Iron Spindle Trends for 2026

Most requested

For many years the most popular spindle choice has been the black iron single collar, sometimes mixed with a double collar but often alternating with a plain black spindle.

(Click image to go any to style gallery.)

While the single collar design has still made an appearance in the past year, the predominant choice of my clients has been the plain square black iron spindle.

The principle idea is simplicity. For this reason people prefer not to have the top and bottom shoes also. It is a beautiful effect! It should be noted that this isn’t always advisable in a retrofit because the use of existing structures can compromise the esthetic quality of the final railing in order to install without shoes. Going without shoes works best when the rail has a metal insert for the spindles to attach at the top and the treads and noses are fresh wood (not predrilled to a larger dowel size). Otherwise, I will advise using spindle shoes.

Desire for Uniqueness

While the plain square iron spindle has been dominant over the last couple of years, a number of clients have been working more from the principle of uniqueness. They want something that is more of a personal expression than simply fitting an esthetic framework like that of “simplicity”. Here are some of the results of this “striving for uniqueness”.

I wanted to show each of these in one place to show some of the variation possible in iron spindles design. I also wanted to set the stage for the style that my client chose for my current stair project. I think it has the potential to become a popular consideration over the next couple of years, along with the Modern Square with Plain Design above. The following pic is a project in progress but I wanted everyone to see this emerging design. I hope you like it. Let me know in the comments.