The Cordage Institute, a standards developing organization and trade association based in Wayne (Pennsylvania, USA), has announced international standards for a number of high performance ropes that are used in the general marine and recreational marine industries. The new international standards are for categories of High Performance ropes that provide higher strengths, more abrasion resistance and more durability in the marine environment than conventional ropes. They include HP Nylon and Polyester double braid, 12-strand Nylon and Polyester HP braid, and HP PP/PE Olefin 3-, 8-strand and 12-strand braid.

The international standards organization (ISO) is only now starting a process to use the Cordage Institute standards as drafts for Europe (CEN) and ISO compatible standards. The Cordage Institute Technical Committee has also developed two new test standards that are applicable to the marine industry. They are CI 1500-01 Standard and Advanced Test Methods for Fiber Rope that provides both basic physical properties and a number of special properties such as wet and dry cycled and uncycled strength and strain and determination of permanent, intermediate and overall strain that are frequently required when selecting ropes for marine applications. CI 1503-00 Test Method for Yarn-on-Yarn Abrasion has been developed for determining dry and wet yarn-on-yarn abrasion resistance for synthetic fiber yarns when a marine overlay finish is required to improve performance for ropes to be used in the marine environment.