HORIZONTAL RAILINGS 

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All horizontal rails are more expensive than the standard rail options. There are a number of reasons for the higher cost. Some of these are:

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     *There are no standard horizontal rail systems; horizontal rail systems have to be custom designed and built.

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     *There is more metal in the horizontal railing application, & the horizontal element must be stronger than a standard vertical picket.

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     *There is a significant amount of additional fabrication time for a custom rail system as it has to be made to fit your specific project needs. 

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*We are often asked if horizontal rails are allowed by code or are if they safe. As of the 2012 IRC and IBC codes, there is no restriction regarding horizontal rails. It is possible that a local building code may have been written with such a restriction, although we are not aware of any such case. If you are considering horizontal rails you should confirm that your inspector will allow this design. we are not responsible for checking on any local codes.

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the Ladder Effect

After a three year study of climbable guards, including 13 open meetings, the International Code Council’s (ICC) Code Technology Committee (CTC) concluded in its May 12, 2008 report that the most current and thorough documentation available shows no indication that a problem exists and that there has not been sufficient justification established to mandate a higher level of climb-ability restriction on guards than what is currently required in the 2006 ICC codes..” Current ICC codes do not prohibit climbable railings.