Wire ropes are widely observed in many industries such as marine engineering and civil engineering, as a type of structure that can bear huge axial force. There are various kinds of wire ropes in practical engineering, corresponding to different usage scenarios. This paper focuses on 6 × 36SW + 1WR with a diameter of 16 mm. The axial mechanical properties of the wire rope are investigated by experimental, theoretical, and numerical methods. The stress–strain curve and ultimate strength of the steel wire rope obtained in the test are compared with the corresponding results from the finite element simulation. The comparison demonstrates the accuracy and reliability of the finite element model. In addition, a series of parametric studies are conducted to investigate the influence of pitch length and friction coefficient, etc. The purpose of this paper is to propose an accurate and efficient finite element model for the mechanical analysis of wire ropes.@en