Cable railings

Cable railings or wire rope railings are safety rails that use horizontal or vertical cables in place of spindles, glass, mesh etc. for infill.

Cable Railings are often desired in place of traditional pickets to achieve nearly unobstructed views as the cable is much thinner than traditional pickets. It is also a more modern aesthetic and is often chosen for that reason.

You can install cable assemblies into your existing railing system (called cable infill ) and eliminate many of the maintenance headaches

Due to the excessive load requirements of this type of railing system, post construction is critical to the success of cable railings.

Cable railing requires very rigid frames compared to many other types of railings due to the forces applied to the end posts by tensioning the cables. Cables must be tensioned to provide minimum cable deflection using 4" sphere, to satisfy building code requirements. Manufacturers use different methods to achieve the same result, one manufacturer uses a thicker wall and a webbed post in their aluminum systems, while using only thicker side walls in their stainless systems. Common frame types are constructed of steel, stainless steel, extruded aluminum or wood.

The total minimum height required varies per building codes depending on the area and target use of either residential or commercial. Local city codes supersede state, national and international code. In most states the residential codes is 36” height. There are some exceptions though like in California the required height for residential railing is 42” . On the other hand, the commercial International Building Code requires the railing to be at a minimum of 42” height. Posts can be floor mounted or fascia/side mounted though the height of the railing is measured from the floor to the top of the railing.

Cable is very strong in tensile strength, with a breaking strength in excess of 1000 lbs for these types of uses, and is a suitable in-fill material for a railing ("guard" in ICC codes). Typical diameters are 1/8", 3/16" for residential and 3/16" and 1/4" for commercial applications. There are many different types cable and strand (also referred to as wire rope). Cable and strand is available in galvanized carbon steel, type 304 stainless steel, or the highly corrosion resistant, type 316 stainless steel (best for coastal areas). The most common cable construction is 1x19 type construction strand, which is 19 cables twisted in a single bundle, whereas for example, 7x7 would be 7 cable bundles of 7 cables twisted. This type of stainless strand is designed to have limited stretch, as compared to galvanized, making it a good long term cable railing solution. It has long been used for yacht stays and guy wires, proving its outdoor durability and strength.

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