What do the x ratings on leaders/ tippets etc mean . ie 6x 5x 0x etc

many thanks

Dave

They relate to the thickness of the line.

If you search of "x-rating" on this forum it will bring up the thread about it. I've searched this many times hence i know what to search for

To determine the 'x factor' you use the following rule

RULE OF ELEVENS: Subtraction of the X leader number from 11 to come up with the leader diameter in thousandths of an inch. (Example: 4X leader = 11-4= 7= .007 " dia.)

cheers
JJ

thanks.......I knew it would be something simple.....just like me !!

Am I correct in assuming the 'X' factor really doesn't have anything to do with the leaders 'strength?' Other than a bigger diameter would indicate a stronger one.

fae

You are right Fred.. It really doesn't relate to the strength, just the diameter.

In theory, and no doubt in practice a 5x tippet could be stronger than a 4x, yet it is thinner...

I am still using the old fashioned LB system, yet i now always check the diameter also, but just by checking the diameter in mm as stated on the spool... I don't get out the micrometer, although i am sometimes tempted.. I've been meaning to check all my tippet with a good micrometer just to see if they are accurate with their diameter references.

Hope this was of some help..

cheers
JJ

Many thanks JJ. Wondered about that as I've seen (side by side) tippet spools saying 'something X,' but the breaking strength could be quite different. A good example (?) of this is Maxima leader material.

That stuff is tough as nails regardless of what's on the spool!

The "X" symbol goes back to the days of gut "leaders", they were called "casts" then, and denotes how many times a length of gut was drawn through a die to determine its diameter. 0X means it wasn't drawn at all and was called undrawn gut and was very thick. 8X means it was drawn 8 times and therefore very fine.

I am old enough to remember whan "hooks to gut" were available. You had to soak your gut hook length in water prior to using it.