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Cable ties buying guide: width first, then length

Updated: 23 October 2026

A cable ties buying guide starts with the width, not the slogan. You are buying a first bag on amazon.co.uk, and the title says heavy duty while the width, if you can find it, says 3.6 mm. That phrase does not change the kilograms. Choose the width for the load, then the length for the bundle you have measured. The [Cable ties comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/cable-ties) lists the twelve packs, with saved prices in GBP. This page is the sizing lesson, not a winner's table. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Figures come from those listings and UK trade charts, not a lab test.

A cable ties buying guide starts with the width, not the slogan. You are buying a first bag on amazon.co.uk, and the title says heavy duty while the width, if you can find it, says 3.6 mm.

Our top picks

Armpow Armpow 50 × 450 mm × 9 mm black

Best overall

Armpow Armpow 50 × 450 mm × 9 mm black
8.0/10about £11.99
View offer
Gocableties Gocableties 100 × 300 mm × 3.6 mm black

Rank 2

Gocableties Gocableties 100 × 300 mm × 3.6 mm black
8.8/10about £6.99
View offer
BEEWAY BEEWAY 120 mixed 3.6 mm black

Best value

BEEWAY BEEWAY 120 mixed 3.6 mm black
8.2/10about £3.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Width decides the kilograms
  2. 2.Length is the bundle, not the strength
  3. 3.Colour is not a UV certificate
  4. 4.Jobs these bags do not do

Width decides the kilograms

Seller charts put nylon 66 ties in bands that repeat. About 8 kg at 2.5 mm, about 18 kg at 3.6 mm, about 22 kg at 4.8 mm, about 54 kg at 7.6 mm, and about 80 kg at 9 mm. The kilogram number is a minimum loop strength, the load at which the tie is expected to fail in a short test. It is not a safe everyday hanging weight. In this amazon.co.uk set the honest 3.6 mm bags print about 18 kg. Gocableties states 18.2 kg. Oksdown states 18 kg on the same size and still puts heavy duty in the title. A longer strap does not climb the table. The contrast is on heavy duty or standard cable ties. Until you have the width, ignore heavy duty.

Length is the bundle, not the strength

Width sets the kilograms. Length only decides whether the tail will reach the head. A trade rule of thumb, used by cableties.co.uk, is to multiply the bundle diameter by about five. Cableties.co.uk calls 300 mm by 4.8 mm a popular size for bundles up to about 60 mm. That geometry is the seller's, not a measurement of your skirting run. A 200 mm by 4.8 mm tie, the DUNSOO pack of 500 at a saved £10.99, is the right width for a slightly heavier loom and the wrong length if the loop is an 80 mm coil. The opposite mistake is 450 mm by 9 mm on a phone charger: you close the loop and then cut a long, stiff tail. A mixed bag helps when the lengths are unknown, and it is a poor buy when every loop is already 300 mm.
Armpow Armpow 50 × 450 mm × 9 mm black

Testsieger

Armpow Armpow 50 × 450 mm × 9 mm black
8.0/10about £11.99
View offer

Colour is not a UV certificate

Natural nylon is the indoor grade in trade brochures. Ordinary black often carries a little carbon black and is sold as limited outdoor use. A separate UV-stabilised grade, sometimes called PA66W, is what those makers point at for a long time in the sun. Black dye on an amazon.co.uk title is not that grade. Gocableties, Armpow, and DUNSOO print a UV line and a temperature window. XINGO's white 1,500-pack puts UV in the title on a white strap, which trade guides treat as the weaker sun case unless a stabilised grade is named. If the tie will sit on a fence through a British summer, read outdoor cable ties before you treat black as the specification.

Jobs these bags do not do

BS 7671:2018 Regulation 521.10.202 says wiring systems must not collapse early in a fire. Non-metallic ties must not be the sole support where cables are fixed direct to exposed surfaces or hung under tray. Steel or copper clips, saddles, or ties are the fixings those notes name. A 9 mm nylon strap does not answer that rule by being thicker. If the tie would be the only thing holding fixed wiring to a wall, use the correct clip, or ask an electrician. UL 94 V-2, on at least one listing here, is a flammability class for the plastic. It is not a fire-support rating. Stainless steel ties and metal clips are outside this folder. Filter the main table by the width you chose: 3.6 mm for a normal loom, 4.8 mm when the bundle is heavier but still a cable, and 7.6 mm or 9 mm only when the object is wide.

Common questions

What size cable tie do I need for a bundle of mains leads?
Measure the bunch. A typical handful of appliance leads is often inside a 3.6 mm tie at 200 mm or 300 mm, the 18 kg class. If the coil is nearer 60 mm to 80 mm across, a 300 mm tie is the length trade shops call popular, and 4.8 mm is the step up in width, at about 22 kg, not a longer 3.6 mm strap.
Is 300 mm by 3.6 mm the normal household tie, and how strong is it?
Yes, for leads and light DIY. Seller charts put that size at about 18 kg minimum loop strength. Gocableties prints 18.2 kg, which matches. The number is the failure load in a short test, not a shelf you should load to 18 kg. Titles that add heavy duty on this size have not changed the width.
Does a longer tie hold more weight?
No. Tensile strength tracks width. A 450 mm tie at 3.6 mm is still about 18 kg. A 200 mm tie at 4.8 mm is about 22 kg and may still be too short for your loop. Buy length for the circumference, and width for the load.
Is a 1,500-piece assortment better than a pack of 100?
It is better only when you want many lengths and you can see one width. The 1,500-piece bags here print 2.5 mm and 3.6 mm on the same listing, at £19.99. A pack of 100 at 300 mm by 3.6 mm costs more per tie and tells you what you are holding.
When do I leave nylon and buy stainless steel?
Leave this nylon set when the tie would be the only support of fixed wiring, when the place is salty or hotter than the listing's temperature window, or when a failed strap could drop something onto a person. Stainless ties are not among the twelve bags on the main page.

Related pages

Best cable ties

Cable ties

Heavy duty cable ties: read the width, not the slogan

How to use cable ties: tighten, cut, and remove them

Outdoor cable ties: ordinary black is not UV-proof

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Updated 22.10.2026.

  1. GTSE: cable tie tensile strength explained (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. Just Cable Ties: strength by width (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. BSI: BS EN IEC 62275:2019 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. BS EN IEC 62275:2026 foreword preview (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. FIA: BS 7671 Regulation 521.10.202 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. IET: cables and fire protection FAQs (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. GTSE: UV-resistant cable ties for outdoor use (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. HellermannTyton and Fraunhofer: UV ageing of cable ties (retrieved 22.10.2026)