Industrial lifting equipment is a fast-growing heavy industry worldwide. It was worth $72.04 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $96.11 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 4.4% from 2021 to 2028. And industrial hooks and hoists are two of the most popular lifting equipment.

Rigging and lifting applications require different types of industrial hoists and hooks. Choosing the right lifting hook or hoist is necessary to run your rigging and lifting application smoothly. You will need to learn about different types of industrial hoists and hooks if you want to choose the right one.

Types of Industrial Hooks and Industrial Hoists You Must Know About

Table of Content

  1. Eye Hooks
  2. Clevis Hooks
  3. Swivel Hooks
  4. Drum and Barrel Rigging Hooks
  5. Foundry Lifting Hooks
  6. Sorting Hooks
  7. J Hooks
  8. Crane Lifting Hooks
  9. Grab Hooks
  10. Sling Hooks with Self-Closing Latch Kits
  11. Positive Latching Hooks

1. Eye Hooks

These are one of the most common types of industrial hooks. These hooks offer a great way to connect a lifting hook to a sling. The only drawback is – it’s a permanent solution. Eye hooks are welded to chain slings. In other words, if the eye hook gets bent, cracked, and stretched, you will need to remove the entire sling from service.

2. Clevis Hooks

Unlike eye hooks, clevis hooks are a non-permanent connection. These industrial hoists and hooks come with a “U” shaped clevis top, which you can secure using a bolt or pin. You can use clevis to fasten the hook to a chain or a bracket.

Some industrial hardware suppliers and wholesalers don’t have the certification to weld eye hooks to chains and slings. They often use clevis hooks as an alternative to eye hooks. The advantage of using clevis hooks is that you can easily remove damaged or stretched hooks without having to scarp the entire sling.

3. Swivel Hooks

These industrial hooks come in two distinct types:

  • Positioning Swivel Hook: These swivel hooks can rotate, allowing you to align and secure the attached load. However, you will need to choose swivel hooks that rotate when aligning/positioning the hook, not when the load is attached. Make sure to clarify this with your industrial hardware supplier and wholesaler beforehand.
  • True Swivel Hook with Bearing: On the other hand, a true swivel hook can rotate 360 degrees when the load is attached. As a result, these industrial hooks are more suitable for rigging and lifting equipment that shouldn’t twist under the load. 

4. Drum and Barrel Rigging Hooks

As the name suggests, these industrial hooks are best suited for lifting barrels and drums. These hooks come with an extra wide lifting point. This lifting point goes under the lip of barrels or drums. However, you will need to use these hooks with a multi-leg sling assembly at an angle of 30°-45°. So, make sure to include multi-leg sling assembly in your industrial hardware supply.

5. Foundry Lifting Hooks

As you can imagine, these industrial hooks are used in foundries. They are designed to fit the trunnions and handles on castings or molds. They also come with a safety latch because foundry lifting hooks are used in high-temperature applications.

These lifting hooks are also used for tipping in foundries. However, reduce the working load limit (WLL) for safety. Always ask your industrial hardware supplier and wholesaler about WLL and other specifications.

6. Sorting Hooks

They are best suited for laying or sorting different flat metal plates, pipes, and other tube-like objects. You can use these with single or multi-leg bridle sling assembly.

However, you should use sorting hooks at 30° to 45° sling angles. It helps the sorting hooks fully engage with the load. Without it, the working load limit of the sorting hooks will reduce significantly.

7. J Hooks

Unlike other industrial hoist hooks, J hooks have a slimmer body profile. Most popular in industrial and manufacturing applications, these hooks are often used with eye bolts or custom-engineered overhead lifting points.

J hooks come with three different eye orientations:

  • Style A
  • Style B
  • Style C

Style A and B J-hooks have eyes parallel with the rest of the hook. On the other hand, Style C J-hooks have an eye perpendicular to the hook body. Given their slimmer profile, J-hooks often have lower Working Load Limits.

8. Crane Lifting Hooks

These industrial hooks are specifically designed to use with cranes. The two main categories of crane lifting hooks include single crane hooks and double crane hooks. Usually, single crane hooks are used for loads under 75 tons. However, double crane hooks can be used for handling heavy loads.

Based on the manufacturing, you can find the following types of crane lifting hooks.

  • Forging crane hooks
  • Laminated crane hooks
  • Electric rotary crane hooks

9. Grab Hooks

Grab hooks are specially designed to have a narrow throat. These industrial hooks can grab and shorten a chain. There are two main types of grab hooks.

  • Standard Grab Hooks: Although popular, these hooks have to be used with a 20% reduction in the working load limit.
  • Cradle Grab Hooks: These hooks come with a cradle to lay the chain. Unlike standard grab hooks, these require zero reduction in the working load limit.

Talk to your industrial hardware supplier and wholesaler to understand which grab hook best fits your needs.

10. Sling Hooks with Self-Closing Latch Kits

Most manufacturers design and supply sling hooks with self-closing latch kits. Your manufacturer or supplier can add the latch at the time of sale or even after the sale. Usually, two types of industrial hooks use self-closing latch kits – sorting hooks and foundry hooks.

However, sling hooks with self-closing latches have a shorter life span than hooks with a positive latch. Also, when ordering your industrial hardware supply, decide whether you want to order domestic or imported products.

While imported sling hooks look better, replacing a damaged self-closing latch can be expensive. In most cases, replacing the entire sling hook is more economical. Think this through before placing your order.

11. Positive Latching Hooks

Positive latching hooks come with a latch that engages when it is under the load. The latch won’t open until the load is at rest or released from the hook. Moreover, the heavy-duty latch makes these hooks suitable for demanding environments. However, consider the working load limit when using positive latching hooks.

Get On-Time Industrial Hardware Supply

As you can see, there are different types of industrial hoists and hooks. This post will help you understand the main types of hoists and hooks. Connect with your industrial hardware supplier and wholesaler to get best-in-class lifting hooks and hoists for your next project.

Do you need industrial hardware supply for your next project? Look no further than Elite Sales. We provide a wide range of industrial hoists and hooks. Call us today to know how we can help!