Build cable infill into posts you already have

Cable Railing Hardware and Parts for DIY Decks, Porches and Stairs

  • Fittings grip the cable on the way in, with nothing to crimp
  • 1/8 inch stainless cable sold by the foot
  • No press, no crimping, no rented equipment
  • Cutter, threading needle and tension gauge sold separately or as a bundle
Keylink external cable railing fitting installed on a level run
Keylink external cable fitting on a level run

This is the cable railing hardware on its own: the fittings, the 1/8 inch stainless cable and the tools, without a post and rail system wrapped around them. It is what you buy when the posts are wood, or already standing, and you want cable between them.

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10 products
Key-Link DIY cable railing fittings, external level fitting 2-pack in stainless steel
Keylink DIY Cable Railing Fittings, external cable fitting level / 2 pack view
Keylink DIY Cable Railing Fittings Keylink from $6246
Key-Link cable channel for wood and composite line posts, pre-drilled aluminum insert
Keylink Cable Channel for Wood & Composite Line Posts Keylink $1487
Key-Link stainless steel cable spool for cable railing systems, 1/8\" diameter
Keylink Stainless Steel Cable for Railing in matte black
Keylink Stainless Steel Cable for Railing Keylink from $12550
Key-Link grip adapters for 10R vice grips, cable railing tensioning tool
Keylink Grip Adapters for 10R Vice Grips Keylink $1833
Key-Link cable release tool for removing cable from push-lock fittings
Keylink Cable Release Tool
Keylink Cable Release Tool Keylink $846
Stainless steel cable cutter tool for cutting 1/8\" cable railing wire
Stainless Steel Cable Cutter
Stainless Steel Cable Cutter Keylink $13084
Key-Link cable threading needle tool for routing cable through railing posts
Keylink Cable Threading Needle Keylink $905
Key-Link cable gripping pliers for 1/8\" stainless steel cable railing installation
Keylink Gripping Pliers for 1/8" Cable Keylink $9215
Cable tension gauge tool for 1/8\" cable railing, measures cable tightness
Tension Gauge for 1/8" Cable Keylink $27127
Keylink Horizontal Cable Tool Bundle
Keylink Horizontal Cable Tool Bundle Keylink $16668
Keylink external cable railing fitting installed on a level run

How do the fittings hold the cable?

The body works like a finger trap. You push the cable in, and a set of jaws inside grips it harder the more the cable is pulled back. Nothing is crimped, pressed or cut to a finished length first, which is why there is no tool to buy or rent for the fitting itself. It also means a run can be re-tensioned later without undoing anything.

What do you need for a run?

Four things: cable, a fitting at each end of every cable, a way through the intermediate posts, and tension. On wood or composite line posts the cable channel is what protects the post and keeps the hole from wallowing out. Count your cables per section, double it for the ends, and add the channel for every post the cable passes through rather than terminates at.

Which tools actually matter?

The cutter, because a hacksaw frays 1x19 stainless and a frayed end will not enter a fitting. The threading needle, because it turns a frayed or splayed end into something that feeds through a post. The gripping pliers and grip adapters, because pulling tension by hand on 1/8 inch cable is the part people underestimate. The tension gauge is the one that tells you when to stop. The bundle is all of them together.

How much cable do you need?

Measure each cable run end to end, add about 10 percent for terminations and tensioning slack, and buy the total as one length where you can. Cable is sold by the foot. Corners and stairs each add a termination, so count the runs before the feet.

How tight should the cable be?

Tight enough that the gap between cables does not open under a push, which is what a building official checks. Use the gauge rather than feel, tension in passes working from the middle outward, and expect to come back and re-tension once after the first season as the run settles.

When is a full system the better buy?

When the posts are not up yet. A Keylink or Deckorators kit arrives with the posts drilled at the factory, which is the hardest part of a cable railing to get right by hand, and the system carries an engineering evaluation a mixed build does not. Hardware on its own is for the deck that already has posts, or a wood post you want to keep.

Hardware on its own or a full cable system

Hardware onlyKeylink cable systemDeckorators ALX
PostsYours, wood or aluminumAluminum, drilled at the factoryAluminum, drilled at the factory
Cable1/8 in stainless by the footIncluded, cut to the sectionIncluded, cut to the section
Holes in the postYou drill themDoneDone
Special toolsNone for the fittingNone for the fittingNone for the fitting
Engineering reportNo, your buildYes, for the systemICC-ES CCRR-0280
Best forPosts already standingA new railingA new railing

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a special tool for the fittings?

No. The fittings grip the cable as it goes in, so there is nothing to press and no tool to buy or rent for the termination itself. It also means a run can be re-tensioned later without cutting anything off. The tools in this collection are for cutting, threading and tensioning the cable.
Can I use this on wood posts?

Yes, and that is most of what this collection is for. Use the cable channel on the intermediate wood or composite posts so the cable bears on the channel rather than the post, and check your end post framing, because the end posts carry the whole tension of every cable.
What spacing do the cables need?

Cable railing is normally run at about 3 inch centers so a 4 inch sphere will not pass between two tensioned cables. Spacing, post spacing and end post framing are all things your building official signs off on, so confirm the detail locally before you drill.
How far apart can the posts be?

The wider the spacing, the more the cable deflects under a push, and intermediate supports are what fix it. Send us your post layout and we will tell you where an intermediate baluster or a tighter spacing is needed.
What cable do you sell?

1/8 inch stainless steel railing cable, by the foot, matched to the fittings in this collection. Buy the run in one piece where you can, since every joint is another termination.
Can I cut the cable with bolt cutters?

Use the stainless cable cutter. Bolt cutters and a hacksaw flatten and fray the strand, and a frayed end will not feed into a fitting or through a post. The threading needle rescues an end that has already splayed.

Ready to see it on your deck?

You approve the layout, and the parts list comes off it. A specialist quotes it in one business day.

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