For an 8 mm accessory cord tied with a double overhand bend, what are the reported tensile strengths?

• A. 3,500 lbf (single) and 7,200 lbf (double)
• B. 2,500 lbf (single) and 5,000 lbf (double)
• C. 4,000 lbf (single) and 8,000 lbf (double)
• D. 3,000 lbf (single) and 6,000 lbf (double)

Answer: (A)

Tensile strength with knots and doubling changes how much load the rope can carry. For an 8 mm accessory cord tied with a double overhand bend, published test data show about 3,500 pounds of force when the cord is used as a single strand. When the same setup uses the rope doubled (two strands sharing the load), the strength rises to about 7,200 pounds. The doubling effectively provides two load paths, so the overall capacity increases, while the knot introduces some loss that is already reflected in these values. The other options don’t align with these standard test results, which is why the pairing of 3,500 (single) and 7,200 (double) is the best match.