What is the PE rating for fishing line?

Almost all braided fishing line (commonly referred to as 'braid') is made using Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibres. The process of spinning or braiding the strands of fibres gives different lines their unique feel and characteristics. Fishing line manufacturers are increasingly using PE, an acronym for polyethylene, on their products and packaging. However, it’s often used for various reasons.

The most common use of 'PE' is to measure the diameter of polyethylene fishing lines. A PE size (e.g PE 0.6, PE 1, PE 2, PE 3 and so on) is based on a Japanese numbering system called 'gouw', which was originally used to measure the diameter of silk thread.

When a PE rating is applied to fishing line it’s simply as a measure of the lines diameter – not the lines breaking strain. In fact, a line rated PE 1.5, for example, may break at 15lb, 20lb, 30lb or anywhere in between. This can be due to the quality of the fibres, amount of strands (i.e. 4, 8, 12 and 16 strand) and the spinning or braiding process of those strands.

On Castaway Estuary Fishing Charters, we use premium quality Shimano Kairiki and Grappler braid from PE 0.6 for light tackle bream, whiting and flathead to PE 1-2 for bigger flathead and mulloway.

Words & images: Patrick Linehan