Yes. A stair railing ships anywhere in the lower 48, and most of it travels by freight. A slim wall mounted handrail under 8 feet can go by parcel. Assembled railing systems are too long, too bulky or too heavy for any parcel carrier, so they ride a freight truck instead. We build in one piece up to 140 inches, and shipping is free either way on orders over $99.
That is the short answer. The rest of this page covers where the cost jumps, what actually pulls up outside your house on a freight delivery, and how to decide between one long piece and a two piece rail.
In this article
- What is the 108 inch rule?
- Why 96 inches matters more than 108
- What if my railing is longer than 108 inches?
- What does a freight delivery look like at my house?
- How is a railing packaged so it arrives straight?
- How long does it take to arrive?
- FAQ
What is the 108 inch rule?
Every parcel carrier draws the same hard line. UPS caps a single package at 108 inches in length, with a combined length plus girth limit of 165 inches and a maximum weight of 150 pounds. FedEx Ground uses the same ceilings. There is no negotiating past it. A 10 foot handrail is not an expensive parcel, it is simply not a parcel at all.
That single number explains almost everything about how railing gets shipped:
| Railing length | How it ships | What that means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 96 in (8 ft) | Standard parcel | Slim handrails are left at your door like any package. |
| 96 to 108 in (8 to 9 ft) | Oversize parcel | Still comes by truck to your door, but the carrier bills it as a large package. |
| 108 to 140 in (9 to 11.5 ft) | LTL freight, or two pieces | One piece on a pallet by freight truck, or split into two parcel sized sections you join on site. |
| Over 140 in (11.5 ft) | Multiple sections | Built in sections with connectors, whichever way it travels. |
Length is only half of the test. Carriers measure length plus girth, so a pre-assembled guardrail with posts and infill can pass the 165 inch combined limit at only 6 or 7 feet long, and a welded steel system can pass the 150 pound cap outright. That is why most of our assembled railing systems ship by freight no matter their length, while a slim wall mounted handrail under 8 feet usually goes parcel.
Why 96 inches matters more than 108
108 inches is where parcel shipping stops. 96 inches is where it gets expensive, and that is the number most people never hear about.
Carriers reclassify a package as oversize well before it hits the hard limit. A package becomes a Large Package once its length passes 96 inches or its length plus girth passes 130 inches, and a Large Package is billed at a minimum of 90 pounds no matter what it actually weighs. As of January 2026 both UPS and FedEx added two more triggers, a cubic volume above 17,280 cubic inches and an actual weight above 110 pounds.
A 9 foot steel handrail might weigh 35 pounds. It gets billed like it weighs 90. That is why an 8 foot rail and a 9 foot rail can differ in shipping cost by more than the price gap between them suggests, and why some sellers quietly cap their listings at 8 feet rather than explain any of this.
Built to your exact measurement rather than a stock length, so you are not paying oversize freight on a rail you then have to cut down.
What if my railing is longer than 108 inches?
You have two good options, and the right one depends on whether you would rather wait for a freight truck or spend ten minutes with a connector.
One piece by freight. We fabricate and ship in a single continuous length up to 140 inches. The rail goes on a pallet, gets strapped, and travels LTL freight. No seam, no joint, nothing to line up on site. Freight is genuinely expensive to move, but shipping is free on our orders over $99 in the lower 48, so that cost is ours rather than yours.
Two pieces with a connector. For longer runs, we build the rail in two sections with a straightforward DIY connector that joins them during installation. Each section ships as a normal parcel, arrives at your door instead of your curb, and the finished rail reads as one continuous line once it is mounted. Most people installing on a long straight run choose this.
Either way, the measurement is what matters. If you have not measured yet, our guide to measuring for a stair handrail walks through it, and our bracket count chart tells you how many brackets that length needs.
What does a freight delivery look like at my house?
This is the part that worries people, and since most railing ships freight, it applies to most orders. It deserves a straight answer rather than a shrug.
A freight delivery is curbside, with no liftgate. A tractor trailer stops at the end of your driveway, and the driver's responsibility ends at the back of the truck. The driver will not carry the railing to your garage, and there is no hydraulic platform lowering the pallet to the ground. Plan on one other person to help you take it off the truck.
Three things worth knowing before the truck arrives:
- You need to be there. Freight carriers call ahead to schedule a delivery window and someone has to sign. This is not a package that gets left behind a planter.
- Check the bundle before you sign. Walk the length of it and look for bent ends or crushed corners. Signing the delivery receipt clean is you saying it arrived undamaged.
- Write any damage on the paperwork. If something looks wrong, note it on the delivery receipt before signing and photograph it. That note is what makes a claim straightforward instead of a fight.
Damage is uncommon on well packaged steel, but the five minutes you spend inspecting is the cheapest insurance in the process.
How is a railing packaged so it arrives straight?
Steel does not care about being dropped nearly as much as it cares about being bent, and a railing that arrives with a bowed top rail is useless even if the finish is perfect. So packaging for railing is about rigidity along the length, not padding.
Freight shipments are strapped directly to a pallet that runs the full length of the rail, which means the pallet itself acts as a splint. Parcel shipments travel in heavy duty cartons with internal wood reinforcement doing the same job. Powder coated surfaces get wrapped so straps and edges do not mark the finish in transit.
This is also why buying railing online is more practical than it sounds. The failure mode people imagine, a flimsy tube rattling around in a long box, is a packaging problem rather than an inherent one.
Welded and finished before it ships, so there is no picket by picket assembly waiting for you on the driveway.
How long does it take to arrive?
Lead time is 2 to 3 weeks from order to shipment. Every railing is built to the measurements you send rather than pulled off a shelf, so that window covers fabrication and finishing, not warehouse picking. Expedited production is available for a fee if your project is on a deadline.
Transit time sits on top of that. Parcel is typically a few business days. Freight usually runs longer and depends on the lane, plus the carrier's call to schedule your delivery window.
If you are working backward from an install date, order three to four weeks out and you will have room to spare.
Frequently asked questions
Can you ship a stair railing in one piece?
Yes, up to 140 inches. Past 108 inches it can no longer travel as a parcel, so a one piece rail that long ships as LTL freight on a pallet. Beyond 140 inches, the railing is built in sections joined with a connector during installation.
How much does it cost to ship a metal railing?
Nothing on orders over $99 to the lower 48, parcel or freight. Freight is expensive to move, which is why many sellers either cap their lengths at 8 feet or add a surcharge at checkout. Our shipping is free either way on orders over $99, so length does not change what you pay.
Do I need to be home for a railing delivery?
For most orders, yes, because most railing ships by freight. The carrier calls to schedule a window and someone has to sign. Slim handrails that qualify for parcel follow the carrier's normal rules and can usually be left at the door.
Is freight delivery curbside?
Yes. Delivery is curbside with no liftgate, so the railing comes off the back of the truck at the end of your driveway. Have a second person available to help move it.
What happens if my railing arrives damaged?
Note the damage on the delivery receipt before you sign, take photos, and contact us. Signing a clean receipt makes a claim much harder, so the inspection is worth doing while the driver is still there.
Can I ship a railing to Alaska, Hawaii or Canada?
Free shipping on orders over $99 covers the lower 48. For anywhere outside that, contact us before ordering and we will quote the shipment directly.
Send us your measurements
Tell us the length, the slope and where it mounts. We will tell you exactly how it ships before you order.
Get a custom quote →Free shipping over $99 (lower 48) · 30 year structural warranty · Made in the USA
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