I have yet to see MIL-C-5040H/PIA-C-5040E Mil-Spec Type II or IIA paracord. I have seen: Type I Type IA Type III (of course) Type IV But not II or IIA. Has anybody seen this cord? Or is it just a myth?
C-5040 is the real deal.. It's what 550 commercial paracord emulates, it's a lot lighter, softer and with a 750lb static load rating much stronger than 550 cord and It always has a marker strand that shows where and when it's made. We use it for special applications but it's not very abrasion resistant and will get fuzzy quickly.. It's also about twice the price of 550 cord, you can typically find it at military surplus supply depots.
MIL-C-5040H/PIA-C-5040E Mil-Spec Type IV has a 750 lb. minimum breaking requirement. Type III has a 550 lb minimum breaking requirement. The primary difference between the two is Type IV has a minimum of 11 internal strands and Type III has minimum of 7 internal strands. Otherwise the sheath is identical in shape, size and materials. Type IV 750 cord can be had at http://toughgrid.com Not sure what C-5040 is.
I was just using C 5040 as a basic term for mil spec parachute type cordage in reference to it being made in china.. all other alphanumeric markings along with the C 5040 indicate other things such as type and rating.. Sorry I should have "quoted" as it was not a response to your original question.. I have seen type II and or IIA years ago when we where buying only from surplus wholesalers I'm not sure if it's still around or not as that was late "70's" early "80's" I believe it was rated @ 200lbs so we never messed with it, typically back then it was all about strength as we where using paracord for primitive camping and survival applications and I had not even dreamed about weaving something useful out of it.. lol. I have government spec sheets somewhere around the shop if I can find them that break everything down for all the "types" of 5040 cord or I think I have seen them on the web.. I believe the C 5040 nomenclature dates to the original nylon paracord and stems from "C" meaning cord and "5040" indicating load rating in inch pounds. Charles
