Paul810,

Real parachute cord is rated at 550# and contains 7 inner strands which can be removed and used for additional line if needed. There are many imitations of real 550 cord, some pretty good, most are a waste of time. Do a forum search for "paracord" "parachute cord" "550 line" . There have been several pretty good discussions in the past regarding such cord and sources.

Regards,
Comanche7