What is the minimum wire rope breaking strength required to lift a 10,000 pound load?

When lifting a load, the wire rope must have a breaking strength significantly greater than the load itself to ensure safety and accommodate dynamic forces that can occur during lifting, such as sudden movements or impacts. A common safety factor used in rigging is 5 to 1, which means that the breaking strength of the rope should be at least five times the weight of the load being lifted.

In this case, with a load of 10,000 pounds, applying a safety factor of 5 results in:

10,000 lbs x 5 = 50,000 lbs.

This calculation shows that the minimum wire rope breaking strength required to safely lift the 10,000-pound load is 50,000 pounds. This ensures that there is sufficient strength in the wire rope to handle the load safely while accounting for safety factors. Therefore, the correct answer reflects this requirement based on standard rigging practices.