30 Ton and 40 Ton Rod Blanks = IM8 and IM9?

[ghost]

I must be old school that I understand the IM rating of 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. I just don't understand the "ton" blanks. So what is the 30, 36 and 40 ton rod compare in IM ratings?

[EvanT123]

You forgot rx7, rx8, sc2345, and c2/c4. None of it means bubkiss. The sum of the parts is greater than any designation. 

[Spider]

8 hours ago, ghost said:

I must be old school that I understand the IM rating of 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. I just don't understand the "ton" blanks. So what is the 30, 36 and 40 ton rod compare in IM ratings?

 

I asked the same question yesterday, I'm guessing people are tired of this question. I would really like some real information on the IM9 blanks also.

 

This is a quote from here from 2013.

 

Hexcel IM4 600 40

Hexcel IM6 760 40

Hexcel IM7 780 40

Hexcel IM8 790 44

Hexcel IM9 920 42

 

This is all I can find.

[J Francho]

They're marketing terms.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

No one understands any of these terms because they're arbitrary. The best you can hope for is an aid in navigating within a particular lineup. 

[Catt]

From a previous thread

 

Good evenin' folks,

I may be about to open a SERIOUS can of worms with this thread, but what the heck.....here goes anyway. Being in the blank distribution business, I get asked A LOT about the construction and makeup of the various graphite rod blanks that I sell. And, I have to say that whenever somebody asks me about modulus I just cringe! Here is why; It seems that about 90% of the folks that email me want to know what the modulus is of the blank(s) they are considering buying. When I ask "Why do you want to know that" they can't really give me an answer....they're just convinced that higher the IM rating is better. Here is how the conversation usually evolves:

Mr. Customer: What modulus is that blank made from?

Andy: Well, if you must know, it's about 40million Msi

Mr. Customer: What does that mean?

Andy: Well, it means the blank is made from the material you have come to know and love as IM6

Mr. Customer: Oh, that's too antiquated...I only fish with IM7 and higher.

Andy: Really? Did you know that the difference between IM6 and IM7 is not the modulus it's the tensile strength?

Mr. Customer: Really?

Andy: Yeah REALLY!

Mr. Customer: Eh Hhhmmm....erreer, uh, oh....well uh....well Bass Pro Shops says...

Andy: Forget Bass Pro shops...let's look at the numbers (at this point Andy whips out his trusty data chart that illustrates the differences between the different fibers that actually have IM designations). Here take a look at this. This comes from a chart put together by the folks at Hexcel (http://www.advancedcomposites.com/technology.htm)

The number on the far right is the modulus of the fiber, and the number in the middle is the elongation to failure or stretch.

Hexcel IM4 600 40

Hexcel IM6 760 40

Hexcel IM7 780 40

Hexcel IM8 790 44

Hexcel IM9 920 42

Mr. Customer: You Mean all this time I thought I was getting a higher modulus fiber with the higher IM rating, when what I was really getting is a fiber that stretches more?

Andy: Well, in some cases you are, and in some cases you arent. The fact is though that the difference between IM6 and IM7 is nothing in terms of modulus, and compared to IM8 it's only slightly higher. Wow...look at that IM9 actually has a lower modulus than IM8...go figure Now, many companies are using fibers with a much higher modulus, like 57 and even higher, however these fibers don't necessarily use the IM ratings. So, whenever you see a fiber with an IM rating...BUYER BEWARE! THE HIGHER THE IM RATING, DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THE HIGHER THE MODULUS!!!

The point is this folks...just because you have a blank made from a high modulus fiber, doesn't means it's a good rod! And vice versa, just because you have a blank with a low modulus...even the original fiber blanks were made with (33 million) doesn't mean it's a bad or outdated rod. It's all about what the designer does with it.

I know there are some of you that may already know this, but judging from the amount of calls I get on a daily basis from folks who ONLY want IM7 or IM8, but can't really tell you why, I have to believe they don't really know what they are talking about at all. They've just been sucked into the marketing machine that leads people to believe that the higher the IM rating, the lighter and more sensetive the material, which is not always the case.

Be forewarned that there is A LOT more to graphite blank construction, performance, quality, sensetivity, weight etc... than just what modulus the fiber is. There are lots of other variables like flag patterns, and wall thickness, and resin systems, and mandrel design....It's all about the talent of the designer, and what he is able to do in terms of the sum of those variables...not just the friggin modulus!

Whewww...ok I feel better now...

My aforementioned explanation of modulus and IM ratings is by no means meant to be anything more than a brief primer for the folks who didn't realize what the differences with the IM ratings were. I hope this clears things up a bit, and I hope that some of you will chime in on this as well. Oh, here is a link to the Hexcel page for those of you who want to investigate the matter further. Do a search for IM6 and you'll get some interesting info. (if you're into that kind of techie junk).

[www.hexcel.com]

[www.advancedcomposites.com]

Now, this gives you some ammunition...next time you stroll into BassPro, and some yahoo tries to sell you a rod based on it's IM rating, ask him to explain to you why the higher IM ratings are better. When he replies by sayin' that the higher the IM rating means more sensetivity, less weight etc....just tell him that you have a blank at home made from IM2000, and see what he says.

Regards,

Andy Dear

Lamar Manufacturing

[J Francho]

5 minutes ago, Catt said:

It's all about what the designer does with it.

 

Yep.  The rest is marketing, and how you interpret "better."  I haven't looked at IM or Mod ratings when picking a rod out since IM7 was a big thing.

[Spider]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

Snip!

 

Hexcel IM4 600 40

Hexcel IM6 760 40

Hexcel IM7 780 40

Hexcel IM8 790 44

Hexcel IM9 920 42

Regards,

Andy Dear

Lamar Manufacturing

Made it shorter to not clutter the thread.

 

Wow... This is exactly what I was looking for. TUVM!

[Big Bait Fishing]

here is Toray's chart -

Laminate Properties	T300	T700S	T800H	T1000G	M30S	M40J	M46J	M50J
Tensile Strength (ksi)	255	385	410	440	455	330	335	315
Tensile Modulus (msi)	20.0	20.0	24.5	25.0	25.0	34.0	39.0	43.5
Tensile Strain (%)	1.30	1.80	1.60	1.70	1.70	1.00	0.90	0.70
Compressive Strength (ksi)	200	215	225	240	220	175	150	145
Flexural Strength (ksi)	240	260	255	225	235	225	195	185
Flexural Modulus (msi)	17.0	18.5	21.5	21.5	22.0	27.5	35.5	36.5
IL Shear Strength (ksi)	14	13	14	13	13	13	13	11

[tholmes]

Catt's post above should be required reading for anyone considering a rod purchase. Modulus numbers have zero relevance to rod quality. Just like bearing count has zero relevance to reel quality. It's all marketing hype. 99% of anglers have no idea what those numbers even mean (myself included).

The only way to judge the quality of a rod is to get it in your hands and go fishing.

 

Tom

 

 

 

 

[dave]

Catt's post has been posted here MANY times over the years and is still one of my favorites.  

 

This one and the one about the customer taking his rod back to the G.Loomis factory because it "broke while setting the hook."

[Spider]

10 hours ago, Big Bait Fishing said:

here is Toray's chart -

Laminate Properties	T300	T700S	T800H	T1000G	M30S	M40J	M46J	M50J
Tensile Strength (ksi)	255	385	410	440	455	330	335	315
Tensile Modulus (msi)	20.0	20.0	24.5	25.0	25.0	34.0	39.0	43.5
Tensile Strain (%)	1.30	1.80	1.60	1.70	1.70	1.00	0.90	0.70
Compressive Strength (ksi)	200	215	225	240	220	175	150	145
Flexural Strength (ksi)	240	260	255	225	235	225	195	185
Flexural Modulus (msi)	17.0	18.5	21.5	21.5	22.0	27.5	35.5	36.5
IL Shear Strength (ksi)	14	13	14	13	13	13	13	11

 

I thank you for your reply, though I'm unable to decipher what this means?

 

But I thank you, I'll research this for sure.