A rookie ties down a steel coil with 4-inch ratchet straps. The load looks tight leaving the yard. First significant bump on the highway and the coil's sharp outer edge, under full strap tension, slices through the webbing like a blade — because that's exactly what it is. The load shifts. He learned that day why steel coils get chained. It's not a preference. It's physics, and in some cases, federal law.
The Quick Rule
If your load has sharp edges, abrasive surfaces, high heat, chemical exposure, or exceeds 10,000 lbs per anchor point — use chain. For everything else, straps are faster, lighter, easier to handle, and less likely to scratch the cargo.
Most experienced flatbed drivers use both on the same load. Knowing which goes where is the skill.
Loads That Require Chain by Law
Under FMCSA 49 CFR 393.116 and related commodity-specific rules, certain load types require chain as part of a compliant securement system:
- Metal coils: Coils have no flat surface and hard, sharp outer edges. The regulation requires specific chain configurations depending on coil orientation (eyes vertical vs. eyes horizontal). Straps alone do not meet the standard.
- Heavy machinery and equipment: Large equipment with protruding edges, hydraulic lines, or sharp metal frames. Chain protects against the contact damage that straps would suffer under movement.
- Concrete pipe: Heavy, dense, prone to rolling. Chain binders provide the positive lock that's required to prevent movement under load.
- Vehicles over 10,000 lbs: Larger vehicle transport requires chain-based tie-downs rated for the load weight.
- Logs: Specific rules govern log securement, including the use of stakes, bolsters, and chains in combination.
When the regulation names chain, using straps doesn't satisfy the requirement even if the aggregate WLL is technically met. The method matters, not just the math.
Loads That Work Better with Straps
For loads where chain isn't legally required, ratchet straps and winch straps are usually the better choice:
- Palletized freight: Straps are easier to position over wrapped pallets and won't damage cardboard or plastic wrap.
- Crated machinery: Wooden crate sides can be crushed by chain tension. Straps distribute load across a wider surface area.
- Lumber bundles: Straps tie down evenly and don't mark the wood surface.
- Light steel (tubing, bar stock, structural sections): With proper corner protectors on all edges, straps secure light steel loads cleanly.
- General LTL freight: Mixed freight on a flatbed or in an enclosed trailer is almost always strap territory.
Chain Advantages
- Cuts through nothing. A steel coil, a machinery edge, a rough casting — chain doesn't care. It will outlast the load.
- No UV degradation. Webbing straps break down from sun exposure over time. Chain does not.
- Chemical and heat resistance. Industrial loads with oils, acids, or heat would destroy strap webbing. Chain handles it.
- Long service life. G70 transport chain, properly maintained, lasts years — not months.
- Higher WLL per piece. A single 3/8" G70 chain delivers 6,600 lbs WLL. A 4-inch strap typically caps at 5,400 lbs.
Chain Disadvantages
- Heavy. A 20-foot length of 3/8" chain weighs roughly 20 lbs. Throwing four chains over a load at the end of a 10-hour day adds up.
- Damages unprotected cargo. Chain contact against painted, coated, or soft surfaces causes scratching and denting. Always use padding between chain and cargo.
- Slower to set. Threading chain, hooking clevis grabs, setting binders — this takes longer than threading a winch strap.
- Requires binders. Chain doesn't tension itself. A binder is part of every chain assembly, which means another piece of gear to buy, carry, and maintain.
- Higher upfront cost. Chain and binders cost more than an equivalent strap setup.
Strap Advantages
- Light and fast. A 4-inch winch strap weighs a fraction of the equivalent chain. Threading and tensioning takes seconds.
- Easy on cargo. Webbing won't scratch paint, dent aluminum, or crush soft packaging.
- Easier to learn. New drivers get comfortable with straps faster than chains.
- Lower per-piece cost. Buying 10 winch straps costs significantly less than buying 4 chains with binders.
Strap Disadvantages
- Fails on sharp edges without protection. Without corner protectors, strap webbing cuts — and once cut, the WLL is gone.
- UV and weather degradation. Polyester webbing breaks down from sun exposure, moisture, and temperature cycling. Replace on a schedule.
- Lower WLL per piece compared to equivalent chain sizes for heavy loads.
- Shorter service life. Daily-use straps need replacement every 12–24 months. Chain lasts years.
Real-World Load Combinations
In practice, most loads use both — chain where the load demands it, straps everywhere else:
- Steel coil: 4 chains in the configuration required by FMCSA 393.116. No straps on the coil itself.
- Large machinery on a flatbed: 2 chains in direct tie-down through frame points + 4 straps over-the-top for stability and lateral control.
- Palletized general freight: Straps only, with V-board corner protectors on every edge where a strap changes direction.
- Pipe or rebar bundle: Chains through pipe stakes at the stake pockets, with straps as supplemental lateral control if needed.
- Vehicle transport (heavy): Axle straps or wheel straps on the tires, chain on the frame for the heaviest units.
Shop transport chain, binders, and straps at Elohim USA — everything on one order, fast shipping from Houston.