Steel railings: the complete buyer's guide
Bow top and vertical bar railings share one post, bay and bar system across seven heights. Play spec panels and gates give you a version built for playground guidance.
Railings on this site come in three families: bow top, vertical bar and estate fencing, plus a play spec version of bow top for schools and play areas. Bow top and vertical bar share one post, bay and fixing system across seven heights — pick the look, then the height, and the posts and fittings follow automatically. Estate fencing is a different, more open system entirely.
Bow top or vertical bar
Bow top railings curve each vertical bar over into a rounded loop at the top instead of finishing square — no point, nothing to catch a hand or clothing on, which is why it turns up around parks, schools and housing. Vertical bar railings run the bars straight through and let you choose the finish as an option on the same product: plain flat top, ball top or arrow top, all at the same height and post.
Bow top panels
Vertical bar panels
One post and bay system across both ranges
Bar diameter, post and bay spacing move together — you don't mix and match them. The 20mm-bar panels are the tallest and sit on 100 x 55mm RSJ posts at 2750mm centres; the 16mm and 12mm-bar panels are shorter and sit on 50 x 50mm box posts at 2800mm centres.
Panel range
| Bar diameter | Heights | Post | Bay (post centres) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20mm | 1.8m – 2.1m | 100 x 55mm RSJ | 2750mm |
| 16mm | 1.2m – 1.8m | 50 x 50mm box | 2800mm |
| 12mm | 900mm – 1.2m | 50 x 50mm box | 2800mm |
Play spec: the playground version
Standard bow top isn't sold as a playground fence — AA's own listing says it doesn't meet the RoSPA guidance schools and play areas are specified against. Play Spec Bow Top mirrors the standard range height-for-height and bar-for-bar, built for that use instead. See the regulations guide below for what actually changes.
Play spec panels
Posts, cleats and the fittings that hold it together
Every bay uses four railing cleats — steel brackets that bolt to the post with M10 x 80mm bolts and take the panel on M10 x 30mm bolts, all finished with snap-off anti-tamper nuts as standard. Choose dig-in (concreted into the ground) or bolt-down (onto a hard surface, using a railing support foot as the base) per post. Posts, cleats, bolts and nuts are all sold separately too, for an extra post on a longer run or a repair on an existing fence.
Fittings
Railing gates
Railing gates match the panel styles — vertical bar, bow top, ball top and arrow top all come off one gate range — in heights from 900mm to 2.1m and widths from 1m to 6m. Hand (left or right), single or double leaf, and the opening angle (90 in-and-out, 180 in, or 180 out) are all chosen per gate. Unlike the panels, play spec here is a yes/no option on the same product rather than a separate line.
Railing gates
Estate fencing: the open parkland style
Estate fencing has no vertical bars at all. It's a 2m-wide, 1.2m-installed panel built from a 20mm solid round top rail over four 30 x 7.5mm flat horizontal bars, at around 35.6kg, on 1.8m flat-bar posts (40 x 10mm) — a traditional parkland boundary where the view through the fence matters more than close bar spacing. It isn't a close-bar security product; it's built for a different job to the bow top and vertical bar ranges above.
Estate fencing
If you're not sure which range or height fits the job, send us the run length and what it's for and we'll work out the post and panel schedule with you.
Frequently asked questions
- What's the difference between bow top and vertical bar railings?
Bow top curves each bar over into a loop with no sharp point. Vertical bar runs the bars straight through, with a choice of plain flat top, ball top or arrow top finial on the same product.
- Do I need play spec railings for a school or playground?
For panels, yes if you want AA's playground-ready range — the standard bow top listing states it isn't for that use, and Play Spec Bow Top is built as the alternative. For gates, play spec is a yes/no option on the same Railing Gates product rather than a separate range.
- What posts do railings use?
100 x 55mm RSJ posts at 2750mm centres on the 20mm-bar, 1.8m–2.1m range; 50 x 50mm box posts at 2800mm centres on the 12mm and 16mm-bar, 900mm–1.8m range.
- Can I buy railing posts, cleats or fixings on their own?
Yes — both post types, the cleats, the support feet and the M10 bolts and nuts are all sold separately, for an extra post on a longer run or a repair rather than a whole new panel.