Does anyone know if line diameters have changed or remained roughly constant for any given lb. test throughout the years?

 

I am currently reading Lunkers Love Nightcrawlers and all the talk about 4 and 6 lb. test line made me wonder if perhaps back in the day this line carried a thicker diameter than it does today.

Monofilament line diameter has remained the nearly same by manufacturer and line type offered. For example Trilene 6 lb XL is .009D and XT is .010D since the 70’s.

There hasn’t ever been a standard Diameter per pound test between brands.

Tom 

They should be always trying to make it cheaper & smaller.  Diameter is not that important to anyone.

5 minutes ago, cyclops2 said:

They should be always trying to make it cheaper & smaller.  Diameter is not that important to anyone.

Constant Diameter is a very important factor to consider when selecting line.

Tom

Great book! I looked at a chart of popular lines and their diameters from 1980 as determined by an independent lab, and compared it to those same lines that are still available today using the diameters listed on TW and one other site. Generally speaking, they are very similar,  but some have changed over that period of time. For example (diameter in inches);

 

Trilene XL - 1980 (.0116);  2022 (.011)

Trilene XT - 1980 (.0127);  2022 (.014)

Stren - 1980 (.0124);  2022 (.012)

Ande - 1980 (.012);  2022 (.012)

Maxima - 1980 (.0141);  2022 (.012) both Ultragreen and Chameleon

If it is not broken. Do not fix it. Good logic on the simplest of things.

Good post Team9nine. Mine is Ande 6 # older than possible.  Looks & tests out fine for me.

1 hour ago, cyclops2 said:

They should be always trying to make it cheaper & smaller.  Diameter is not that important to anyone.

What? Line diameter affects a lures fall rate and running depth, kinda important if you ask me. I choose my line primarily based on diameter with its strength being a secondary factor, there are a few exceptions of course like punching and heavy cover.

12 hours ago, Bassjam2000 said:

 I choose my line primarily based on diameter

You and most others.  

Something I've learned buying JDM gear, US market lines tend to be grossly underrated.  In Japan there are standards agreed upon by the manufacturers that lines of a given diameter must break at a certain point.  To measure this, they use the denier rating, a unit of measure for the linear mass density of fibers, the mass in grams of 9000 meters of fiber, or in this case, fishing line. Denier ratings provide a true measure of strength for any line that allows for variables in construction materials.  This is why the variation in diameters between JDM and USDM lines for a given strength, be it braid or nylon.  This is also why most of the JDM lines tend to appear to have a smaller diameter compared to USDM lines for a given strength.  There is no standardization for lines sold here, so the manufacturers can pretty much slap any number they want on it.  This is why for instance 8lb Big Game is much thicker than other 8lb mono.  Based on its diameter of 0.28mm, it would have a rating of 12lb (#3.0 in Japan) if it were sold under the denier rating.  

borrowed again from YoZuri /Duel international website - applies to USM YoZuri hybrid

 

1 hour ago, redmeansdistortion said:

Something I've learned buying JDM gear, US market lines tend to be grossly underrated.  In Japan there are standards agreed upon by the manufacturers that lines of a given diameter must break at a certain point.  To measure this, they use the denier rating, a unit of measure for the linear mass density of fibers, the mass in grams of 9000 meters of fiber, or in this case, fishing line. Denier ratings provide a true measure of strength for any line that allows for variables in construction materials.  This is why the variation in diameters between JDM and USDM lines for a given strength, be it braid or nylon.  This is also why most of the JDM lines tend to appear to have a smaller diameter compared to USDM lines for a given strength.  There is no standardization for lines sold here, so the manufacturers can pretty much slap any number they want on it.  This is why for instance 8lb Big Game is much thicker than other 8lb mono.  Based on its diameter of 0.28mm, it would have a rating of 12lb (#3.0 in Japan) if it were sold under the denier rating.  

I see what you are trying to say, but what is actually going on is that in Japan lines are labelled more accurately, period. There is not a lot of strength difference between different polymers of same diameters. Elasticity and elongation properties will distribute forces, so those factors can appear to do so, and indeed create real world advantages, but the physics is the physics. Labelling in the US is mostly driven by marketing.