550 Parachute Cord

The 550 Parachute Cord, also known simply as "550 Cord" or "Paracord", was initially manufactured for use by the US Military in WWII as suspension lines for parachutes.  While still used for that purpose today, the versatility of this nylon cord now finds applications in the commercial markets for anything from camping supplies to making bracelets as well as a more broad military application across all service units for use as tie-downs, dummy cords, netting, etc .  The smooth nylon surface of the 7-strands of twisted nylon make the 550 Cord fairly elastic which can be an asset or liability depending on your application.

Our 7550 Nylon Cord is the commercial grade of the 550 Para Cord and is offered in 44 different colors.  Our Braided Cord style MIL-C-5040 Type III meets military specification of minimum breaking strength of 550 lbs, thus its reference as "550 Cord" and comes in 5 color options.