Sisal Rope Made in Kenya, and the Other Ropes We Supply
Who sells sisal rope in Kenya?
Belay Rigging supplies sisal rope made in Kenya, in sixteen sizes from 8 to 40 mm. The weight and length of every coil are published on this page. We also supply nylon rope, polypropylene rope (PP rope), manila, polyester and kernmantle, including large diameters up to 40 mm. Every size is quoted by the kilo and by the metre in the same message.
Closed. Send an enquiry and we pick it up when we open.
Choose a fibre and a size
Sisal first, then four more fibres. Diameters in millimetres. Send the size and the fibre and we quote by the kilo and by the metre.
8-40
Sisal
Made in Kenya, sixteen sizes
Ask for sisal
30
Polypropylene
Large diameter, 24 to 40 mm
Ask for this size
12-40
Nylon mooring
3-strand and 8-strand plait
Ask for this size
10-32
Polyester
Low stretch, holds up to sun
Ask for this size
10-13
Kernmantle
Quoted against the job
Tell us the job
Not every fibre and size on this page is photographed. Send the specification and we quote it whether it is pictured or not.
Same nylon, same diameter, different rope
What is the difference between 3-strand and 8-strand rope?
Construction decides more than the fibre does.
A 3-strand line is three strands twisted one way. Under load it wants to untwist, and when the load comes off it springs back. On a cleat that becomes a kink, and a kinked line is a weak line.
An 8-strand plait interlaces four strands running left and four running right. The two directions cancel, so the rope does not rotate and does not hockle.
Same nylon, same diameter, same breaking figure on paper. Different rope in the hand.
Fibre decides what it survives
Which rope is made in Kenya?
Sisal. It is the only rope here grown and spun in Kenya. Manila, polypropylene, polyester and nylon are imported.
| Fibre | Character | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Sisal | Natural, made in Kenya. Grips in the hand. Keep it dry in storage | Farms, balers, scaffolding lashing, tug of war, general site |
| Manila | Natural. Stronger than sisal, holds a knot, imported | Marine, tug of war, general work, anywhere sisal is not enough |
| Polypropylene (PP) | Light synthetic. Floats. Degrades in sun over years | Agriculture, packaging, tent guy ropes, light duty, water |
| Polyester | Low stretch. Holds up to sun and chemicals | Marine, outdoor rigging, anything left in the weather |
| Nylon | Highest strength of the five. Stretches, so it absorbs shock | Pulling heavy loads, mooring, towing, recovery |
Nylon or polypropylene rope, which one do I need?
Nylon for anything that pulls hard or jerks: mooring, towing, recovery. It is the strongest of the five and it stretches, so it absorbs shock.
Polypropylene for light duty and anything near water. It floats, but the sun breaks it down over the years.
Do you sell hemp or jute rope?
No. The natural fibre ropes we supply are sisal and manila, both on this page.
Sizes and items
| Item | Sizes | Sold by |
|---|---|---|
| Sisal rope, made in Kenya | 8 to 40 mm, sixteen sizes | Kilo and metre. Coil weights below |
| Sisal twine and baler twine | Bulk, by the bale | Kilo |
| Polypropylene rope, large diameter | 24, 28, 30, 32, 36, 40 mm | Kilo and metre |
| Polypropylene rope, counter sizes | 6 to 22 mm | Kilo and metre |
| Manila rope | 18, 20, 22 mm. 24 to 32 mm sourced | Kilo and metre |
| Polyester rope | 10 to 20 mm. To 32 mm sourced | Kilo and metre |
| Nylon rope, 3-strand twisted, also for mooring | 12 to 40 mm | Kilo and metre |
| Nylon mooring rope, 8-strand plait | 12 to 40 mm | Kilo and metre |
| Anchor and marine rope, full coils | Coil lengths | Coil |
| Kernmantle rope, low stretch | State diameter and the job | Metre. Quoted against a named job |
Full specification
Sisal, the only rope here made in Kenya
- Fibre
- Natural sisal, grown and spun locally
- Construction
- 3-strand twisted
- Diameters
- 8 to 40 mm, sixteen sizes. No 6 mm and no 28 mm are laid
- Priced by
- The kilo at the factory. The coil table below does the conversion for you
- In Kiswahili
- Kamba ya katani, or kamba ya mkonge
- Also
- Sisal twine and baler twine, bulk, from the same source
Construction, 3, 4, 8 and 12 strand
- 3-strand hawser-laid
- Three strands twisted together. The general purpose default. Twists under load and wants to kink
- 4-strand shroud-laid
- Four strands round a core. Less common, heavier
- 8-strand plait
- Four left-hand and four right-hand strands interlaced. Stays balanced, does not rotate when a load comes off. The mooring construction
- 12-strand single braid
- Non-rotating, holds its shape, splices easily. Specialist and sourced to order
- Standard
- EN ISO 1346 covers polypropylene in 3, 4, 8 and 12 strand and gives the designation rules. Each fibre has its own standard
Kernmantle
- Construction
- Load-bearing core inside a braided sheath
- Type
- Low stretch, semi-static. Not dynamic climbing rope
- How it is quoted
- Against a named job and a named person, never off a list
- Documents
- Whatever the supplier issues is passed to you unchanged
Sisal by the coil
What sisal rope sizes are made in Kenya?
Sixteen sizes from 8 to 40 mm, with the weight and length of a full coil in each. No 6 mm or 28 mm are laid.
| Diameter | Coil length | Coil weight |
|---|---|---|
| 8 mm | 200 m | 12 kg |
| 10 mm | 200 m | 15 kg |
| 12 mm | 200 m | 23 kg |
| 14 mm | 200 m | 31 kg |
| 16 mm | 200 m | 42 kg |
| 18 mm | 200 m | 49 kg |
| 20 mm | 200 m | 61 kg |
| 22 mm | 200 m | 73 kg |
| 24 mm | 200 m | 88 kg |
| 26 mm | 200 m | 103 kg |
| 30 mm | 200 m | 138 kg |
| 32 mm | 100 m | 70 kg |
| 34 mm | 100 m | 82 kg |
| 36 mm | 100 m | 89 kg |
| 38 mm | 100 m | 102 kg |
| 40 mm | 100 m | 110 kg |
Figures from the maker's specification sheet. Coils change length at 32 mm, from 200 m to 100 m, so a heavier coil is not always a longer one.
Asked in inches: 1/2 inch is about 12 mm, 3/4 inch about 20 mm and 1 inch about 26 mm.
Do you sell sisal rope wholesale, by the coil?
Yes. A full coil is 200 m up to 30 mm and 100 m from 32 mm, and the table above gives its weight. Smaller lengths are quoted by the metre.
Kilo or metre
Is rope sold by the kilo or by the metre in Kenya?
Rope leaves a factory by weight and reaches a buyer by length. The two prices describe the same coil, and they are rarely set side by side.
Give us the diameter and the length you need. We quote both units in the same message so you can see the conversion rather than take it on trust.
For sisal the coil table above already shows it, in all sixteen diameters.
What this rope is not
Can fibre rope be used for lifting?
No. None of the fibre rope on this page is a lifting sling. A rope carries no rated tag, no working load limit stamped on it and no place in an overhead lift. Webbing slings and chain slings do that job, each on its own page.
We do not calculate a working load limit for anyone. Send the diameter and construction you have been specified and we match it.
Kernmantle is the exception here and it is treated as one. It holds a person, not a load, so it is quoted against a named job rather than sold off a list.
Mooring, and why plait
Mooring lines go to the coast and to the lakes. Mombasa, Kilifi, Lamu and Tanga on salt water. Kisumu, Entebbe, Jinja, Mwanza and Bukoba on Lake Victoria, Naivasha inland, Kigoma on Tanganyika.
8-strand plait interlaces four strands each way, so it stays balanced and does not rotate. That is why boats moor on plait rather than hawser-laid.
Nylon for the stretch, polyester where the sun is the problem. Both in 12 to 40 mm, spliced with a thimble and shackle if you want the end finished.
Fresh water is kinder to rope than salt, so a lake line outlasts a coastal one in the same fibre. Tell us which water it goes in and we quote accordingly.
Delivery and lead time
Do you supply rope outside Kenya?
Yes. Uganda and Tanzania are quoted per consignment. Inside Kenya, Nairobi goes by rider or van and the rest of the country by courier or bus parcel. Rope travels well and coils stack, so a cross-border load is usually worth combining rather than sending twice.
The counter sizes in the table are the quickest to source. Anything above 22 mm takes longer, so give us a working day before you need it on site.
Full coils, 8-strand plait, 12-strand braid and kernmantle run longer than that, and imported fibre longer again.
Weight is what decides the vehicle here, not length. A 200 m sisal coil at 30 mm is 138 kg and needs a vehicle, not a rider. Tell us the size and the town together and the delivery cost comes back with the price.
Send us the diameter
Sisal or another fibre, the diameter, the length and what it is going on. That is enough for us to quote. Ends spliced and fitted with a thimble and shackle on request.
Building a swing, a gym climbing rope or a whole playground? Our team builds those too, on the zipline and adventure page.
Nairobi and the rest of Kenya on the routes that already run. Uganda and Tanzania quoted per consignment.
Closed. Send an enquiry and we pick it up when we open.