What is the difference between STATIC R44 and STATIC R44 NFPA?
STATIC R44 ropes are certified only according to the European standard EN 1891, while STATIC R44 NFPA ropes additionally meet the North American standard NFPA 1983 (2012) Technical Use “T” (STATIC R44 NFPA 13 meets only the NFPA standard - General use “G” and not EN 1891).In order to meet the NFPA standard, the static elongation must be in the range of 1-10% at 10% MBS (Minimum Breaking Strength). In addition, it is mandatory to state the values of elongation under load of 1.35 kN (300 lbs), 2.7 kN (600 lbs) and 4.4 kN (1,000 lbs) for easier orientation of the user when choosing a rope.
For ropes certified only according to EN 1891, the core is pre-precipitated during the production process, which guarantees that the rope will not shrink as much after contact with water, but losing some of its static nature. The rope produced in this way would not meet the requirements of the NFPA standard, and therefore we omit this pre-precipitation step during production. This makes the rope more static, but may shrink slightly more when used (8-10%). Last but not least, NFPA certification is obligatory in some countries or jobs (mainly North and South America).