Glass Spigot Railing: A Guide to Frameless Balustrades

A spigot balustrade is a point-fixed spigot railing: the glass is gripped at discrete points rather than along its whole edge, and it is the most minimal of the frameless systems. Where a continuous channel grips the glass along its whole bottom edge, a spigot grips it at a point — a short, stout post set into or onto the floor. Put two or more under a panel and they carry the whole thing, which means no base channel, no posts, and no top rail unless you want one for grip.

How a point-fixed spigot railing works

Each spigot clamps the bottom edge of the pane between machined jaws, and everything above floor level is glass. That is the appeal, and it is also the constraint: the entire panel load is transferred through a handful of small footprints. On a continuous system a soft spot in the slab is spread across the run; on a spigot system it sits directly under one fixing. The substrate and the anchors matter here more than on any other railing system.

Two spigots to a panel is the normal arrangement — centres, substrate and the other terms used here are defined in our railing terms glossary. Wider or taller panels take more, and the exact count and centres are set against the panel size and the design load for the location rather than by a fixed rule.

Core-drilled or base-plate fixed

There are two ways to get a spigot into a floor, and the decision is usually made by whether the floor already exists.

• Core-drilled. The spigot drops into a pocket cut in the slab and is grouted or resin-anchored in place. Only a slim post shows above the finished floor, which is the cleanest result. It has to be planned before the floor finish goes down, and the grout or resin must be fully cured before any panel is loaded onto it.
• Base-plate. The spigot bolts to the surface through a flanged foot. This is the retrofit route and the one to use wherever the slab cannot be cut — a waterproofed terrace, a post-tensioned deck, or an existing finished floor.

Stainless or aluminium-core spigots

Both are in the range and they are not interchangeable.

Stainless is the specification for pool surrounds, coastal terraces and anywhere chlorides reach the metal. That is exactly the environment where SS 316 earns its premium over SS 304, because chloride pitting is the failure mode it is alloyed to resist — see the SS 304 vs 316 guide. Choosing SS 304 for a poolside spigot is the classic false economy.

Aluminium-core spigots are lighter and more economical, and suit sheltered inland and internal work where salt and chlorine are not part of the picture.

The spigot range

Prince Railing manufactures nine spigot profiles. The differences are the body shape and the finish, which on a frameless balustrade is a visible design decision rather than a hidden one:

• Hex Alu Spigot 6 and Hex Alu Spigot 11 — hexagonal aluminium-core bodies.
• Square Spigot Alu 6 and Square Alu Spigot 9 — square aluminium-core bodies, the quietest option against a modern facade.
• 115 mm V Spigot — a tapered V body.
• Diamond 6 Spigot — diamond-cut faces that catch light on a pool edge.
• Leaf Spigot — a shaped leaf profile.
• Baluster 12 Spigot — a baluster-style body for a more traditional line.
• Rajwadi Antique Spigot — an antique-finish spigot made for heritage-styled staircases.

Where spigot railings are used

Pool surrounds, decks, terraces and commercial frontages — anywhere a fully frameless panel is wanted and the floor can take the fixing. It is also the fastest frameless system to install once the fixings are right, because there is no channel to level along the whole run. For pool work specifically, see our pool fencing page.

Spigots, brackets or a continuous channel?

All three produce a frameless or near-frameless glass line, and they trade differently:

• Spigots — the most open look, nothing above the floor but glass, and the highest demand on the substrate.
• Brackets — the most economical, and the easiest to service, since one panel releases on its own clamps. The bracket is visible hardware.
• Continuous channel — the most material per metre, but load spread along the whole edge, which is what carries the tallest panels. Compared in full in our continuous vs bracket guide.

Glass for a spigot balustrade

Use safety glass, always — toughened, laminated, or laminated-toughened for elevated locations so the pane retains its fragments and some load capacity if it breaks. Panels must arrive at final size with any cut-outs already made, because toughened glass cannot be cut, drilled or ground on site. Thickness follows the height and exposure; the glass thickness chart sets out which goes with which.

See the full range on the stainless steel glass spigots page, or send us your panel sizes and floor build-up and we will tell you which spigot and which fixing method the job needs.