Glass & Metal Balustrades in Leeds — Designed and Fabricated to BS 6180

Yes. Every balustrade we fabricate is designed and fabricated in accordance with BS 6180 — the British Standard for barriers in and about buildings. That covers minimum height, horizontal loading requirements appropriate to occupancy class, gap restriction (the 100mm sphere test), and infill specification. Where structural sign-off is required for a primary balustrade, that's the responsibility of your structural engineer or architect; we manufacture to their specification.

BS 6180 sets the minimums by location. Residential stair pitch: 900mm above the pitch line. Residential landings, balconies and other floor-level edges: 1100mm above finished floor level. Commercial, retail and public-access locations: 1100mm minimum, with the relevant occupancy-class horizontal loading designed in. Anywhere with a fall of more than 600mm needs a guarded edge. We confirm the right height on site at the survey stage.

Framed glass uses toughened glass panels held inside a steel or stainless frame — handrail, posts and bottom rail are all visible. Lower cost, easier to retrofit, and forgiving on uneven edges. Frameless glass uses structural glass panels fixed without visible posts — either point-fixed through stainless clamps or channel-fixed into a slimline base shoe. More visually open, more expensive, and more demanding of the substrate it fixes into. We'll recommend the right option on survey based on aesthetics, budget and the structural detail of the edge.

It depends on the application. For framed glass infill in a domestic setting, 10mm or 12mm toughened glass is typical. For frameless balustrades carrying handrail loads, 15mm or 17.5mm toughened-laminated glass is standard, with 21.5mm or higher used where the glass itself is the only barrier (no separate handrail). Glass specification is confirmed against BS 6180 loading tables and BS 6206 impact standards for the relevant occupancy class — we run the spec past your structural engineer or architect before fabrication.

Point-fixed glass uses small stainless steel clamps or spider fixings to hold each panel at typically four points — a very visually light look, but requires extremely accurate setting-out and a substrate that can take concentrated loads. Channel-fixed glass uses a continuous stainless steel base shoe (slim aluminium or steel channel) that the panel sits inside — more forgiving on tolerance, faster to install, and the look most people picture when they say "frameless glass". Both are BS 6180 compliant when specified correctly.

Metal bar balustrades — vertical bar or mesh infill in a powder-coated steel frame — are typically the most cost-effective option, especially for longer runs. Framed glass sits in the middle. Frameless structural glass is the most expensive — the glass cost itself is higher, the substrate has to be prepared more carefully, and the installation takes longer. Heritage scrollwork is priced on design complexity rather than per-metre. Every quote is itemised so you can see exactly what each element costs, and we're happy to price two or three options on the same survey.

Either, depending on the design. On a framed glass or metal-bar balustrade, the handrail is typically part of the same system — a continuous top rail welded to the posts, often in stainless or powder-coated mild steel. On a frameless glass balustrade, the handrail can be bonded to the top edge of the glass (a slimline cap rail) or fixed independently to the wall alongside the balustrade. We'll discuss the options on survey based on the look you want, the substrate, and the regulatory requirement for an additional handrail in commercial settings.

Yes — retrofit is a large part of what we do. We survey the existing staircase, mezzanine or edge to determine the best fixing method (typically core-drilled base plates, side-fixed brackets, or fascia-mounted standoffs), check the substrate is sound enough to take the BS 6180 loading, and design the new balustrade to suit. Where the existing structure can't safely take the fixing loads, we'll tell you on survey rather than after fabrication.

Three to four weeks from design approval to installation is typical for metal balustrades, subject to current workload and project complexity. Glass balustrades — especially toughened-laminated structural glass — can run an extra week to allow for glass manufacture, toughening and lamination. We confirm a target install date at the point of quotation, subject to project complexity.