You can get “real” Military Specification C-5040H compliant Paracord HERE
You can download your own copy of the military specification that Kacey is referring to – MIL-C-5040H.
(Transcript for this video is provided below for your convenience)
OK, Guys … let’s get clear … right here … right now … once and for all … about the differences between “real,” “genuine” “high quality” Mil Spec Paracord … and cheaper, less reliable, “you-don’t-know-what-you’re-getting” Commercial Paracord.
I’m Kacey from Paracord550MilSpec.com and I’m going to explain, “The Big Four,” or the four things that even a regular, normal person can easily see to determine whether or not your paracord is “real” Mil-Spec Paracord, or “cheap” Commercial Paracord.
Remember, we’re talking about Type III Paracord, which is what MOST people are referring to when the talk about Paracord.
Here’s the problem in a nutshell … there is no SINGLE manufacturing standard for Commercial Paracord.
Different manufacturers make Commercial Paracord differently. Some manufacturers make a decent product, some manufacturers make crap. When you buy Commercial Paracord … plain and simple … you just don’t know what you’re getting.
When you buy Mil-Spec Paracord, you know EXACTLY what you’re getting … it’s EXACTLY the same stuff that Military Paratroopers … as well as civilian parachutists … have trusted their lives to for decades.
I’ve studied the Military Specification C-5040, which is now in Revision H. It’s 20 pages long … and fairly boring … at least I thought it was boring … it’s technical … and, of course … it’s very, very specific.
For sure, a “regular, normal” person would never know whether the requirements in the specification had been met, or not.
However, there are FOUR requirements of the Mil-Spec that a “regular, normal” person can easily determine with a simple visual inspection. In the next two minutes, I’ll explain “The Big Four,” and you’ll know what to look for, too.
Number One:
Count the number of Inner Strands inside your paracord.
The Mil-Spec REQUIRES 7 or 8 or 9 Inner Strands.
Commercial paracord commonly has 7 or 6 … or even fewer Inner Strands.
If your paracord has 6 or fewer Inner Strands, you definitely do NOT have Mil-Spec Paracord.
Number Two:
Count the number of INSIDE Strands. These are the Strands that make up EACH one of the 7 or 8 or 9 INNER Strands that I just described.
The easiest way that I’ve found to do this is to separate the INSIDE Strands apart with a straight pin or needle, so you can see them better.
The Mil-Spec REQUIRES exactly THREE INSIDE Strands.
Commercial paracord very commonly has only TWO INSIDE Strands.
If your Paracord does not have EXACTLY THREE Inner Strands, you definitely do NOT have Mil-Spec Paracord.
Number Three:
Now, look carefully, again, at the INNER … and the INSIDE … Strands of your Paracord
The Mil-Spec REQUIRES that ALL of the INNER and INSIDE Strands … be twisted.
Commercial Paracord often has TWISTED Strands. But sometimes it has STRAIGHT Strands, or even a combination of TWISTED and STRAIGHT Strands.
If ANY of the INNER or INSIDE Strands in your Paracord are STRAIGHT, rather than TWISTED, you definitely do NOT have Mil-Spec Paracord.
Number Four:
Look carefully, again, at the 7 org 8 or 9 Inner Strands inside your Paracord.
This time, look for one or more COLORED Inner Strands.
This COLORED Inner Strand is often called a “Colored ID Marker Strand,” or simply a “Marker Strand.”
The Marker Strand might be one single color, like RED or GREEN or YELLOW, or a combination of colors, like BLACK and RED, YELLOW and BLACK, BLUE and BLACK, or some other combination of colors.
The Mil-Spec REQUIRES that all manufacturers of Mil-Spec Paracord include their assigned Uniquely-Colored, Manufacturer’s Identification Marker Strand inside ALL of the Mil-Spec Paracord that they manufacture.
Commercial paracord very commonly does not include a Colored Marker Strand. However … and you have to watch out for this one … sometimes Commercial Paracord DOES have a Colored Marker Strand. This is just a cheap trick to make it LOOK like Mil-Spec Paracord.
If your Paracord does not have a Colored ID Market Strand, you definitely do NOT have Mil-Spec Paracord.
In Summary:
Commercial Paracord is not manufactured to any single standard, so you don’t know what you’re getting.
Mil-Spec Paracord is manufactured in accordance with the Military Specification C-5040H, so you know exactly what you’re getting. Mil-Spec Paracord is stronger and more reliable than Commercial Paracord.
A “normal, regular” person can easily tell the difference between Mil-Spec and Commercial Paracord by remembering The Big Four. Here they are, again:
– 7 or 8 or 9 Inner Strands
– each Inner Strand is made up of exactly three Inside Strands
– ALL Inner and Inside Strands are twisted together
– at least one of the Inner Strands is a Colored ID Marker Strand
If your Paracord passes The Big Four Test … congratulations! You PROBABLY have “real” Mil-Spec Type III Paracord.
If your Paracord fails The Big Four Test, you definitely do NOT have “real” Mil-Spec Type III Paracord.
And now that you’ve learned how easy it is to tell the difference between Mil-Spec and Commercial Paracord … you probably won’t settle for anything less than “real” Mil-Spec Paracord. I know I won’t!
Click the link below this video and go to Paracord 550 Mil-Spec on Amazon for the absolute best place to buy Genuine Mil-Spec Type III Paracord … Guaranteed.
Is that good enough to use … or do we have to do it all over, again?
That Paracord sounds like pretty cool stuff! I need to order some right away!
(Oops, Don’t tell Kacey that we included her “bloopers!” We told her that we deleted them!)
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