|
This should only be used as a guide and we recommend speaking to your local council before installing your balustrade. There have been several revisions to the Building Code of Australia (BCA) regulations on wire balustrades in the past few years with revisions made in 2005, 2007, 2008 and again in 2009. Other websites are still recommending spacing and distances based on the old regulations so please be careful before installing your own balustrade. Based on the most recently released regulations in MAY 2009 our understanding and recommendations are as follows. Scenario 1. Balustrades with a fall of less than 1 meter to the area below (ie the furthest someone could fall if they fell off the edge of your deck).In this case a balustrade is not required so you can space the wire at your own discretion and place your posts at any distance you like. We would recommend spacing your wires at between 100mm and 200mm and your posts at around 2 meters apart. Scenario 2. Balustrades with a fall of between 1 and 4 meters.The top of your handrail on your balustrade must be at least 1m from the floor of your deck and we recommend using a top rail of at least 40mm thick (either timber or steel). When using Hydraulic Swaged (Preswaged Kits) with 1x19 wire or Handswaged with 7x7 wire the spacing between wires needs to be 80mm and we recommend the distance between posts no more than 1.5meters. Using a top rail at 1m off the ground and at least 40mm thick you would need to use 11 wires. 
Runs of wire can only be installed in straight lines and must be terminated at each corner. We recommend a maximum length of any run to be 10 meters. If you have a straight line of over 10 meters you should terminate on one side of a centre post and start a new run on the other. | | BCA 2009 TABLE D2.16a WIRE BALUSTRADE CONSTRUCTION – REQUIRED TENSION FOR STAINLESS STEEL HORIZONTAL WIRES | Clear distance between posts (mm) | | 600 | 800 | 900 | 1000 | 1200 | 1500 | 1800 | 2000 | 2500 | Wire dia. (mm) | Lay | Wire spacing (mm) | Minimum required tension in Newtons (N) | 2.5 | 7x7 | 60 | 55 | 190 | 263 | 415 | 478 | 823 | 1080 | 1139 | X | 80 | 382 | 630 | 730 | 824 | 1025 | 1288 | X | X | X | 100 | 869 | 1218 | 1368 | X | X | X | X | X | X | 2.5 | 1x19 | 60 | 35 | 218 | 310 | 402 | 585 | 810 | 1125 | 1325 | X | 80 | 420 | 630 | 735 | 840 | 1050 | 1400 | 1750 | X | X | 100 | 1140 | 1565 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 3.0 | 7x7 | 60 | 15 | 178 | 270 | 314 | 506 | 660 | 965 | 1168 | 1491 | 80 | 250 | 413 | 500 | 741 | 818 | 1083 | 1370 | 1565 | X | 100 | 865 | 1278 | 1390 | 1639 | X | X | X | X | X | 3.0 | 1x19 | 60 | 25 | 183 | 261 | 340 | 520 | 790 | 1025 | 1180 | X | 80 | 325 | 555 | 670 | 785 | 1015 | 1330 | 1725 | 1980 | X | 100 | 1090 | 1500 | 1705 | 1910 | X | X | X | X | X | 4.0 | 7x7 | 60 | 5 | 73 | 97 | 122 | 235 | 440 | 664 | 813 | 1178 | 80 | 196 | 422 | 480 | 524 | 760 | 1100 | 1358 | 1530 | 2130 | 100 | 835 | 1182 | 1360 | 1528 | 1837 | 2381 | 2811 | 3098 | X | 4.0 | 1x19 | 60 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 147 | 593 | 890 | 1280 | 80 | 30 | 192 | 300 | 415 | 593 | 1105 | 1303 | 1435 | 1844 | 100 | 853 | 1308 | 1487 | 1610 | 2048 | 2608 | 3094 | 3418 | 3849 | 4.0 | 7x19 | 60 | 155 | 290 | 358 | 425 | 599 | 860 | 1080 | 1285 | 1540 | 80 | 394 | 654 | 785 | 915 | 1143 | 1485 | 1860 | 2105 | 2615 | 100 | 1038 | 1412 | 1598 | 1785 | 2165 | 2735 | X | X | X | Notes: | 1 | Lay = number of strands by the number of individual wires in each strand. For example a lay of 7x19 consists of 7 strands with 19 individual wires in each strand. | 2 | Where a change of direction is made in a run of wire, the tensioning device is to be placed at the end of the longest span. | 3 | If a 3.2 mm wire is used the tension figures for 3.0 mm wire are applied. | 4 | This table may also be used for a set of non-continuous (single) vertical wires forming a balustrade using the appropriate clear distance between posts as the vertical clear distance between the rails. | 5 | X = Not allowed because the required tension would exceed the safe load of the wire. | 6 | Tension measured with a strain indicator. |
|
Scenario 3. Balustrades with a fall of over 4 meters.Horizontal wires cannot be used. You would then need to use vertical wires. Click here to view the BCA Wire Spacing Regulations on Balustrades Click here to view the BCA Wire Deflection Regulations on Balustrades
|
Balustrade Recommendations 
