Tensile & Destructive Testing Services

Tensile, Compression & Break Testing Up To 800 Tonnes

We have one of the largest rigs in the United Kingdom, enabling us to test lifting gear, welds and materials to destruction in-house.

Request A Quote 02380 338 286
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Tensile, Compression & Break Testing

Know Exactly What Your Equipment Can Take

There is only one way to know the true breaking point of a sling, a wire rope termination or a fabricated component, and that is to test it.

Destructive testing loads a sample under controlled, measured conditions until the material yields and fails, so you have proof of its strength rather than an assumption. It is how new designs are verified, how production batches are quality-checked, and how failures are investigated.

We carry out this work in-house on calibrated machines with tensile capacity up to 800 tonnes, among the largest rigs in the United Kingdom. Samples are loaded in measured increments to a proof load or all the way to destruction, with every reading recorded against the relevant standard and issued with traceable certification. Where an item needs checking for flaws rather than testing to failure, that is covered by our non-destructive and weld testing.

Our destructive testing covers:

  • Tensile testing up to 800 tonnes
  • Compression testing up to 200 tonnes
  • Creep testing under sustained load and temperature
  • Pull-out testing of anchors and fixings
  • Break and proof load testing of finished equipment
  • Traceable certification issued for every test
Tensile Testing

Need A Sample Tested? Talk To Our Engineers

Send us your equipment, welds or material samples and we will test them to the standard you need, with certification you can put in front of any auditor.

Send An Enquiry 02380 338 286

Our Testing Capability

Destructive Testing

Destructive testing intentionally damages or destroys a sample to evaluate its mechanical properties, revealing performance limits, failure modes and structural integrity that a calculation alone cannot confirm. It is how you verify material strength and durability, identify weak points or defects, validate a design or a manufacturing batch, and prove compliance with engineering and safety standards.

We carry out tensile, compression, creep and pull-out testing in-house, loading each sample under controlled conditions until it yields or fails and recording the result against the relevant standard. The data is accurate and quantitative, which is exactly what certification, material selection and design validation depend on. Every test is documented and certified.

Destructive Testing

Tensile Testing

Tensile testing pulls a sample apart under measured load to establish its strength: the point at which it yields, the maximum load it carries, and how far it extends before it fails. It is the core of most destructive work and the basis of every proof load test we carry out.

Our tensile rig is rated at 800 tonnes, making it one of the largest in the United Kingdom, and lets us test everything from a single sling to heavy wire rope assemblies and large fabricated components. Loads are applied in controlled increments and recorded against the standard your equipment is certified to.

Tensile Testing Services

Compression, Creep & Pull-Out Testing

Not every component fails by being pulled in a straight line. Compression testing loads a sample until it crushes or buckles, which matters for anything that carries weight rather than hangs from it, and we test to 200 tonnes in compression. Creep testing holds a sample under a constant load and temperature over time to measure how it slowly deforms, which is how you prove long-term reliability under sustained stress rather than a single peak load.

Pull-out testing determines the load at which an anchor fixing fails, confirming it will hold what it is rated to. Because this is a service in its own right, used for fall arrest anchors, lifting points and structural fixings, the detail lives on our Anchor Pull Testing page. Whichever method applies, you get a measured figure rather than an estimate, recorded and certified so it stands up to scrutiny from a client, auditor or insurer.

Our Process

From Sample to Certificate

  1. 01

    Tell Us What You Need

    Send us the item or sample and the standard you need it tested to. If you are not sure which test applies, our engineers will advise before anything goes on the rig.

  2. 02

    Controlled Testing

    We load the sample in measured increments, to a proof load or all the way to destruction, on calibrated machines rated up to 800 tonnes.

  3. 03

    Recorded Results

    Every reading is recorded against the relevant standard, including the load at which the material yields and the point at which it fails.

  4. 04

    Full Certification

    You receive traceable certification documenting the result, ready to put in front of a client, auditor or insurer.

Why Choose SWL

Testing Capacity Few Others Can Match

One of The UK's Largest Rigs

With tensile capacity up to 800 tonnes, we test items and assemblies that most laboratories simply cannot accommodate.

All Testing Done In-House

Tensile, compression, creep and pull-out testing under one roof, so there is no subcontracting, no handoffs and no delay waiting on a third party.

Calibrated & Traceable

Our machines are calibrated and traceable to national standards, so every result you receive stands up to scrutiny.

Equipment & Materials

We test finished lifting gear and the welds and materials behind it, which means one supplier can prove a component from raw steel to working product.

Certification You Can Rely On

Every test is documented against the relevant standard and issued with full certification, ready for a client, auditor or insurer.

Decades of Lifting Expertise

Testing is what we do across the business, so your samples are handled by engineers who understand lifting equipment, not generalists.

Our Tensile & Destructive Testing FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of destructive testing do you carry out?

Tensile, compression, creep and pull-out testing, all in-house. We load each sample under controlled conditions to a proof load or to destruction, and certify the result against the relevant standard.

How large a sample can you tensile test?

Our tensile rig is rated to 800 tonnes, one of the largest in the United Kingdom, so we can test everything from a single sling to heavy wire rope assemblies and large fabricated components.

What can you test?

Lifting equipment, wire rope, slings, chain assemblies, welds and fabricated steel components, plus the parent materials behind them. If you are unsure whether we can test your item, send us the details and we will tell you.

Do you provide certification with the results?

Yes. Every test is documented against the relevant standard and issued with full traceable certification, ready to put in front of a client, auditor or insurer.

Can you test welds and materials, not just finished equipment?

Yes. We test welds and parent materials to confirm they meet specifications, whether you are signing off on a new fabrication, proving a welding procedure, or verifying a batch of material.

Do I need to send my samples to you, or can you test on site?

Destructive testing on our large rigs is conducted at our own facility, so samples are brought to us. For field testing, talk to us about our on-site and proof-load services.

What is creep testing?

Creep testing holds a sample under a constant load and temperature over time to measure how it slowly deforms. It proves long-term reliability under sustained stress, rather than performance under a single peak load.

Do you carry out pull-out testing on anchors?

Yes. Pull-out testing determines the load at which an anchor fixing fails. As a service in its own right, used for fall arrest anchors, lifting points and structural fixings, the detail is on our Anchor Pull Testing page.