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Q&A What do the UIAA markings on rock climbing gear mean?

I buy my rock climbing hardware in America and it all comes labeled with UIAA ratings. These ratings make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. My gear has met mythological engineering standards. T...

1 answer  ·  posted 8y ago by theJollySin‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by System‭

#2: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2020-04-17T21:29:01Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/14559
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#1: Initial revision by user avatar theJollySin‭ · 2020-04-17T21:29:00Z (over 4 years ago)
<p>I buy my rock climbing hardware in America and it all comes labeled with <a href="https://theuiaa.org/safety-standards/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">UIAA ratings</a>.</p>

<p><img src="https://theuiaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/uiaa-safety-standards-1300x600-1-300x138.jpg" alt="UIAA rating pic"></p>

<p>These ratings make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. My gear has met mythological engineering standards. They have been blessed by Officials Who Know Things. A real, live person tested this carabiner, and it passed.</p>

<p>Great.  </p>

<p>But is any of that actually true? Is each cam, stopper, and carabiner individually tested? Or is it more of an "engineering standard" applied to the design of the gear? What do the UIAA markings on my climbing hardware really <em>mean</em>?</p>