Directional Figure-Eight Loop
Also known as: Inline Figure-Eight
loop knot
Life-safety notice
TyingPoint's illustrations are for learning. For any life-safety use — climbing, rope access, rescue, or load-bearing rigging — seek qualified in-person instruction, and always inspect and test every knot before you trust your weight (or anyone else's) to it.
Aid climbers and riggers occasionally need a loop tied mid-rope that will only ever be loaded from one predictable direction - clipping into a fixed point along a static line during ascent, for instance, where the load always pulls the same way. The directional figure-eight loop is built for exactly that case: a figure-eight tied so its loop stands off the rope's run without needing either rope end, secure when pulled from its intended side, but not built to handle a pull from the opposite direction the way a true multidirectional loop would.
Its tying method borrows the same basic figure-eight shape used in the standard end-of-rope loop, but folds and feeds the bight back on itself in a way that leaves the loop projecting from one specific side of the standing line, rather than symmetric to both. That asymmetry is the whole point and also the whole caveat: load it from the correct side and it behaves like a proper figure-eight loop; load it from the wrong side and its strength and shape are compromised.
Because of that directional limitation, it's a more specialized tool than the alpine butterfly loop, which handles a mid-rope load pulling from any direction. Riggers reach for the directional version specifically when they already know, with certainty, which way the load will come from, and want the figure-eight family's familiar tightening-under-load behavior rather than the alpine butterfly's different folded-turn construction.
Getting the load direction right isn't a minor detail with this knot - it's the entire safety case for using it instead of the alpine butterfly. Riggers who tie it as a matter of routine typically mark or note which side is the load-bearing side immediately after tying, precisely because the visual difference between the correct and incorrect loading directions is subtle enough to miss on a quick glance, especially in low light or under time pressure during an aid-climbing pitch.
How to tie the Directional Figure-Eight Loop
Choose the point along the rope where the loop is needed, well clear of either end.
Strength & security
Approx. strength retained: 65-75% (when loaded from the correct direction)
Built specifically to create a loop mid-rope without needing an end to work with, this knot holds securely when loaded from its designed direction but is measurably weaker and can distort if loaded from the opposite side, which is why it's called 'directional.'
Cautions: Never rely on this knot for a load that might pull from either direction - that's exactly the job of the alpine butterfly loop instead. Getting the load direction wrong is the single most consequential mistake with this knot.
Alternatives
- Figure-Eight Loop
The end-of-rope original; use it whenever the loop is actually needed at the rope's end rather than mid-line.
FAQ
What does 'directional' mean for this figure-eight loop?
It's built to be secure only when loaded from one specific side; pulling it from the opposite direction can distort the knot and reduce its strength.
Should I use this knot if the load might pull from either direction?
No - use the alpine butterfly loop instead, which is specifically designed to hold securely from either standing end or the loop itself.
Why not just use a regular figure-eight loop tied on a bight mid-rope?
A standard figure-eight loop tied mid-rope isn't reliably secure in the same way as at the rope's actual end; the directional version's specific fold is what gives it its predictable, one-directional mid-rope strength.
Is the directional figure-eight loop common outside aid climbing?
It shows up in rope-access and rigging work wherever a technician needs a mid-line clip-in point on a fixed static rope with a known, unchanging load direction, but it's rarely taught to recreational climbers since the alpine butterfly covers the same general need more safely for less predictable loading.
How can I tell which side of the knot is the correct loading direction?
The loop should sit visibly off to one side of the standing line rather than centered - riggers typically test-load it lightly by hand immediately after tying, feeling for the knot cinching down cleanly rather than distorting, before trusting it with real weight.