ISO 4309:2010 establishes general principles for the care and maintenance, and inspection and discard of steel wire ropes used on cranes and hoists.

It is applicable to those ropes used on the following types of cranes, the majority of which are defined in ISO 4306‑1: cable and portal cable cranes; cantilever cranes (pillar jib, wall or walking); deck cranes; derrick and guy derrick cranes; derrick cranes with rigid bracing; floating cranes; mobile cranes; overhead travelling cranes; portal or semi-portal bridge cranes; portal or semi-portal cranes; railway cranes; tower cranes; offshore cranes.