PE RATINGS –
what are they all about?
Many people have
struggled to get their head
around PE line ratings
and what they mean.
This article breaks down
the various forms of line
measurement and provides
an overview of what
they’re all about.
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www.fishingwa.com
P
E ratings have frequently been
talked about over the past few
years. I can’t help reflecting on
being able to trace the various stages
of my life by the PE reference. As a kid
PE (physical education) was the class I
looked forward to the most at school. As a
teenager PE (Public Enemy) was the main
hip-hop group I was into. A bit later I was in
university and PE (price to earnings) ratios
was one of the more boring topics I spent
time studying. But now PE ratings have to
do with fishing line!
There’s a fair bit of confusion
around regarding what PE ratings are
about. While I don’t claim any superior
knowledge on the issue, organising the
topic’s chaotic mass of information into
something structured can help provide
a better understanding of what it is and
how it works.
When it comes to measuring the
strength of fishing lines, in Australia
there has traditionally been two main
methods – by its breaking strain and
by its length. A line’s breaking strain
refers to the amount of pressure it can
withstand before it snaps. A line’s length
is obviously how long it is.
The breaking strain of a line is
measured by pounds (lb) or by kilograms
(kg). Technically 1kg works out to be
2.2lb and 1lb works out to be .45kg. But
because the ratio between the two units
of measurement is so close to 2:1 it has
always been easy enough to express
what a particular line strength is by
doubling the weight or halving the weight.
So, for example, you might ask
someone what strength line they are
using on their bream reel and they
may have replied – 3kg line, or 6lb line.
Further up the scale, game fisherman
may be using 50lb or 25kg line
depending on their preferred reference
point. In both cases people are saying
the same thing but just using different
terminology.
The use of this system of
measurement isn’t a generational thing
either, it’s not dependant on when you
were born. I grew up with the metric
system where weight was measured in
kilograms, but I still tend to refer to the
line weights I use in pounds as do a lot of
people I know who are younger than me.
When it comes to line lengths, you’ll
find in them measured in either yards or
metres. These units of measurement are
BACK TO BASICS b y B en Dere c k i
slightly off a ratio of 1:1
but it’s in the vicinity, for
example 150yds = 135m.
At some point an additional
form of line measurement
started to get more attention
and that was in the form of
measuring a line’s diameter.
Having thinner line brings many
advantages to fishing, for example
thinner line weighs less, will catch
less breeze, and will generate less
friction across rod guides which
ultimately all contributes to improving
casting distances. Thinner line is also a lot
more sensitive which allows more finesse
when fishing, particularly when using lures.
Line diameters are measured in
millimetres but over the past few years
the Japanese system for measuring a
line’s diameter has started to become
more widely used and this has created a
lot of confusion along the way.
The Japanese use a system of
measurement called a PE rating. PE
stands for poly-ethylene, a type of plastic
that braided lines are made out of. It’s
believed the rating is based on a unit of
measurement that was originally used to
measure the thickness of a thread of silk
and is now used for measuring the thickness
of fishing line.
Generally the PE
rating is comparable with certain
line strengths. This means that PE2 lines
can have a breaking strain of 20lb or PE8
lines can have a breaking strain of 80lb
which leads people to think that all PE
2 lines have a breaking strength of 20lb
and all PE8 lines have a breaking strain of
80lb, but this is not the case.
Some manufacturers have managed
to create incredibly strong lines with thin
diameters which means that lines can now
have a rating of PE8 but a breaking strain of
100lb (for example). So on one tackle store
shelf you can find a range of PE8 lines with a
breaking strain of 80lb and then you look at
the next shelf up and there’s a range of PE8
lines with a breaking strain of 100lb! Talk
about confusing.
The easiest way to work through it all
is to understand
that three
measurements are on
the box - the length, the breaking
strain and the diameter of the line, and
that these measurements can be in
different forms. When you see the PE
rating, add a zero to the end to work out
what the approximate breaking strain is
(ie PE8 + 0 = 80lb breaking strain), and
then double check the actual breaking
strain specified.
If you find a line that has a rating of
PE8 and a breaking strain of 100lb you
know you’ve got a thin line. Conversely
if you have a PE8 rated line with a
breaking strain of 70lb, you know you’ve
got a slightly thicker line. You can make
your decision from there.
PE ratings are simply a different way
of measuring line diameters, separating
the fact that sometimes they are
comparable with breaking strains and
sometimes they aren’t will clear up a lot
of the confusion.
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