Spring steel wire is a kind of steel wire used for spring or wire form. According to the different uses of the spring, there are many types of spring steel wires required for making the spring, such as the spring steel wire for making the mattress spring (starting now referred to as the mattress steel wire), the spring steel wire for making the shock absorber, the spring steel wire for making the suspension spring, the spring steel wire for making the engine valve and the spring steel wire for making the camera shutter, etc. Although there is no unified standard classification name, the quality requirements of these steel wires are different. Spring steel wire can also be classified according to the manufacturing process, such as raw drawn spring steel wire (without lead bath quenching treatment before drawing), lead quenched spring steel wire, galvanized spring steel wire, oil quenched spring steel wire, etc.

Steel wire rope is a spiral steel tow that twists the steel wires with mechanical properties and geometric dimensions, meeting the requirements together according to specific rules. The steel wire rope is composed of steel wire, rope core, and grease. Steel wire rope is a kind of rope that is first twisted into strands by multi-layer steel wires and then twisted into a spiral shape by a certain number of strands with the rope core as the center. It is used for lifting, traction, tensioning, and bearing in material handling machinery. The steel wire rope has the advantages of high strength, lightweight, stable operation, not easy to break suddenly, and reliable operation. In 1834, European arubert invented the world's first steel wire rope (smooth steel wire rope). Tianjin's No. 1 steel wire rope factory, established in 1939, is China's first metal product enterprise.

The steel wire rope can be classified according to the material, surface state, twisting method, and purpose.