Cable Railing Kits for Stairs, Decks and Interiors

Which cable railing system is right for you?

Keylink is what we consider the forever-home railing system. It comes in two series: American, with a sculpted top rail that looks great on both traditional and modern homes, and Chesapeake, a drink-rail-ready system that takes a hardwood or deck-board cap. Both come in horizontal or vertical cable. Keylink is also the more customizable of the two. Twenty colors in textured, satin and matte finishes, a coastal finish for homes within a mile of salt water, and a choice of surface or fascia mount.

Deckorators Contemporary Cable is our value pick for horizontal cable. It gives you the view, just without Keylink's range of options, and for most customers that's plenty. They want a straightforward surface-mount system backed by an industry-leading outdoor living brand.

What drives the cost of cable railing?

Layout complexity is the number one price driver. What costs money with horizontal cable is the tensioners. Every cable that terminates in an end post needs one, so a long straight run is very affordable per foot and a short, broken-up run gets expensive fast. Vertical cable is more predictable per foot, and on most decks it comes out lower.

Gates, stairs and fascia brackets add parts. A specialist builds your layout, walks you through it, and quotes it in one business day. Get My Free Design.

Surface mount or fascia mount?

If price is the deciding factor, surface mount is generally the lower-cost way to do cable railing. The post sets on top of the deck boards, and it's the default on both brands.

Fascia mount hangs the post off the rim joist, outside the deck surface, which frees up additional deck space. When you consider what a square foot of deck costs to build, it's almost like getting free square footage. Keylink offers both mounts, and we find Keylink's fascia mount to be among the strongest, safest and most secure on the market.

How far can cable railing run, and how far apart are the posts?

Keylink's guideline is 100 feet of cable per run before it terminates. Posts span up to 8 feet on center on both brands, and sections are available in 6 and 8 foot lengths. Cable spacing is 2-7/8 inches on Keylink horizontal, 3-1/4 inches on Keylink vertical and 3 inches on Deckorators. Horizontal runs take intermediate spacers, one per 6 foot section and two per 8 foot on Keylink.

What parts make up a cable rail system?

The beauty of a cable rail system is that the components are already worked out for you. Keylink and Deckorators horizontal cable both arrive as a matched set:

• Corner, end, line and stair posts
• Top rail, 316 stainless steel cable and the spacers to match

Keylink hides the tensioners inside the posts, so there are fewer loose parts to keep track of on site. The fittings are swageless. Cable does take more components than a traditional railing, though, so we recommend a quote. Get My Free Design.

Vertical cable is a contained system. Each panel hangs on the posts like a normal railing section, with no holes to drill and no cable to feed.

Is vertical cable railing easier to install than horizontal?

In general, yes. A Keylink vertical cable section hangs between posts like a standard railing panel. The cables come already strung through the rails. You stretch them, cut them where the support rods go, drop the rods in and tension. Horizontal cable has more parts and more brackets at the stairs and corners. It isn't complicated, but you do want to understand your layout before you start drilling.

Does the cable need to be re-tensioned?

Sometimes, and it's seasonal. In the winter the cables tend to tighten up, then they loosen again in the summer, so you may need to do a little seasonal tensioning. Keylink's maintenance guide covers when to check it. On Keylink horizontal cable it's a quick job. Every run tensions from either end post with an Allen key, and you don't need a special tool. That's one of the reasons we carry the system.

Can I make my own cable railing with wood or composite posts?

Yes, and Keylink's external cable fittings are what make it simple. They mount on the outside of the posts you already have, wood or composite, so there are no special posts to buy. Drill the posts, set the wood inserts so the cable runs through clean, and terminate each cable at the ends with the fittings. Same story if you build your own frame. The cable and fittings are in the DIY cable railing hardware collection.

Can you use cable railing on stairs?

Yes. Stairs and interior stairwells don't need a different system. The same Keylink posts, rail, cable and fittings you put on the deck go on the stairs too. The only things that change are the angle and where the code measures the height from.

How high does cable railing need to be on stairs?

On the open side of a stair the guard is measured vertically from the tread nosing, and many residential codes accept 34 inches there. On a level deck it is generally 36 inches from the walking surface. Where a graspable handrail is required it typically falls between 34 and 38 inches above the nosing. Your building department has the final say, so confirm the numbers before you order. Our cable railing code compliance guide walks through it.

The angled parts are the other thing to plan. Stair brackets set the rail at the pitch of your stringer, and stair posts are drilled on that same angle so the cable passes straight through instead of binding. American and Chesapeake both have stair configurations. On the open side of a stair the code allows a 4-3/8 inch sphere, and stair post spacing is set in the layout to hold it.

Can you use cable railing indoors?

Yes. Cable railing works indoors too. The same 316 stainless cable and aluminum posts work on interior stairs, loft edges, mezzanines and open landings, and the thin lines keep the sightline open through the middle of the house. Keylink's matte finishes are the ones we point interior customers to. They look great and blend well with an interior space, and when you carry the same railing out onto the deck you get one cohesive indoor and outdoor living area.

Indoors, a guard is generally required wherever the walking surface sits more than 30 inches above the floor below. An interior run is ordered to your stair rise and run, surface mounted to the finished floor or fascia mounted to the side of the stringer. Send us your stair drawing. You approve the layout, and the parts list comes off it.

What does the building code require for cable railing?

Openings in the finished guard may not pass a 4 inch sphere on level runs (2024 IRC R321.1.3, which was R312.1.3 in the 2021 edition). Stairs get two allowances: openings on the open side may not pass a 4-3/8 inch sphere, and the triangle between the riser, the tread and the bottom of the guard may not pass a 6 inch sphere. Cable meets the opening rule through tension and post spacing together, which is why the layout matters more here than with any other infill.

The wording didn't change between editions. The 2024 IRC moved the guard sections from R312 to R321, so check which edition your jurisdiction has adopted. The text is public at codes.iccsafe.org. Commercial and multi-family projects fall under different requirements.

Why do we only carry two brands?

Because only two clear the bar. Not every cable railing sold online comes from a company that will be around to stand behind it. Cable railing is hot right now, and there are a lot of new brands popping up that are really just a label on somebody else's product. Some of them won't be around the day you need a warranty claim. We carry Keylink and Deckorators because both have years in service, and Keylink's Lifetime Warranty covers the whole system. Nobody pays us to recommend a system.