“TEST LBS”

In Short –
Ande Inc. uses a standardized testing method to determine the breaking strength on our products. The material is tested with a tensile testing machine (Instron) which pulls the material apart at a precise speed to determine when it fails. For example, 50 pound test will break at or above 50 pounds during this specific test. This may not be true under any other testing methodology.

https://www.instron.com/en/resources/test-types/tensile-test/

In Detail -
Monofilament, Fluorocarbon and Braid can be produced in a range of diameters which have different tensile strengths, generally referred to as tests, after the process of tensile testing. The testing standard that specifies the method for determining the tensile properties of monofilament, fluorocarbon and spun yarns is American Society for Testing and Materials D2256 (ASTM D2256). Tensile testing is a test in which a sample is subjected to a controlled tension until failure. Operation of tension testing machines at a constant time-to-break has been found to minimize differences in test results between testing machines. ASTM D2256 specifies an average time-to-break of 20 seconds or an alternate speed of 12 inches / minute as recommended by ASTM D76/D76M.

A few of the properties that are measured via a tensile test are breaking strength and maximum elongation. The breaking strength refers to the maximum stress a material can withstand before it fractures or breaks under tension. It is essentially the point of failure when a material can no longer resist a pulling or tensile force. Breaking strength is typically measured in units of force per unit area, Newtons per square meter, in this case. This can then be converted into pounds as displayed on the label as pound test. This conversion is performed by the software included in the Instron testing machine used for these tests. The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) uses the same tests with an Instron machine when testing for a potential world record.

All breaking strengths listed on labels are with the material dry. Monofilament will absorb water, which in turn lowers the breaking strength by up to 10%. This is why the IGFA will perform a 2-hour soak in water before testing for a world record. This mimics the real-world scenario of the line being exposed to water while catching a potential record fish. Fluorocarbon will absorb a fraction of the water that monofilament does, which leads to the breaking strength being lowered by 0-5%. Other environmental factors can also cause the actual breaking strength to vary from the labeled breaking strength. Factors such as prolonged exposure to sunlight, heat, abrasion and petroleum-based products, will negatively impact the breaking strength. All tensile tests performed for breaking strengths on the label are done with new, dry, unused material and exposure to the environmental factors above can lead to the degradation of the material over time.

Spool Size -
The majority of the spools sold by Ande are sold by weight of material in pounds. The size of the spool indicates how much material by weight is on the spool. There are spools ranging from a 1/8th of a pound all the way up to 9 pounds. For example the 1/8th pound spool would have 2 ounces of material on the spool plus the weight of the spool, label and band separately. The size of the spool is indicated inside the colored rectangle on the label. The sizes are spools are:
1/8 pound – 2 ounces material
1/4 pound – 4 ounces material
1/2 pound – 8 ounces material
1 pound – 16 ounces material
2 pound – 32 ounces material
3 pound – 48 ounces material
7 pound – 112 ounces material
9 pound – 144 ounces material

The weight of the spool, label and band are not counted towards the weight of material on a spool. Since the line is sold by weight and not by yardage, the yardage is approximated based on the weight.

There are a few exceptions. The majority of the spools used for leader material are sold by yardage instead of weight. For example the wrist skein used for both monofilament and fluorocarbon leader are either 40 or 50 yards. There is also a 100 yard bagged skein sold in larger diameters.