Editing Carabiner (section)

==Certification==

===Europe===
*Recreation: Carabiners sold for use in climbing in Europe must conform to standard EN 12275:1998 "Mountaineering equipment – Connectors – Safety requirements and test methods", which governs testing protocols, rated strengths, and markings. A breaking strength of at least 20 [[kilonewton|kN]] (20,000 newtons = approximately 2040 kilograms of force which is significantly more than the weight of a small car) with the gate closed and 7 [[kilonewton|kN]] with the gate open is the standard for most climbing applications, although requirements vary depending on the activity.<ref>{{cite web|title=EN12275 and UIAA-121 testing protocols|url=http://www.paci.com.au/Downloads/S-EN12275_simplified.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221010/http://www.paci.com.au/Downloads/S-EN12275_simplified.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-10 |url-status=live|publisher=Professional Association of Climbing Instructors|access-date=5 December 2017}}</ref> Carabiners are marked on the side with single letters showing their intended area of use, for example, K ([[via ferrata]]), B (base), and H (for belaying with an Italian or [[Munter hitch]]).
*Industry: Carabiners used for access in commercial and industrial environments within Europe must comply with EN 362:2004 "[[Personal protective equipment]] against falls from a height. Connectors." The minimum gate closed breaking strength of a carabiner conforming with EN 362:2004 is nominally the same as that of EN 12275:1998 at around 20 [[kilonewton|kN]]. Carabiners complying with both EN 12275:1998 and EN 362:2004 are available.

===United States===
*Climbing and mountaineering: Minimum breaking strength (MBS) requirements and calculations for climbing and mountaineering carabiners in the USA are set out in ASTM Standard F1774. This standard calls for a MBS of 20&nbsp;kN on the long axis, and 7&nbsp;kN on the short axis (cross load). 
*Rescue: Carabiners used for rescue are addressed in ASTM F1956. This document addresses two classifications of carabiners, light use and heavy-duty. Light use carabiners are the most widely used, and are commonly found in applications including technical rope rescue, mountain rescue, cave rescue, cliff rescue, military, SWAT, and even by some non-NFPA fire departments. ASTM requirements for light use carabiners are 27&nbsp;kN MBS on the long axis, 7&nbsp;kN on the short axis. Requirements for the lesser-used heavy duty rescue carabiners are 40&nbsp;kN MBS long axis, 10.68&nbsp;kN short axis.
*Fire rescue: Minimum [[breaking strength]] requirements and calculations for rescue carabiners used by NFPA compliant agencies are set out in [[National Fire Protection Association]] standard 1983-2012 edition ''Fire Service Life Safety Rope and Equipment''. The standard defines two classes of rescue carabiners. Technical use rescue carabiners are required to have minimum breaking strengths of 27&nbsp;kN gate closed, 7&nbsp;kN gate open and 7&nbsp;kN minor axis. General use rescue carabiners are required to have minimum breaking strengths of 40&nbsp;kN gate closed, 11&nbsp;kN gate open and 11&nbsp;kN minor axis. Testing procedures for rescue carabiners are set out in [[ASTM International]] standard F 1956 ''Standard Specification of Rescue Carabiners''.
*Fall protection: Carabiners used for fall protection in US industry are classified as "connectors" and are required to meet [[Occupational Safety and Health Administration]] standard 1910.66 App C ''Personal Fall Arrest System'' which specifies "drop forged, pressed or formed steel, or made of equivalent materials" and a minimum breaking strength of {{convert|5000|lbf|kN|abbr=on}}.

[[American National Standards Institute]]/[[American Society of Safety Engineers]] standard ANSI Z359.1-2007 ''Safety Requirement for Personal Fall Arrest Systems, Subsystems and Components'', section 3.2.1.4 (for snap hooks and carabiners) is a voluntary consensus standard. This standard requires that all connectors/ carabiners support a minimum breaking strength (MBS) of {{convert|5000|lbf|kN|abbr=on}} and feature an auto-locking gate mechanism which supports a minimum breaking strength (MBS) of {{convert|3600|lbf|kN|abbr=on}}.