Cable Railing incorporates a range in style of handrail, and railing material. Cable Railing uses stainless steel fittings and wire to complete the railing infill.

It is important to note that not all manufactures of cable railing adhere to the same quality of craftsmanship. Some brands do not use all stainless steel components, so it is important to research the the brand, and to not buy untested cable fittings.

Posts, Rails, and Intermediate Pickets are made from reinforced aluminum or wood which can stand up to the cables tension. Cable Railing must be properly tensioned to in order to pass code requirements, typically a limitation specifying that a 4 in. spear cannot pass through the cable or railing. This results in a need for quality fittings and termination options.

Cable Railing is available in Horizontal Cable Rail, and Vertical Cable Rail. Some cable rail is sold in panel kits such as 36" VertiCable Kits, while others are sold in packs and work with cable kits such as DesignRail Kits - Rail Kits.

The photo above is DesignRail by Feeney, with Horizontal Cable, and allows for the use of a PVC deck board to be mounted to the top of the rail for drink rail application.

Horizontal Cable Style can be used with aluminum, iron, or wood, posts and rails. Aluminum posts and rails work best with cable for low-maintenance, long lasting cable railing.

With Horizontal Aluminum Cable Railing, cable wires are installed to posts with specialized connectors to ensure tensioning. Termination posts, at the end of runs, are where the cables attach to. Intermediate posts in the middle of the rail allow cable to pass through, giving horizontal cable the ability to stretch as far as 50' in one cable run, or set of 9-13 cable wires. Fittings are the most costly part of Horizontal Cable Rail. If possible, make turns at posts, as opposed to terminating. It can save a bunch of money.

Feeney is a favorite brand when it comes to cable railing. DesignRail Kits is an excellent value option and can even be installed via Do It Yourself! While DesignRail Build Your Own is a more comprehensive system with an astonishing amount of options. DesignRail Express is the third system which has more options than "Kits", and takes less time than "Build Your Own" See the updated Feeney Brochure for more!

Key-Link Horizontal Cable System is perhaps the next best thing to Feeney. KeyLink Horizontal Cable has a very unique cable tensioning where the fittings are pre-insterted in the posts for quick and efficient cable connections! Horizontal KeyLink Cable also has more cable turning abilities, and maybe better suited for some projects.

Elevation Rail by RDI Barrette is a great alternative for people new to cable railing, and who want to save money. The Elevation Rail system is truly revolutionary and won Most Innovative Building Material at the 2023 IBS Show. The system has a small number of skews, and each railing section houses a complete run of cable. For this reason, it's one of easiest to install cable railings, and one of the least expensive.

Rail FX is a newer system of Cable Rail, but certainly has some advantages.

Vertical Cable Railing uses metal rails and posts to create a minimally intrusive viewing rail, and is an excellent option for cable railing.

Vertical Cable Railings are harder to climb than horizontal cable, and may be better suited for homes with small children.

Vertical cables are preattached to aluminum rails to forming a panels, and are field-cut then installed between aluminum posts.

Some of the available systems using a vertical cable railing are VertiCable C80 by Westbury, a top choice aluminum system. American Vertical by Keylink, V-Series by Fortress, vertical cable railing with iron rails and posts, and DesignRail.

Keylink's American Vertical system is a new addition, and is the best priced vertical cable system, and has some distinct advantages when comparing other systems of vertical cable railing. Call for quote!/collections/westbury-verticable-c80-cable-railing

Similar to the Metal post style, CableRail Kits for Wood have a longer threaded terminal and are designed to terminate to the back side and through a 6x6 cedar post.

These CableRail Kits include metal washers whereas the kits for metal include plastic washers. You can also Build Your Own horizontal cable rail system, using Feeney fittings designed for a variety of applications. Standard Lag and Lag Tensioning fittings screw into the face of a wood post for level cable runs. fittings by Feeney are used with wire sold in 100' 250' and 500' spools.

Systems such as DesignRail the most customizable cable railing other there, and DesignRail Kits, its kit-form version, use thick-gauged aluminum posts, and rails along with pre-fabricated cable wire or CableRail Kits which connect to the back side of the post for easy installation.

Systems such as ones by Feeney, Key-link, and RailFX offer Pre-drilled posts, set for residential or commercial Cable Railing heights 36" and 42". Level posts have pre-drilled holes for the cable and handrail to connect or fit into. The stair posts do not have pre-drilled holes however. Visit the DesignRail Kits Page for more information on post placement, type and how to easily estimate your materials!