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24 Plait Matt: Spun Polyester Rope for Sailing Sheets and Theatre Rigging
24 Plait Matt is a 100% polyester rope manufactured by English Braids in Malvern, Worcestershire, using spun polyester yarn on the 24-plait outer cover rather than the filament polyester used in standard braid constructions. Spun polyester produces a matte, textured surface with significantly higher grip than a filament cover, while remaining soft to the touch for hand use. The construction pairs this spun polyester 24-plait cover with a 12-strand polyester core, heat set and pre-stretched at manufacture. Specific gravity is 1.38 across both core and cover. The rope is resistant to UV, acid and alkali degradation, with a heat resistance threshold of ~230°C. Extension at break is 25%. 24 Plait Matt is stocked in five colourways (white, buff, red, black and blue) across six diameters from 6mm to 16mm on 100m reels. Note: 6mm is available in white only; buff colourway is available from 8mm to 12mm only.
- Sailing yacht sheets
- Classic and traditional yacht running rigging
- Theatre and events fly systems
- Stage and theatrical rigging lines
- Utility rigging and hand-pulled systems
- General purpose rope for hand use applications
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Technical Overview
| 24-plait construction with 12-strand core |
| Spun polyester outer cover for matte finish and increased grip |
| Heat set and pre-stretched for reduced extension under load |
| Soft to the touch for hand use applications |
| Easily spliced and terminated |
| Full colour range available for easy identification |
| Traditional natural-fibre appearance suitable for theatrical use or classic sailing yachts |
What Is Spun Polyester and Why Does It Matter for Rope Construction?
Most polyester rope is manufactured from filament polyester: continuous, smooth fibres that produce a shiny, low-friction surface. 24 Plait Matt uses spun polyester on the 24-plait outer cover instead. Spun polyester is made from short fibres twisted together, which produces a yarn with a textured, fibrous surface rather than a smooth one. When braided into a 24-plait cover, this gives the rope a matte appearance and a noticeably higher coefficient of friction against hands, hardware and deck surfaces. The practical result is a rope that grips more securely through hands and over cleats, and that handles more comfortably for repeated hand-over-hand use without generating the slippage that smooth filament constructions can produce under load. The matte finish also gives 24 Plait Matt a traditional, natural-fibre appearance, closer in look and feel to cotton or hemp rope than to standard synthetic braid, which is why it is specified for theatrical applications where the visual character of the rope is part of the requirement.
The underlying construction is the same double braid architecture used in English Braids’ standard polyester range: a 12-strand polyester core enclosed within a 24-plait cover, heat set and pre-stretched at our Malvern facility. The spun polyester cover does not reduce the structural performance of the construction. The full technical specification is available in the data sheet above, and the product sits within the English Braids polyester rope range alongside filament polyester constructions for applications where grip and appearance are secondary to smoothness and load performance.
24 Plait Matt for Sailing Sheets and Theatre Rigging: Applications and Specification
In leisure marine applications, 24 Plait Matt is used primarily as a sheet rope on cruising and classic yachts where the higher grip of the spun polyester cover is an advantage in hand-control applications, and where the traditional matte appearance suits the aesthetic of a classic or wooden vessel. It is listed on the cruising rope range and is appropriate for mainsheets, genoa sheets and control lines where a softer, grippier rope is preferred over the smoother finish of standard Braid-on-Braid. In theatre and events applications, 24 Plait Matt is used as a hemp rope substitute in fly systems, counterweight rigging and stage hand-pulled systems. The matte buff and white colourways read visually as natural fibre rope under stage lighting, making the rope suitable for period productions and traditional theatrical rigging setups where synthetic braid would be visually anachronistic. For theatre and events rigging applications, see the theatres and events market page.
Breaking loads verified from English Braids’ internal datasheets: 600kg at 6mm, 1,120kg at 8mm, 1,980kg at 10mm, 2,300kg at 12mm, 3,500kg at 14mm and 5,430kg at 16mm. All diameters are supplied on 100m reels. The rope is stocked in white across all six diameters; red, black and blue are available from 8mm to 16mm; buff is available from 8mm to 12mm only. For sailing applications requiring a smoother, lower-friction sheet construction, Braid-on-Braid is the appropriate alternative within the polyester range.
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