Abstract: Facing with the present situation of sharply increasing amount of elevators in China, the supervising and inspecting departments urgently need to figure out the scientific techniques, and also to inspect and evaluate the quality of the traction steel wire rope of the elevator. The domestic and overseas techniques and equipments were introduced about its advantages and shortcomings. It was pointed out that multiple loop and high-speed testing technique were the future developing direction of the steel wire rope detector, and its importance and basic method was also shown. The behindhand national standards about the steel wire rope inspection were pointed out, rejection and risk evaluation, the suggestion was given to borrow ideas from the South African evaluation standards of the steel wire rope of elevator.