String materials

There are many string materials available. To help sift through that information, here's more information about how they relate to each other and the best uses for each.

Fiber manufacturers

While it may appear there are dozens of options, there are really only 3 fibers used for strings.

HMPE (high-modulus polyethylene) - known as Spectra, Dyneema, or Izanas
PET (polyethelene terephthalate) - known as Dacron
LCP (liquid crystal polymer) - known as Vectran

Each of these have their variations:

There are also a few string material manufacturers we have access to (at least in the US):

BCY and Bloodline are readily available. Angel is almost impossible to get at this point. Brownell has been unavailable for almost a decade but they seem to be making a comeback and have some new materials available in addition to some of their previous offerings.

Each of these manufacturers have access to the fibers listed in the previous section and have their own offerings for each.

String material characteristics

There are a few things to know about string materials.

They can be a single fiber, or multiple fibers blended together.
Different materials are different sizes. So when we talk about strand count, we must also include which material we are referring to.
They are not round. String material is actually flat, so we can't measure it's size with a diameter like we could if it were round.
Materials seem to fall into 2 categories in terms of coatings: waxed and waxless
- Waxed materials come waxed from the manufacturer and finished strings should be re-waxed periodically to help protect the fibers from damage and wear. BCY and Brownell both make waxed materials exclusively.
- Waxless materials have some other type of coating to protect them. They should not be waxed. According to the manufacturer, applying wax to these materials can add a somewhat sticky layer that tends to attract dirt and debris that can cause abrasion to the fibers. Bloodline and Angel both product waxless materials exclusively.
String material is twisted. While the finished string is also twisted, there is a twist built into each individual strand as well.

Material stretch

Recurve and longbows need string material with a bit of stretch in it. Unlike compound bows, too stiff a material on a recurve can result in too much vibration going into the bow after the shot. Over time this can cause damage to the bow and potentially to the archer as well. Any materials blended with Vectran are best for compound bows and are too stiff for recurve and longbows.

There are a few things to know about string materials.

They can be a single fiber, or multiple fibers blended together.
Different materials are different sizes. So when we talk about strand count, we must also include which material we are referring to.
They are not round. String material is actually flat, so we can't measure it's size with a diameter like we could if it were round.
Materials seem to fall into 2 categories in terms of coatings: waxed and waxless
- Waxed materials come waxed from the manufacturer and finished strings should be re-waxed periodically to help protect the fibers from damage and wear. BCY and Brownell both make waxed materials exclusively.
- Waxless materials have some other type of coating to protect them. They should not be waxed. According to the manufacturer, applying wax to these materials can add a somewhat sticky layer that tends to attract dirt and debris that can cause abrasion to the fibers. Bloodline and Angel both product waxless materials exclusively.
String material is twisted. While the finished string is also twisted, there is a twist built into each individual strand as well.

Download PDF

Material size

There is a term used in fiber manufacturing called a denier which is a unit of weight. While not a direct replacement for a diameter, it does tell us relative sizes between different materials. The larger the denier value, the chunkier the material.

This can help guide us in determining strand count when switching from one material to another.

Choosing your material

Given all that information, these are the materials we recommend.

For vintage bows & longbows without reinforced limb tips: B55 (Dacron)
For Olympic Recurve, Barebow, and Long bow with reinforced limb tips: 652 Spectra, 8125, Glory Pro, or Fast Flight +

Dacron	SPECTRA® 1000	SK75 Dyneema®	SK76 Dyneema®

Unless you have a good reason to shoot Dacron, any of the other options above really come down to personal preference and are all good choices.

8125 - Tried and true
652 - A softer feel
Glory Pro - For those who don't wax their string anyway
Fast Flight Plus - It has a great reputation, but we just got our hands on it, so that awaits to be seen!