In painted parts, polished stainless, aluminum profiles, and precision housings, surface marks can trigger costly claims. Sites often say, “The lift was safe, but the customer complains about scratches or dents.” The default reaction is to choose a wider Flat Webbing Sling. Width helps—but the real drivers are usually contact pressure distribution, micro-sliding friction, and sleeve material behavior.

Pressure equals load divided by contact area. Increasing width reduces average pressure, but if the contact edge is still sharp or the sling is wrinkled, pressure concentrates locally. During lifting, micro-sliding can turn “pressure marks” into visible abrasion. Sleeve material matters because friction coefficient, hardness, and wear behavior differ widely: some heavy-duty sleeves resist abrasion but can act more aggressively on glossy surfaces; softer sleeves protect finishes better but may wear faster—so replaceable sleeve strategy becomes essential.

Example selection: WLL 2T with 60–90 mm width. If finish protection is the top priority, use softer sleeves that fully cover the contact zone and prevent webbing folds. For high friction environments, a layered sleeve approach (soft inner contact + abrasion-resistant outer layer) is more stable. Where sharp edges exist, corner protection is mandatory—no sleeve can compensate for a cutting edge.

Implementation steps:

1. Define the priority: finish protection vs. maximum wear life.

2. Run small sample trials under real contact conditions.

3. Ensure sleeves fully cover contact areas and are easy to replace.

4. Reduce sliding through better pick points and leveling before hoisting.

5. Lock “surface protection configuration” into BOMs and lift plans.

Surface damage is not random. With the right combination of pressure control, sliding reduction, and sleeve material matching, you get fewer claims than by simply “going wider.”