Figure-Eight Loop
Also known as: Figure-Eight Follow-Through, Flemish Loop
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.
Every climbing gym in the world teaches the figure-eight follow-through as the first knot a new climber learns, and for good reason: of the common tie-in loops, it is the one that most reliably holds its shape through the exact kind of loading a fall produces - a sudden shock followed by a hang, sometimes repeated several times in one pitch. Where a bowline can slowly capsize and loosen through that cycle, the figure-eight's extra crossing locks the strands against each other and the knot simply tightens.
The knot is tied twice: once loosely near the rope end to form the number-8 shape, and then a second time by "following through" - retracing the same path with the working end after it's been passed around the harness or anchor. Every crossing in the second pass must run exactly alongside the first pass; a rushed or crossed retrace is one of the most common tie-in errors flagged in partner checks at any climbing gym, because it changes the knot's geometry enough to reduce its strength.
The well-known tradeoff is that this same tightening makes the knot hard to undo after a real fall. Climbers often need to break the knot open by hand-working the strands, sometimes with a marlinspike or similar tool, rather than simply pulling it apart the way a bowline comes free. That inconvenience is accepted because the failure mode it avoids - a tie-in knot working loose mid-climb - is the more serious risk.
The "follow-through" name describes exactly what separates it from a simpler figure-eight tied on a bight: rather than tying the shape once and clipping a loop into it, the rope is threaded around the harness or anchor first, then the working end retraces the entire original shape from the far side - a technique that lets the knot be tied directly around an object too large to pass a pre-tied loop over. Guide services and climbing gyms alike teach a standardized partner check specifically for this knot because a rushed or crossed retrace is common enough, and consequential enough, to be worth a second pair of eyes before every climb.
How to tie the Figure-Eight Loop
- 1Tie a figure-eight shape a meter or so from the end: cross the rope over itself, then under and back through, forming the number 8.
- 2Pass the working end around the harness tie-in points (or anchor object).
- 3Feed the working end back into the figure-eight at the point where it first came out of the knot, so it will retrace the original path in reverse.
- 4Trace the entire first figure-eight in reverse with the working end, running exactly alongside the original rope at every crossing.
- 5Continue the retrace through every remaining crossing until the working end emerges parallel to the original standing end.
- 6Pull all four strands to dress the knot into a neat, symmetric figure-eight with no crossed or pinched strands.
- 7Leave a tail of about 15cm (6 inches) - if it is shorter than that, untie and start again - then check by eye that the retraced rope shadows the original knot exactly.
Strength & security
Approx. strength retained: 75-80%
This is the standard load-bearing tie-in knot for rock and rope-access climbing precisely because, unlike a bowline, it does not capsize into a weaker shape under the repeated shock-loading of falls - it just cinches down tighter.
Cautions: That same cinching is its main downside: after a hard fall it can jam so tightly that untying it by hand becomes genuinely difficult, sometimes requiring a knot tool or brute force. Always dress it fully before loading - an undressed figure-eight loop is measurably weaker and can slip.
Alternatives
- Bowline
Faster to untie after loading, but capsizes more readily under cyclic loading, which is why the figure-eight remains the default tie-in for most climbers despite being slower to tie and untie.
- Double Figure-Eight Loop
Adds a second loop from the same knot when two attachment points are needed rather than one.
FAQ
Why do climbers use the figure-eight instead of the bowline?
It resists capsizing under the repeated shock-loading of falls, where a bare bowline can slowly work loose. The tradeoff is that it's harder to untie afterward.
How do I know if I tied it correctly?
The retraced strand should run exactly parallel to the original strand at every crossing with no twists - this is what climbing partner checks specifically look for before a climb.
Can the figure-eight loop be tied without a 'follow-through'?
Yes, as a figure-eight on a bight, useful when there's no harness or object to thread around - but the follow-through method is what lets the same knot be tied directly around a fixed point.
Does rope diameter change how the figure-eight behaves?
Yes - on thin, slick single ropes it dresses down smaller and jams tighter after a fall than it does on a fatter, fuzzier rope, which is one reason experienced climbers check the specific rope they're using rather than assuming every figure-eight unties the same way.
Gear that pairs with this knot
- Dynamic climbing rope (UIAA / EN 892 certified)
This loop is only as trustworthy as the rope it is tied in. A tie-in or anchor loop belongs in a fall-rated dynamic rope carrying a UIAA or EN 892 mark — never in utility rope from a hardware store, whose breaking strength is unrated.
- Locking carabiner (CE / UIAA rated)
Whatever clips into this loop has to be a certified climbing carabiner with a locking gate. An unrated snap clip has no published strength and is the wrong side of the line for any knot on this page.
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