Knowing Your ‘Twine’ From Your ‘Knotless Polypropylene’: Four Key Terms In Netting

Figuring out the difference between knotted polypropylene and braided polyethylene can seem complicated. But it needn’t be. There are really only a limited number of key phrases you need to know when it comes to choosing which type of material you need.

Of course, if you’re ever unsure of what type of material would best suit your specific needs, we’re more than happy to talk it through with you and figure out the best option. Just give us a call and we can sort it.

Still, to give you a head start, we thought it would be useful to run through four of the key terms we use most often, so you can see what it’s all about.

TWINE

When it comes to twine, the main two types you’ll likely come across are nylon and polyethylene (pronounced ‘poly-eth-eh-leen). Nylon is hardwearing and very strong. It’s incredibly versatile and is used in fishing, rigging, gardening, crafts…the list goes on. You can usually tell nylon twine, as it’s pretty rough to the touch. Polyethylene twine is much smoother to the touch and more plastic feeling, but it’s just as strong. It’s mainly used to repair nets made of the same polyethylene material. We’ll look at polyethylene in more detail shortly, first let’s talk about…

ROPE

Thicker than twine, by itself rope can be used in situations that need a bit more ‘oomph’ such as lashing boats or in industrial situations or scaffolding, for example. Its strength is also useful when being used in rope bridges for children’s play areas. Predominately we use polypropylene rope (pronounced ‘poly-pro-p-leen’). It’s tough. It doesn’t rot. And it’s incredibly versatile. And it’s also relatively soft to the touch.

KNOTLESS POLYPROPYLENE NETTING

As the name suggests, this type of netting is identified mainly be the fact that it doesn’t appear to have any knots. Instead, the different strands are woven together. It gives the netting a soft feel, which makes it ideal for use when it comes to obstacles in children’s soft-play areas. And it’s interesting to know that we’re one of the few firms – perhaps the only one to our knowledge – who are able to produce this type of netting in multi-colour.

KNOTTED POLYETHYLENE NETTING

Again, the clue is in the name but the key difference is the type of twine used here. Where as polypropylene is softer to the touch and is able to be woven together, when it comes to making nets with the more plastic-feeling polyethylene, the strands must be knotted together, or ‘braided’ as we say in the business. This technique produces very strong nets, and due to the nature of the polyethylene twine used, it makes them extremely hardwearing. For example, whereas softer polypropylene nets are used for the obstacles in children’s play areas, knotted polyethylene netting is used for the safety nets surrounding them.

And there you have it: four of the key terms we most often use in netting. Hopefully that’s shed some light on some of the differences between the materials we use.

But, like we said before, if you were ever unsure of what type of material would best suit your specific needs, we’re more than happy to talk it through with you and figure out the best option. Just give us a call on 01469 575 804.