TIL the cables in our elevators are actually way stronger than I thought

I was reading through an old maintenance manual last month for a 1990s Otis model we service downtown, and I stumbled on the rated breaking strength numbers for the hoist cables. I always figured they had some margin, but seeing it in black and white - each cable can hold over 10,000 pounds on its own. That means a 4-cable setup can handle way more than the car weight plus a full load. It surprised me because I've heard guys worry about cable wear and snapped strands, but the numbers made me realize how overbuilt these things really are. Has anyone else dug into the actual specs on their elevator's cables?

2 comments

2 Comments

shah.ben1mo ago

Did you ever see those old elevator inspection reports from the 70s? I remember reading one where a 3-cable setup still had a safety factor of like 12 to 1 on a fully loaded car. Wild how much overkill there is.

morgan9151mo ago

Used to think older stuff was way underbuilt compared to modern safety codes, but seeing those old numbers really flips that idea on its head. They were basically engineering for a nightmare scenario, not just everyday use.