STEEL CORD CONVEYOR BELTS
STEEL CORD REINFORCED CONVEYOR BELTS
BisonConvey steel cord conveyor belts are designed for the most demanding long-distance, high-tension conveying applications. Galvanized steel wire ropes embedded in rubber provide exceptional tensile strength with minimal elongation β enabling reliable transport over distances exceeding 10 kilometers.
These belts deliver superior impact resistance and excellent troughability, making them the preferred choice for large-scale mining operations, port facilities, and power plants where continuous, high-volume material transport is critical.
- ISO 9001:2015
- SGS Certified
- CE
- OHSAS 18001
- ISO 14001
- Β· 30+ Countries
- Β· Since 2005
TECHNICAL DATA
WHY CHOOSE THIS PRODUCT
- Ultra-low elongation (β€0.25%) eliminates frequent re-tensioning
- High impact absorption at loading zones with steel cord reinforcement
- Excellent troughability for efficient material containment at speed
- Splice strength exceeds 50% of belt rated strength
- Available with X-ray splice monitoring compatibility
- Superior fatigue resistance for 24/7 continuous operation
APPLICATIONS
How to Read a Steel Cord Belt Designation
Steel cord belt designations follow DIN 22131 and ISO 15236. Unlike a fabric belt, the number is not a per-ply figure β a steel cord carcass is a single plane of parallel cables, so the rating is the whole belt. The worked example below decodes ST 2000 8:6 X, a typical overland specification.
- ST
- Steel cord carcassGalvanised steel cables laid in a single parallel plane and bonded in rubber. There are no plies to separate, which is why steel cord survives tensions that would delaminate a textile carcass. It also means the belt has almost no transverse stiffness of its own β troughing behaviour comes from the rubber, not the carcass.
- 2000
- Nominal breaking strength (N/mm)The rated breaking strength per millimetre of belt width for the belt as a whole. An ST 2000 belt at 1200 mm width therefore has a rated breaking strength of 2400 kN. Divide by the safety factor β 6.7 for steel cord under DIN 22101 against 8 to 10 for textile β to get allowable working tension.
- Cord Γ / pitch
- Cable diameter and spacingEach class ties to a nominal cord diameter and centre-to-centre pitch; ST 2000 sits at roughly a 5 to 7 mm cord on a 12 to 15 mm pitch. Exact figures vary between manufacturers within a class, so confirm them against the supplier's data sheet before designing the splice.
- 8:6
- Cover thickness, top:bottom (mm)Steel cord belts carry thicker covers than textile because the cords must stay buried β any cover wear that exposes a cord admits water and starts corrosion along the cable. Overland duty typically runs 8 to 10 mm on top; the bottom cover rarely needs more than 4 to 6 mm.
- X
- Cover grade (DIN 22102)X is the severe-abrasion and cut-resistance grade, W the high-abrasion grade, Y general purpose. Long overland belts often run Y or W because the material has already been sized before it reaches them β X earns its cost at primary transfer points, not along the line.
ISO 15236 is the international equivalent of DIN 22131 and uses the same ST class series, so an ST 2000 quoted against either standard is the same tensile class.
Steel Cord Belt Selection Guide
Steel cord is a decision about elongation and tension, not about strength alone. Work through these five steps in order β the first two usually decide whether steel cord is the right answer at all.
Tensile class from Te
Calculate effective tension Te from length, lift, capacity and speed, resolve peak tension T1 at the drive, divide by belt width and apply the DIN 22101 steel cord safety factor of 6.7. Round up to the next class: ST 630, 800, 1000, 1250, 1600, 2000, 2500, 3150, 4000, 5000 or 6300.
The Belt Tension Calculator resolves Te and T1 from your conveyor geometry.Take-up travel β the real reason to choose steel cord
Steel cord elongates around 0.15 % at working tension against 1.5 to 2 % for a textile carcass. On a 3 km overland that is roughly 5 m of take-up travel instead of 50 m. Once the conveyor is long enough that a fabric belt's take-up becomes a civil engineering problem, steel cord stops being the expensive option.
Minimum pulley diameters
Steel cord needs substantially larger pulleys than textile at the same tensile class β bending a cable around too tight a radius fatigues it from the inside, where no inspection will find it. Check the minimum against your belt class and each pulley's utilisation band before the structure is fixed, because retrofitting a larger drive pulley is expensive.
Check minimum drum sizes with the Pulley Diameter Calculator (DIN 22101).Cover grade and thickness
Select the grade from the material's abrasiveness, then set thickness so the cords stay buried for the belt's design life. Cover wear on a steel cord belt is not just a wear item β once a cord is exposed, moisture tracks along the cable and corrodes it far beyond the damaged patch.
Look up abrasiveness and density in the Bulk Material Properties reference.Splice planning
Steel cord belts can only be joined by hot-vulcanised cord splices β cables are stripped back, interleaved to a defined step pattern, and cured under heat and pressure. This is specialist work with a long cure cycle, and splice quality effectively sets the belt's real strength. Confirm crew availability and shutdown window before ordering.
Common Specification Mistakes
Four errors we see repeatedly on steel cord projects, each of which either wastes capital or fails the belt early.
Specifying steel cord where a fabric belt would do
Steel cord costs more per metre, needs larger pulleys, demands specialist splicing and takes longer to install. Below roughly 1600 N/mm and under about 1 km, a fabric belt usually delivers the same service at lower total cost. Steel cord earns its price on elongation and tension, not on prestige.
Undersizing pulley diameter for the cord
The most expensive mistake on this page. Bending a cable tighter than its minimum radius fatigues it internally, and the failure surfaces months later as cords breaking one by one with no external sign. Fix the pulley diameters against DIN 22101 before the structure is designed β not after the belt arrives.
Ignoring transition distance
Steel cord needs roughly 1.6 to 2.5 times belt width of transition against a fabric belt's 0.4 to 1.2. Designers who carry a fabric-belt rule of thumb across to steel cord overload the belt edges and see edge cracking and splice fatigue inside the first year.
Assuming any splice crew can join steel cord
A cord splice is a different trade from a fabric finger splice: different tooling, different step patterns, a long cure cycle and far less tolerance for error. Confirm the crew's steel cord experience and the shutdown window at the quotation stage β a poorly executed splice caps the strength of an otherwise correctly specified belt.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
When should I choose steel cord over a fabric belt?
Two triggers. First, tensile demand above roughly 1600 N/mm, where textile carcasses become impractically thick and stiff. Second, conveyor length β steel cord's 0.15 % elongation against fabric's 1.5 to 2 % means dramatically less take-up travel, which usually decides it beyond about 1 km. Below both thresholds, a fabric belt is lighter, cheaper and easier to splice.
What does ST 2000 mean?
ST identifies a steel cord carcass and 2000 is the nominal breaking strength in newtons per millimetre of belt width. Unlike EP 500/4, the number is not per ply β a steel cord belt is a single plane of cables, so it describes the whole belt. An ST 2000 belt at 1200 mm width is rated at 2400 kN breaking strength.
Why do steel cord belts need bigger pulleys?
A steel cable fatigues when bent around too small a radius, and the damage starts inside the cord where inspection cannot reach it. DIN 22101 therefore sets minimum pulley diameters by tensile class and utilisation band, and steel cord minimums run well above textile at the same rating. Undersized pulleys shorten belt life without any visible warning.
What safety factor applies to steel cord belts?
DIN 22101 sets 6.7 for steel cord under steady-state operation with a hot-vulcanised splice, against 8 to 10 for textile. The lower figure reflects the more consistent and predictable strength of a cord splice. Raise it to 8 or above for frequent starts and stops, or for duty where the belt is difficult to inspect.
How are steel cord belts spliced?
Only by hot vulcanisation. The rubber is stripped back to expose the cables, cords from each belt end are interleaved to a defined step pattern, and the joint is cured under heat and pressure for a controlled period. It requires trained crews and a purpose-built press, and the splice largely determines the belt's real service strength.
What transition distance does a steel cord belt need?
Considerably more than textile β typically 1.6 to 2.5 times belt width against 0.4 to 1.2 for fabric. The carcass resists the shape change from troughed to flat approaching the pulley, so the belt edges take disproportionate tension over a short transition. Apply the rule at both the drive and tail ends, not just at the drive.
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Download the STEEL CORD REINFORCED CONVEYOR BELTS spec sheet
Full specifications, cover grades, tensile classes, and application recommendations β one PDF to share with your engineering team or procurement.
PDF Β· A4 Β· English
