Cable Railing Tension Requirements

Our standard cable spacing is 3 on center running the length of each post.

Cable railing tension requirements.

4 maximum support spacing c. Cable tension testing equipment shall be provided by the owner contractor. Most often horizontal railing systems are subject to the sphere rules handrail guardrail height requirements and load requirements. Cable railing requires support mid posts every 4 feet to maintain cable spans with minimum deflection.

In order to meet this requirement typically the number of parallel cables for 36 inch high railing is 10 and 12 for 42 inch high railing for floor mounted posts. Cable shall be tensioned to a minimu m 225lb. Five hundred pounds of force is stated fairly often and 1 000 pounds has been mentioned as a goal. Maximum sphere passage rule vs.

In cable railing the target opening is usually less than 3 1 2 inches taking into account the cable s deflection when a 4 inch ball is forced to go through the cables. 7 feet we offer cable stabilizer kits. 3 maximum cable spacing b. Estimates of the typical tension of a cable railing range from 100 to 200 pounds of force but there are even higher estimates out there.

Sphere rules in any guide to cable railing code you ll hear reference to the 4 inch sphere rule and if stairs are involved the 6 inch sphere rule. If an alternate railing design is proposed the applicant must provide the testing criteria from the. For child safety the balusters or other decorative infill must be spaced less than 4 inches apart a 4 inch diameter ball should not pass between the balusters.