Stage Rigging Equipment

Entertainment rigging hardware for suspending truss, lighting and audio: chain hoists, shackles, slings, steels, chains and the fittings that connect them to structures, drawn mainly from ELLER and Elumen8 with Global Truss, Equinox and PCE alongside.

The sub-categories follow the load path. Chain Hoists covers manual hoists for lifting truss and equipment. Between the hoist and the load sit the connecting components: Shackles, Soft Slings and Soft Steel Slings for wrapping truss, Steels & Wires for suspension and fixture safeties, and Chains with their matching links, master links and shortening hooks. Attachment to the building comes under Beam & Girder Clamps for structural steel, Eye Bolts for threaded points, and Key Clamps and Bracketry for pipe-based structures. Meat Racks, Stage Weights, Ratchet Straps, Tent Clamps, Tools and Site Safety complete the touring and outdoor kit.

Every load-bearing item here is listed with the manufacturer’s stated working load limit, and that figure, not breaking strain, is what the marking on the component refers to. In the UK, lifting equipment used at work falls under LOLER, which places duties around inspection and thorough examination on the person using it. Anything with illegible markings, visible damage or missing certification should come out of service rather than go up.

We supply the hardware and the manufacturer’s documentation with it. We do not publish rigging design guidance, load calculations or bridle and angle advice, because those depend on the structure, the venue, the loading and the specific build, and they belong with the rigger or structural engineer responsible for signing off the job. If you are not that person, the right move is to involve one rather than to work it out from a product page.

For consumables, this is a category that empties steadily through a season. Shackles, slings and steels go missing, get retired at inspection and end up in other people’s cases, so most crews reorder in matched sets rather than singly.

The truss these components suspend is in the Truss section, and clamps that attach fixtures to it are under Clamps And Couplers.

Rigging FAQs

What goes between the hoist and the truss? The load path in order: attachment to the building (clamps, steels), the hoist, then shackles and slings to the load, with safeties backing anything over people. Each link must be rated and labelled.

How do I size a chain hoist? Real total load, truss, fixtures, cabling, safeties, with proper margin: the full method is in the chain hoist buying guide.

What are my inspection duties? LOLER: thorough examination at least every 12 months for hoists, every 6 months for accessories like slings and shackles, plus documented pre-use checks. Keep the reports.