Choosing the right turnbuckles and fittings is a key step in planning a cable railing system project. With dozens of options available, how can you be sure you're choosing the components best suited to your project? And beyond that, how much cable, how many turnbuckles, and how many fittings will you actually need? That’s what we’ll explore in this article!

Which Turnbuckles and Fittings Should You Choose?

Our catalog includes dozens of turnbuckle and fitting kits made from marine-grade 316 stainless steel, designed for both indoor and outdoor use. Before settling on one of these kits, it’s important to understand that the price of our turnbuckles and fittings has absolutely no impact on their quality. All of our components are made from the same durable materials. The cost of each part is simply proportional to its production cost. In other words, the most expensive kit isn’t necessarily the one that will best suit your needs. Beyond your budget, we recommend basing your choice on seven key criteria.

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#1: Your Post Type

Some kits are specifically designed for metal posts, while others are meant for wooden posts. When making your selection, be sure you’re browsing the correct section of our catalog.

#2: Cable Line Orientation

Our “Kit I” options are designed to make horizontal cable line installation easier, while our “Kit II” options are intended for angled runs—especially for stair sections.

#3: Installation Method

Some kits require the use of a crimping tool, which you can rent or purchase directly from our website. This is the case for our Marina and Nautica kits. On the other hand, some kits are swageless and can be installed using common household tools—like our Classic and Swageless kits.

#4: Aesthetic

As the saying goes, “there’s no accounting for taste”! Some people prefer to keep hardware as discreet as possible—opting, for example, for the subtle Marina kits—while others like to make it stand out, using our bold and sturdy Nautica kits.

#5: Section Length

If you have very long cable railing sections—over 30 feet—we recommend using the Marina, Nautica, or Classic kits. For shorter sections, all kits will work, including the Swageless kits.

#6: Color

All of our products, including our cable, are available in two finishes: stainless steel and matte black. Make sure to choose the one that best fits your design style!

#7: Technical Challenges

Technical factors may lead you to choose one kit over another, such as the dimensions of your timber posts. For instance, if you want to install cable on large 6"x6" beams that support a roof, we recommend using tensioning systems that install directly inside the posts, like the Nautica kit. If you need help solving other technical challenges, don’t hesitate to contact us or to submit a quote request.

How Many Kits Do I Need?

Now that you’ve chosen your tensioning systems, one question remains: how many kits should you buy? Here’s the answer!

With intermediate posts every 4 feet, our kits can tension cable runs up to 60 feet long. In most cases, a single tensioning system is enough to tighten one full run of cable across a section.

That said, how many cable lines should you install per section? Depending on your railing design—and to ensure compliance with applicable building codes—we recommend installing at least 8 cable runs for a 36-inch-high railing and at least 9 for a 42-inch-high railing. The number of pre-drilled holes in our prefabricated metal posts matches these recommendations.

To calculate how many kits you need, simply multiply the number of cable lines per section by the number of sections. For example, for a 36-inch-high cable railing project with 4 straight sections and 2 stair sections, you’ll need 32 “Kit I” and 16 “Kit II”.

To calculate how much cable you’ll need, just add up the total length of all your sections and multiply that number by the number of cable lines per section. To make sure you have enough—especially in case of mistakes during installation—we recommend ordering around 10% more than the minimum required amount.

That’s how, starting today, you can get your very own cable railing system with GauthierDeLaPlante. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us by email or phone—one of our experienced designers will be happy to help!