Sling Angles — Printable 18×24 Shop Chart, What the Angle Does to the Load on Each Leg

 The rigging arithmetic that catches people, in one chart, sized for a shop wall.

The same thousand-pound load every time. Only the angle changes. At 90 degrees each leg carries 500 pounds — half the load, exactly as you would expect. At 60 degrees, 577. At 45 degrees, 707. At 30 degrees each leg is carrying 1,000 pounds, the entire load, on its own. At 15 degrees, nearly twice it.

Shown as a bar chart, because the number alone does not land and the picture does. Underneath, three geometries drawn to scale — steep, forty- five, shallow — so you can match what you are looking at overhead to what is on the wall. And a hitch capacity table: vertical at 100 percent, choker at about 75 because the sling is bent sharply against itself, and basket up to 200 with legs vertical, falling away fast as the angle drops.

The rule it comes down to: never below 30 degrees, prefer 60 or steeper, and if the legs are spreading wider than that, use longer slings or a spreader bar.

A single sheet, 18 × 24 inches. Print it at any copy shop, office store or online print service — ask for 18 × 24 on matte or satin paper. You get a print-ready PDF and a PNG.

Adapted from public-domain US government field manuals, redrawn and set fresh. Not an official publication and not endorsed by any agency. This is general reference, not an engineering specification — size your gear to your actual load and follow the manufacturer’s ratings. Instant download — print it as many times as you like.