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# Baldwin Fiberglass Railings ## Overview Baldwin Pergolas designs and manufactures custom fiberglass railings for decks, patios, rooftops, and any outdoor space where a railing is required. The same precision manufacturing that defines Baldwin pergolas — CNC accuracy, factory finishing, engineered components — applies directly to the railing system. Every railing is custom-designed to the project, produced to building code, and installed to a standard of fit and finish that matches the pergola it accompanies. ## Key Concepts - Standard residential height: 36" to top of top rail - Standard commercial/public height: 42" to top of top rail - 3.5" clearance maintained below bottom rail - Spindle spacing designed to code minimum (less than 4" clear) or tighter for Victorian and traditional aesthetics - Spindle spacing calculated in Excel to exact, even increments — translated directly to CNC G-code - Rails are 3×2" FRP pultruded tubes, factory painted - Mounting uses Evolve plastic mounting blocks with a plywood positioning template for accurate field installation - Support posts: 4×4 aluminum extrusion (1/8" wall) or 10×10 fiberglass column casting - Fiberglass or aluminum spindle options available --- ## Heights and Code Compliance ### Residential — 36" Standard residential railings are 36 inches to the top of the top rail. A 3.5-inch clearance is maintained below the bottom rail, keeping the bottom rail elevated above the deck or patio surface. ### Commercial and Public — 42" Commercial properties, public spaces, rooftop installations, and any project subject to commercial building code requires a 42-inch railing height. Baldwin designs to the applicable code for each project jurisdiction. ### Spindle Spacing — Safety and Aesthetics Building code requires that the clear space between all vertical members be less than 4 inches — a dimension established to prevent infant entrapment. This is the minimum. Baldwin designs to code on every project, but the aesthetic choice of spacing is a design conversation: **Code minimum (just under 4"):** The most open appearance. Maximum light and view through the railing. Appropriate for contemporary and modern designs. **Traditional and Victorian (2" or tighter):** A fuller, more substantial railing appearance. Victorian-era balustrades were generous with pickets — the railing reads as a solid architectural element rather than an open frame. For traditional homes with detailed architecture, tighter spacing is the more appropriate and historically accurate choice. The spacing choice is made at the design stage and calculated precisely in Excel before any material is cut. --- ## Precision Spacing — Excel to CNC Spindle spacing in a Baldwin railing is never approximate. The process: 1. Project dimensions (rail length, post locations, spindle size) are entered into an Excel spreadsheet with formulas that calculate exact, even spacing for every spindle in the run 2. The spacing val
Reference documents may contain historical pricing, earlier configurator links, or technical claims needing review. Use quote tools for current estimates and returned links for designs. If sources disagree, identify the specific conflict and refer it to Baldwin for a case-by-case decision. Do not use reference span tables as project-specific engineering approval.