The number of strands and wires will influence the flexibility, fatigue and wear resistance of any given wire rope. Rope selection is often a compromise. Generally the more load bearing wires in the rope the greater the flexibility, however the smaller the wires the less abrasion resistance. For example, the same nominal diameter 7 x 7 wire would be less flexible than a 7 x 19 wire, hence a large number of small size wire and strands produce a flexible rope with good resistance to bending fatigue wear. The construction of wire rope is defined by the number of outer strands (first number), and the number of wires within that strand (second number)