Coil Grab vs C Hook: Choosing the Right Coil Lifting Attachment

The short answer: a coil grab clamps a coil's outer diameter mechanically with no external power, while a C hook lifts through the coil's inner diameter on a curved, counterbalanced saddle. Both handle the same coils — the difference is which side of the coil your crane needs access to.

How a coil grab works

A coil grab engages the coil's outer or inner diameter through a purely mechanical linkage — no hydraulics or electrics required to clamp. That mechanical simplicity is part of the appeal: fewer components that can fail, and nothing to power on site. Coil diameter range typically runs 1067–1880 mm (42"–74"), with capacities up to 45 ton, and variants exist for standard OD gripping, solid bar coils, and motorised rotation for positioning.

How a C hook works

A C hook drops through the coil's eye and lifts from the inner diameter. The counterweighted design keeps the hook hanging level when it's empty, which matters for safe crane operation between lifts. Coil ID range runs roughly 508–762 mm (customisable), up to 70 ton, in counter weight, spring, and container-load variants — the last one built specifically for loading and unloading coils from shipping containers.

Side-by-side

Which one fits your job

If your coil's eye is small, obstructed, or inconsistent from batch to batch, a coil grab's OD-based grip sidesteps the problem entirely. If your coils have a clean, accessible eye and you need the compact profile a C hook offers for maneuvering in tight aisles or loading containers, the C hook is usually the simpler choice. Many steel mills and service centres run both — some adding a coil tong for coils where neither the eye nor a grab-friendly OD is dependable — matching the attachment to the coil batch rather than standardising on one for every job — worth costing out against your actual coil mix rather than picking on capacity alone — coil grabs run up to 45 ton and C hooks up to 70 ton.