01 Feb Building Regulations for Balustrades

When building a new home or adding an extension, it’s crucial to consider which regulations you need to follow. Although it seems like a hassle at the time, these regulations are made with the user’s safety in mind, and are best thought about before beginning your build, rather than during or after.  

In Queensland, over 20 people have died and hundreds of people have been injured between 2002 to 2012 after falling from decks or balconies. A portion of this statistic is associated with structural failure, which is why it is so important to ensure your balustrades comply with the national building regulations.

Sentrel manufactures balustrades that meet the latest industry regulations and we have made it simple for you to install them yourself. But even if the balustrade is built to industry regulations the strength of a balustrade is only as good as the substrate it is fixing to. It is recommended that occupiers of all residential dwellings with a timber deck or balcony have them checked for structural integrity. 

Other common site issues that can cause balustrades to become unsafe include poorly laid tiles, electric cables or water services that are too close to the balustrade when installing. It is especially dangerous if an installer drills through the wall into electric cabling and causes the balustrade to become ‘live’. 

With these common issues in mind you can now see why building regulations are so important to keep you and your family safe. Here at Sentrel we care about safety and convenience so we’ve created a simple outline to ensure your balustrades comply with the most current building regulations as at January 2024.

National Construction Code

Building codes in Australia are determined by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) and laid out in the National Construction Code (NCC). The NCC provides a consistent set of Australian building standards in the areas of health, fire, safety and sustainability. Here are the relevant balustrade building codes and below we have summarised some of the key points.

What is a Balustrade and Why do You Need it? 

A balustrade is a fall prevention barrier which must be provided alongside any stairway or ramp, any floor, corridor, hallway, balcony, verandah, mezzanine or path of access to a building if it is more than 1 metre above ground level. Many accidents happen every year due to illegally built decks and balconies, or ones that haven’t been regularly inspected and maintained. Regulated decks, balconies and balustrades help to prevent these accidents from happening.

Building regulations in Australia state that balustrades should be a minimum height of 1 metre and have no spacings greater than 125mm to prevent large objects falling through.

For surfaces higher than four metres above the ground must have all of the above conditions must be met with the addition that they cannot have any climbable elements, such as horizontal rails, located between 150 millimetres and 760 millimetres from the floor. 

Balustrades on stairs must be a minimum height of 865mm above the ‘nosing’ of the stair tread (see diagram below). Gaps in the balustrade cannot exceed 125mm. 

Balustrades on stairs more than four metres above the ground must have all of the above with the addition that must also not have any climbable elements located between 150mm and 760mm from the floor.

Climate

Climate is an important factor to consider when building or installing balustrades especially with Australia’s varying seasons. In many parts of Australia, the construction of new building and additions to existing buildings will be assessed as to whether or not it is in a bushfire-prone area. Additionally, in areas prone to high rainfall, humidity or moisture only Class 1 timbers should be used to prevent rotting.

There are six different Bushfire Attack Levels (BAL) for proposed construction and as the threat increases, so do the restrictions on the building materials that may be used. 

The safest option is to use metal which, of course, will not ignite and can be used in any of the Bush Fire Attack levels. But if timber is your choice, please be aware that you must use only specific types of timber in the various BAL classifications. For BAL Low – BAL 19 areas only timber with a mass of 750kg/m can be used. In BAL 29 areas, timber with a higher density and ‘fire resistant’ qualities can be used. These include; Merbau (Kwila), Spotted Gum, Blackbutt, Turpentine, Red Ironbark, River Redgum, Silvertop Ash.

Sentrel’s timber balustrades are primarily made from Merbau, sometimes Spotted gum, as they have a Class 1 rating of 40+ years durability, are termite resistant and are in the highest fire retardant timber class. For more information on building with timber in bush-fire prone areas, go here.

In areas BAL 40 and BAL FZ the use of any timber for balustrades is not allowed.

Fire isn’t the only environmental aspect to consider, decks and balconies on properties near the coast can have an even higher risk of potential failure. The corrosive effects of salt, sand and wind can affect unprotected timber and steel structures. Sentrel uses Marine Grade Stainless Steel Wire, which is the most corrosion-resistant material in its class and the safest option for balustrades in coastal areas.

At Sentrel, all of the balustrade specifications for our stainless steel vertical wire with extruded aluminium or Class 1 timber comply with all Australian Standards. This means that you can rest assured knowing your family is safe while enjoying beautiful Australian designed & manufactured balustrades.

If you have any other questions, just contact Sentrel and we can help. You can reach us at 1300 658 330, email us at jen@sentrel.com.au or complete our online enquiry form.