- Height, gap and infill are code. They are not a style choice.
- Curves should be rolled. Segmented mitres read as a budget rail.
- External and coastal work is 316 or a coated system, not leftover 304.
A handrail is judged every time someone uses the stair. We fabricate rails and balustrades to the loadings in AS 1170 and the height, gap and infill rules in the Australian NCC, then finish them so the run feels like one length, whether that stair is in a Sydney terrace or on a Manly deck. That second half is what a photograph never quite shows.
What the code is actually asking
The NCC cares whether a person can fall through, over or off. That becomes a height, a maximum gap, an infill that a sphere cannot pass, and a structure that takes the load in AS 1170 without kicking. Glass, vertical balusters or mesh can all do it. What cannot do it is a pretty rail drawn without those numbers.
- Confirm the occupancy and whether the stair is public or private. The numbers change.
- Set the height from finished floor levels, not from the drawing, after the tiler has gone.
- Keep the gap honest on the pitch and on the landing. Landings are where jobs fail.
- Say how it fixes: core-drilled, base-plated or side-fixed, and what the substrate is.
How it should feel
38mm and 50mm tube, wall-mounted or on posts, with returns and corners welded and dressed. Curves are rolled, not broken into mitres. Joints disappear into the grain. If you can find the weld with your thumb, it is not finished.
| Location | Grade or system | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Internal stair, dry | 304 stainless, No.4 | Washed, no salt |
| External or coastal (Manly, Cronulla, Gold Coast) | 316, or galv and powder coat | Chlorides and weather |
| Pool fence and wet decks | 316 | Chlorinated air and splash |
| Public stair, heavy traffic | Heavier posts, documented loadings | AS 1170 is not optional |
Infill is a drawing decision
Glass, baluster or mesh changes the load on the posts and the look of the stair. Pick it before the posts are made. A glass line needs different set-out than a baluster pitch, and swapping later is a new job, not a variation on the same one.
Nobody thanks you for a rail that meets the code. They notice the one that catches their hand on a joint.
What to send
Stair drawings if they exist, photographs of the opening, whether the work is inside a Sydney house or on the NSW or Queensland coast, and the finish you want. We will measure, draw the heights and gaps, and you sign that before tube is cut.