Choose a Lifting Hook for the Complete Load Path

A lifting hook is suitable only when its identification, working load limit (WLL), geometry, connection and permitted load direction match the complete load path. Start with the load weight and center of gravity, then check the hitch, sling-leg forces, attachment method and environment. For overhead lifting, reject improvised hardware and any hook whose rating or identity cannot be verified.

Set the three conditions below to screen a hook for the planned lift.

Hook Types Describe Connection and Load Control

Lifting-hook names often combine two characteristics. One identifies how the hook connects to the rigging; the other describes how it receives or retains the load.

Hook Type	What It Does	Main Selection Issue
Eye hook	Connects through a closed eye	Use an approved connector that bears correctly in the eye
Clevis hook	Connects directly to compatible chain with a clevis pin	Match the exact chain diameter and grade; use the specified pin and retainers
Shank hook	Mounts through a block or fitting with a retained shank	Treat it as part of the hoist or crane assembly; installation and nut retention are model-specific
Swivel hook	Allows the hook to be oriented during rigging	Verify whether the exact model may rotate under load
Sling or slip hook	Provides a broad bowl and throat for a sling eye, link or fitting	The fitting must seat without crowding, point loading or latch contact
Grab hook	Engages a chain link, commonly to shorten a chain leg	Match the approved style to the chain size, grade and application
Self-locking hook	Closes and locks when the load is applied	The load must bear in the hook body, not on the locking mechanism
Foundry or sorting hook	Provides specialized geometry for a defined handling task	Use only in loading positions permitted for that model

ASME B30.10-2024 separates hooks intended to support a load in the bowl, saddle or pinhole from miscellaneous hooks that may accept other loading positions. It also distinguishes a spring-loaded self-closing hook from a self-locking hook that closes and locks under load.

Those distinctions affect how the hook may be loaded. A conventional bowl-loaded hook must not be used like a purpose-designed sorting or foundry hook. Likewise, “swivel” does not automatically mean the hook can rotate while loaded; certain bearing models permit it, but the exact manufacturer’s instructions control.

A lifting clamp is a different category. If the connection depends on gripping a flange or plate rather than seating rigging in a hook, use a device rated for that function. See beam clamp types and ratings for those connections.

WLL Applies Only Under Stated Conditions

The marked WLL is not a universal capacity. It applies under the manufacturer’s stated conditions, normally with an in-line pull and the connection seated in the bowl. Crosby, for example, defines WLL as the maximum load authorized in general service when pull is applied in line with the product centerline unless otherwise noted (Crosby hoist-hook instructions).

WLL is not breaking strength, permission to shock-load the hook or a rating for the hook tip or latch. Before accepting a hook, verify:

• the manufacturer and traceable model or identification;
• WLL in the units shown on the hook or its documentation;
• identification for overhead lifting service;
• chain size and grade when the hook is a chain component;
• permitted load direction and angle limits;
• temperature, chemical and corrosion restrictions;
• required pins, couplers, nuts and retainers; and
• compatibility with the wire-rope, chain or synthetic-sling fitting.

The lifting system is limited by its lowest applicable rating. That includes the crane or hoist in its working configuration, hook, master link, shackles, sling legs, end fittings and lifting points.

Sling angles can raise leg tension substantially even though the suspended weight has not changed. Use the sling manufacturer’s chart for the actual hitch, angle and number of loaded legs. Do not assume that each leg carries the load weight divided equally by the number of legs.

For U.S. construction work, OSHA requires the safe working loads of specific, identifiable hooks to follow manufacturer recommendations. If no applicable recommendation exists, 29 CFR 1926.251 requires testing to twice the intended safe working load before initial use and records of that test (OSHA 29 CFR 1926.251). Replacing untraceable hardware is generally more practical than establishing and documenting a rating for it.

Hook Fit Must Keep the Load in the Bowl

Throat clearance alone does not establish correct fit. A sling eye or fitting can pass through the opening yet crowd the hook, ride toward the tip or press against the latch. The connection should settle into the bowl without side loading, point loading or distortion.

Manufacturer instructions may restrict both the included angle and the number of sling legs placed directly in a hook. The cited Crosby instructions, for example, limit two legs in the hook to a 90-degree included angle. They direct users to an intermediate master link or bolt-type shackle for wider angles or for three or more legs.

That is a manufacturer example, not a universal limit for every hook. Apply the instructions for the model in service. Where several sling eyes crowd the bowl, use a correctly rated intermediate connection rather than forcing them into the hook.

Clevis fit also requires more than matching parts that appear close in size. The hook must match the chain’s specified diameter and grade, and it must retain the manufacturer’s pin and retaining parts. An improvised bolt or makeshift cotter does not reproduce a rated assembly.

A Latch Retains Slack Rigging

A hook latch bridges the throat so a loose sling or fitting is less likely to escape when the rigging goes slack. It is not intended to support the load. ASME defines a hook latch as a rigging aid for retaining loose attachments during slack conditions, not as a load-supporting component (ASME B30.10-2024).

If an eye, link or fitting bears against the latch, the hook is too small, overcrowded or incorrectly oriented. A closed latch does not correct bad seating or make tip loading acceptable.

Whether a latch is legally required depends on the equipment and activity. OSHA’s general-industry sling rule does not explicitly require a latch on every sling hook, while other standards impose retention requirements for particular operations (OSHA latch interpretation).

During steel erection, for example, self-closing latches or equivalent protection are required when employees work under suspended loads in the circumstances covered by the rule. The standard also says installed safety latches generally must not be deactivated, with limited exceptions for purlins, single joists or equivalent protection in a site-specific erection plan (OSHA 29 CFR 1926.753).

Follow the rule governing the operation, the lift plan and the manufacturer’s instructions. A blanket statement that OSHA always—or never—requires a latch is not reliable.

Daily Inspection Starts With a Known Baseline

For construction slings, OSHA requires a competent person designated by the employer to inspect the sling and its fastenings and attachments each day before use. Service conditions may require additional inspections, and damaged or defective gear must be removed from service (OSHA 29 CFR 1926.251).

That pre-use check does not replace any periodic inspection program applying to the hoist, crane, sling or hook. Clean the hook enough to see its surfaces, then check these areas:

1. Identification: Confirm that the manufacturer’s identification and required rating information remain legible.
2. Bowl and body: Look for cracks, nicks, gouges, wear, corrosion, heat evidence and weld spatter.
3. Shape: Compare the throat opening with the manufacturer’s original dimension or forged deformation marks. Look for a bent tip or twist out of the hook’s plane.
4. Latch: Check that it moves freely, closes against the tip and has no bending or permanent distortion.
5. Connection: Inspect the eye, clevis pin, load pin, cotter or retainer, shank, nut and accessible threads.
6. Swivel: Check unloaded movement, bearings and the retention system as the manual directs.

Use the hook manufacturer’s removal criteria. As one manufacturer example, Columbus McKinnon directs users to discard hooks with more than 10% wear from the original dimension, a throat or slot increase over 5% of the original opening without exceeding 1/4 inch, or any visible bend or twist (Columbus McKinnon rigging catalog).

Those figures show the types of dimensional changes that matter, but they are not universal limits for every hook. The criteria for the specific manufacturer and model control.

Remove a hook from service immediately for a crack, unauthorized weld, heat straightening, makeshift pin or unexplained deformation. Do not attempt a field repair. Some manufacturers permit grinding a nick only within stated dimensional limits and procedures; that permission must come from the applicable instructions.

Set the Hook for an In-Line Trial Lift

Before hoisting, establish the load weight, center of gravity and approved lifting points. Inspect the rigging, seat each connection in the hook bowl, close the latch where required and remove twists.

Bring the rigging just taut. Confirm that no fitting moves toward the tip, crowds the throat or bears on the latch. Make a low trial lift to verify balance and control before continuing.

Do not tip-load, back-load or side-load an ordinary lifting hook. Do not drag it sideways to reach a load or shock-load it. Keep people out of the fall zone, and never improvise personnel lifting with ordinary material-handling hooks.

Transport-chain hooks, tow hooks, improvised S-hooks and general-purpose hardware may resemble lifting components, but appearance does not establish an overhead rating. The acceptable hook is the traceable one whose connection, geometry, documented WLL and permitted loading position all match the planned load path.