Its about Safety: wire balustrade creats a barrier to keep people safe. It is a safety barrier. It needs to be suitable for preventing injuries from a fall. Always best to build an Asset – Not a liability. And please remember the people you are keeping safe include your children, your sister’s or brother’s kids when they come over to play, your dogs and your parents who may or may not have their original hips. If you’re lucky enough, your grandparents. No one wants to fall or get injured. So keeping safety in mind when planning your balustrade is key. Thus, knowing regulations governing your wire balustrade makes the planning much easier.
Rules and Regulations: These are the rules and regulations pertaining to barriers and handrails in Australia.
You can’t go wrong if you stick to the Building Code of Australia (BCA) guidelines and gain approval from your local council to ensure your wire balustrade is legal and safe. You can download the original National Construction Code (NCC) 2019 (links below) or you can check our our people friendly summary.
See NCC 2019 Volume One Amendment 1 for Commercial or Government Barriers and Handrail
See NCC 2019 Volume Two Amendment 1 for Residential Barriers and Handrail, in particular, section 3.9.2
NCC 2019 Tables
In order to satisfy the NCC 2019 regulations for horizontal wire balustrade, your system must
- meet the tension requirements set out in Table D2.16a / 3.9.2.1; or
- must not exceed the maximum deflections set out in Table D2.16d / 3.9.2.3.
Required Tension for Stainless Steel Horizontal Wires
Depending on the application, the table below could be labeled as Table D2.16a or Table 3.9.2.1, however it is the same in both cases. Volume 1 (Table D2.16a) applies to class 2 to 9 buildings, which are generally commercial applications. Volume 2 (Table 3.9.2.1) applies to class 1 and 10 buildings, which are primarily residential applications.
NCC 2019 Volume 1 TABLE D2.16a WIRE BARRIER CONSTRUCTION REQUIRED TENSION FOR STAINLESS STEEL HORIZONTAL WIRES
NCC 2019 Volume 2 TABLE 3.9.2.1 WIRE BARRIER CONSTRUCTION REQUIRED TENSION FOR STAINLESS STEEL HORIZONTAL WIRES
Maximum Permissible Deflection for Stainless Steel Wires
Depending on the application, the table below could be labeled as Table D2.16d or Table 3.9.2.3, however it is the same in both cases. Volume 1 (Table D2.16d) applies to class 2 to 9 buildings, which are generally commercial applications. Volume 2 (Table 3.9.2.3) applies to class 1 and 10 buildings, which are primarily residential applications.
NCC 2019 Volume 1 TABLE D2.16d WIRE BARRIER CONSTRUCTION MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE DEFLECTION FOR STAINLESS STEEL WIRES
NCC 2019 Volume 2 TABLE 3.9.2.3 WIRE BARRIER CONSTRUCTION MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE DEFLECTION FOR STAINLESS STEEL WIRES