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Rope Materials
Types of Rope
Cordage: rope, twine, or thread has always
been an essential part of man's tool kit These have been made
of both animal and plant fibers, and now, synthetic fibers and
wire are used as well. Examples of animal fiber cordage would
include sinew for sewing, the Mexican braided rawhide reata,
and the twisted horsehair hackamore. Probably every long-fiber
plant known to man has been used at some time or other in history
to make cordage. To judge the significance of rope, it should
be noted that the maritime economies of Europe would never have
come into existence without it and the New World would, in all
likelihood, would never have been discovered and settled by
Europeans. Without rope, the pyramids might never have been
built, mountains may never have been climbed and there would
be no shibari.
Different Ropes for Different Folks
Here, I will discuss the various types and and give my opinions
of them. Owing to human diversity, I don't expect everyone to
agree with me or my reasoning. Hey, what makes the world go
round anyway?
Rope for shibari can be classed as either
natural fiber or synthetic fiber and is further divided as
being made by twisting or by braiding. Braided rope is made
by braiding fine yarns of fibers over a core. The core can
be of the same material as the shell or can be completely
different, for example, nylon is often braided over a cotton
core. Twisted rope is made by spinning fibers into yarn, usually
with a right-hand twist. Multiple yarns, usually three, are
then twisted or set into strands using a left hand twist.
Multiple strands, usually three again, are then twisted or
laid into rope using a right hand twist again. The twists
in opposing directions create torque which is what holds the
rope together. To determine the handedness of the twist, hold
the rope in a line away from your body. If the twists or spirals
of the rope recede to the right, you are looking at a right-hand
or Z twist, if they recede to the left, you are looking at
a left-hand or S twist. The latter is less common, by far,
than the former and to my eye, simply looks "wrong."
Twisted rope is preferable for shibari in a couple of ways:
most knots are designed so that the natural friction of the
twists working against each other helps in their setting and
stability. Twisted rope also leaves beautiful ligature marks
on a subbie's skin after the bindings have been removed–a
lovely reminder of a happy time.
Synthetic Fibers
I don't like them! let's get that out of the way first. I
don't like them for shibari, at least. The main synthetic
fibers would be polypropylene, that nasty hard stuff that
floats and is used for things like water-ski tow ropes: nylon;
rayon; and the weird compounds used for climbing rope. Synthetic
ropes have, as a class, certain advantages as well as disadvantages.
On the positive side, they are very stable. They tend to be
waterproof and will wash  well.
On the negative side, the can produce significant rope-burn
very easily when moved quickly over the skin.
MFP ( Muti - Filament
Polypropylene ), dont confuse this with other type
of rope that are not suitable for shibari use! I personally
use this type of rope for most to of my shibari work. Its
easy to keep clean, and comes in dozen of colors if you order
from rainbowrope.com
Climbing rope,
always braided, can be made out of several different materials,
including kevlar.
Rayon can
be twisted or braided and is usually used for sailing as halyards
and sheets. It is very stable, has a nice texture and is very
expensive.
 Nylon
can be twisted or braided and is very stretchy. The most commonly
available types, what you would find packaged in the hardware
store, are not nearly as strong as one might expect. Nylon
is very slippery and doesn't always hold knots well. In humid
weather, it seems to have a moist feel to it, making it rather
distasteful to me. Braided line uses a core which is not always
of the same material as the surface braid. When the materials
are incomparable, washing or exposure to water or humidity
can and will substantially alter the characteristics of the
rope.
Natural Fibers
I prefer natural fibers, well, some natural fibers. Some of
them are truly nasty and are totally inappropriate for bondage.
Stability varies greatly between the fibers and, of those
suitable for bondage, their resistance to moisture is such
that I regard them as un-washable
A word here on washability:
I don't advocate washing rope and feel that caution and personal
hygiene are the answers to the problem. According to Jay Wiseman
(Jay Wiseman's Erotic Bondage Handbook, Greenery Press, Emeryville,
CA; 2000, p 116) there are no known cases of anything being
transmitted to anyone through rope. True, I don't do a lot
of casual play any more and, even in light of the "harshness"
of the rope I use, I've never had an instance where I've caused
skin to break even slightly, so for me, it's never really
been an issue.
Manila
Manila is made from the leaf stems of the abaca plant, a member
of the banana  family.
The fibers vary in length from 4 to 15 feet.and are classified
as hard. This is very stable and strong rope. S=2D²/300
tonnes for new, top quality rope. Typically, manilla is treated
with petrochemicals to inhibit mildew and has a smell like
diesel fuel. This rope is totally unsuitable for bondage,
the chief disadvantage is the possibility of infection from
fiber splinters that break off and become embedded in the
skin.
Sisal
Sisal is made from either of two fibers from tropical plants,
cesarean and henequen. These fibers are shorter than manila
but have the same drawbacks and are classified as hard. If
the breaking strain of Manila is given as 100, sisalana=80
and henequen=65. Again, unsuitable for bondage.
 Coir
Mentioned for curiosity value, coir is made from the fiber
of coconut husks, is very light and floats. The rope is very
rough and stretchy with a breaking strain of about 25% of
manila.
Cotton
 In
Japan, cotton is used for static bondage (no suspension).
It comes as twist or braid and is often died red, or, occasionally,
other colors. Cotton has a very low strength index and is
best used for decorative work. I've seen some lovely twist
in hardware and tack stores but it's usually too large for
bondage.
The
Real Shibari Nitty-gritty
This is the rope I make and use myself. From left to right:
jute, raw hemp from Hungary, and sized hemp from Hungary.
The sizing in the leftmost rope probably has a casein content
as the twine I made it from smelled just like Elmer's glue
when I got it. The Preferred diameter is 6 to 8 mm or 1/4".
Hemp 
Hemp is a soft fiber that grows in many parts of the world,
It is very absorbent and was usually tarred for use as standing
rigging in old, square-rigged ships. The strength index of
hemp is 100, identical with that of manila. This is a common
rope for shibari in Japan. There is little or no danger of
fibers breaking off in the skin and the feel is not uncomfortable
at all. Hemp will stand up to repeated wettings but it shrinks
at least 10% when wet and may not expand fully unless stretched.
David El, in San Francisco, finishes his hemp rope with mink
oil. I use mine raw and am happy with it that way. One day,
perhaps, I will try out various finishing techniques on the
ropes I make.
Jute
 Another
soft fiber, this is my favorite rope. It is nowhere near as
abrasive or uncomfortable as it looks. The fiber is from the
east Indian linden plant and has a pleasant licorice smell.
It is processed with small amounts of creosote which some
people may find unpleasant or irritating though, in my experience
irritation is exceedingly rare. I know some subbies who, after
being tied a few times who can go into headspace just smelling
the rope. Jute is definitely not water-friendly since wetting
expands the fibers and weakens the line. I have no idea what
the strength index is though it is the most commonly (as I
have recently been told) used rope for bondage and suspension
in Japan. The trick is to inspect the rope and make sure it's
not fraying and to replace it before that starts to happen.
Old rope can be used for static bondage, of course, where
strength is not critical. Knots set well in jute but remain
easy to untie. I use this rope raw, with no additional finishing
but James in Seattle has been doing some experiments finishing
jute with paraffin. He tells me my rope creaks when he uses
it.
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