Spindle spacing looks like an aesthetic choice. It's really a safety rule, and there's an easy way to picture it.
The sphere rule
Building code limits the gap between spindles so that a 100 mm sphere, roughly four inches, can't pass through. The idea is simple: if a ball that size can't fit between the spindles, a small child can't get stuck or slip through either.
In Alberta the rule lives in the National Building Code, 2023 Alberta Edition. It applies to the guard along your stairs and landings, and it's the single rule that drives how many spindles your railing needs and how they're spaced along the run.
How it affects the look
Closer spacing means more spindles, which looks finer and more detailed. The profile you choose, whether that is square, round or rectangle, and the finish then set the overall style on top of that safe spacing.
In other words, you get plenty of design freedom. The spacing limit just sets the floor.
Leave the math to the build
You don't need to measure this yourself. When Ben builds an interior railing, the spindles are laid out to meet current code automatically, evenly spaced and solid, so the finished guard is both safe and clean to look at.
Ben works across Edmonton, Leduc, Spruce Grove, Sherwood Park, Fort Saskatchewan and St. Albert, and every railing goes in to current code. Get an estimate and he'll price yours by the lineal foot.
Thinking about your own stairs or railing?
Send Ben your project details, or a photo, for a no-obligation estimate.
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