Cord Usage

In order to avoid dealing with varying units of measure (cm, inches, feet, furlongs), this data is presented as a simple ratio of cord length to finished length. For example, the Tractor Tyre is 5:1 for color one and 11:1 for color two. This means a 12" tie will require 60" (5 feet) of one color and 132" (11 feet) of the second color.

These ratios should be considered approximations at best. When you tie a new design, pull a little extra cord in case your technique is different from this chart's contributors' techniques. This chart also makes a few assumptions:

1. You're using commercial-grade 550 cord.
2. For those ties which are tied on core strands, the standard core strand configuration (generally two) is used.
3. For those ties which have optional core strands (many that Jim Cooper has modified from TIAT designs, for instance), these measurements are for the non-core version.
4. The "internal" and "external" colors are based on the concept of the crossing cord in the front being the "middle" of the design and therefore internal. If it's not obvious which cord is the longer of two uneven cords, start tying and measure carefully which one gets used faster.
5. You're tying on buckles and not a knot/loop closure. That final knot can add a lot of variability to the amount of cord used, which is very difficult to approximate.

Design	Internal color	External color	Accent color
Alligator Fang	5.25	7.5
Lizard Belly	8	8
Solomon Bar	4.5	4.5
Tractor Tyre	5	11