C to +400 °C.
- Assemblies built or altered require proof testing and recertification.
- Thorough examination by a competent person required at intervals not exceeding 12 months under LOLER 1998.
Inspection and Maintenance
Chain is inspected link by link, and the whole length matters because a single bad link is a failure. Measure the link diameter at the bearing points and withdraw at the manufacturer’s stated wear limit. Check for stretch by measuring a defined number of links against the original length, since elongation indicates overload and is the clearest evidence of it. Look for nicks, gouges, cracks, bent or twisted links, and heat discolouration. Pay particular attention to links that habitually seat in a grab hook, which wear faster than the rest. Never repaint: the finish identifies the grade and fresh paint hides exactly what you are looking for.
Downloads
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How is chain sold?
By the metre, and the weight is quoted per metre. Specify the length you need at order. The finished assembly weight depends on that length, which matters for delivery and for handling the sling.
Q: Grade 8 or Grade 10?
Grade 10 carries about 25% more at the same link diameter, so a lighter chain does the same work. Grade 8 costs less and has the widest range of matching fittings. Both Kito ranges run to +400 °C.
Q: Why must I not repaint chain?
The finish identifies the grade — blue for Kito Grade 10, black for Kito Grade 8, red for Cobra. Repainting destroys that identification and hides the cracks and wear an inspection is looking for.
Q: Can I mix grades in one assembly?
You can physically, but the whole assembly must then be derated to the lower grade, marked accordingly and recertified. Simpler and safer to keep an assembly to one grade.
