Cable Railing Information

Compare the costs of our railing system material options using this Cable Railing Cost chart.

Stainless Steel is rated by it's properties. Marine Grade 316 means it is not the hardest, but has significant resistance to rust, pitting, and corrosion. It's therefore the preferred grade of Stainless Steel for any Exterior application, and is the Preferred Stainless for Ocean Air Environments.

Terminal Posts are reinforced posts, designed to be used where fittings are, because they hold significant cable load; whereas Intermediate Posts, are designed to be used in between the Terminal Posts, where the cable just passes through, oftentimes without touching.

This is a two part question. The first part of the answer has to do with "code". Each municipality has it's own code requirements, which should be consulted prior to holes being drilled into posts. Our posts come pre-drilled 3in OC (on center), because the code refers to "cable deflection" of 4in. Cable deflection simply put, is how much spread there is between any 2 cables while pulling up on 1, and pushing down on the other. Because the cable cannot feasibly be tight enough to keep it from moving while spreading them apart, the distance between the 2 cables must be reduced to maintain proper deflection. The second part of the answer has to do with crimp, and thread loads. We recommend posts be set no more than 4ft on center (reduces cable drop and thereby tension on fittings) further assuring proper cable delfection.

Tensioning Fittings are used to tighten the cable, while Terminal Fittings do not.

Oftentimes, you will need a Terminal on one end, and a Tensioner, on the other end. This allows you to pull the slack from the middle of the cable. On longer lengths of cable, you will need to tension from both ends, at the same time, to adequately pull the slack out of the middle. There are also occasions where you will Tension from the ends as well as needing an inline (one in the middle) Tensioner.

For up to 50ft of cable you can use 1 TERMINAL end fitting + 1 TENSIONER end fitting. For all Assembly lengths greater than 50ft but less than 70ft, and/or runs from 0-70ft with more than 1 90 degree corner, use 2 TENSIONERS, to allow cable tightening at both ends of your run, pulling slack out of the middle from each end.. Always use 2 TENSIONERS if there are 2 corners.

First of all, it is pronounced "sway-jing". This is the process by which the cables are attached to the fittings. The cable is pushed into the sleeved portion of the fitting and crimped (squeezed) using a crimping tool to hold it tightly inside the fitting.

Please follow the recommended swaging method for each assembly type. For those assemblies that can be swaged using either method, consider the following:

1. HAND SWAGE
   
   
   1. A little more installation labor is required, but assemblies may be ordered whenever convenient, before or after the handrail is installed. Exact measurements are not as critical and gives the installer/homeowner a little more flexibility at the job site.
   2. Intermediate Post hole size is smaller(6mm) vs.(9mm) for the stainless cable to pass through. Requires the purchase of CABLE CRIMPER & CABLE CUTTER.
   
   
   
2. PROFESSIONAL SWAGING SERVICE
   
   
   1. Less installation labor is required. Accurate measurements are taken after the railing framework is installed. Many customers choose to order CableView Railing™ or build their own railing framework before ordering professionally swaged cablerail assemblies.
   2. Intermediate Post hole size is larger(9mm) vs.(6mm) for the cable fitting to pass through.
   
   
   STAINLESS CABLE & RAILING™ only offers the best and most affordable cablerail assemblies and fittings for your deck and balustrade handrail project.
   
   Need help designing your railing project? See CableView Railing™ WORKSHEET and fax us your plan at 1-888-686-7245 (RAIL). We are happy to assist!

We have a page that lays out all of our General Terms & Conditions, as well as our Special Terms for Wood Orders.

Using the freight calculator in the shopping cart will give you accurate charges up to 70 lbs. Unfortunately if the weight of the order is over 70 lbs. and in multiple boxes, Yahoo! Store is not able to calculate UPS shipping correctly. If order is a multiple box order extra freight charges may be incurred, exact amount will be added. When placing your order, you can call 1-888-686-7245(RAIL) M-F 5-8 PM PST and speak with a stainlesscablerailing.com staff member to obtain actual shipping costs to your location. Rest assured that we do not add any charges over our discounted UPS commercial rates and pass the savings directly to you. Depending on your order volume, we will quote you the most economical method of shipping. Note: Small orders including cable and fittings shipped to Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico up to 70 lbs. that fit inside a USPS Flat Rate box can be sent for $10.70-$14.40. Most orders are shipped UPS using our discounted rates. Twenty foot railings require a freight quote from us. For international bulk orders, please contact us for an accurate quote.