Static rope

Static rope has almost no stretch compared with a dynamic climbing rope, which makes it efficient for jobs where you want the rope to hold its length under load, such as rappelling, hauling gear, building fixed lines on a multi-pitch route, or rigging a top rope anchor that a climber ascends on rather than falls onto directly.

Because it barely stretches, a hard fall directly onto static rope sends much more force into the anchor, the harness, and the climber's body than the same fall on dynamic rope would. That is the core reason static rope is kept out of the lead climbing system and reserved for rigging, rescue, and rappel setups where the load is controlled rather than a sudden drop.

When buying static rope, check the diameter against your rappel or ascending device, since many devices have a supported range, and look at the sheath construction for abrasion resistance if the rope will run over edges. A common mix up is grabbing a static line for a top rope anchor extension while forgetting the strand a climber might actually fall onto still needs to be dynamic rope.