Best Composite Deck Railings For 2023

Discover The Best Composite Deck Railing Systems Available

Do you love the classic look of traditional wood deck railing but hate all the regular yearly maintenance?

If so, composite railing is the perfect choice for you. To help find the right composite railing system, check out our rundown of the best composite railing options on the market, according to our team of experienced deck project enthusiasts.

Looking for a more modern option? Check out our Best Cable Railings of 2023.

Table of Contents

• Best Overall Composite Deck Railings
• Best Value Composite Railings
• Best Composite Railings With A Drink Rail

Best Overall Composite Deck Railings

You'll notice a theme in our list. Two huge brand names dominate the composite railing market: Trex and TimberTech. These brands have led the outdoor living industry for years, so it's no surprise they've each developed high-performing composite railing systems

Here are our two favorite composite railing systems of the year:

Best Composite Railing: Trex Transcend

Reasons you'll love it:

• Premium-quality railing
• Tons of color options you can mix and match
• Traditional style and color options that look great on any home
• Easy to customize with drink rail, Trex lighting, handrail, gate and more
• Many style options from round balusters to square balusters to glass panels to distinctive mesh looks
• Proven to last longer and save on maintenance

Trex Transcend is totally classic. The Trex brand has perfected a timeless, traditional look that's consistent across everything it produces, from decking to railing to lighting and more. In true Trex fashion, the Transcend railing system delivers that look to a "T".

Transcend is everything composite railing should be. Thick, sturdy post sleeves mirror the classic, substantial look of wood posts, but eliminate the regular staining, painting, inspecting and maintaining needed to keep wood posts strong and attractive. The top and bottom rails are substantial and traditional. And the installation is simple and straightforward.

What really sets Trex Transcend apart is its customization in color. The system comes with three different color options for your top and bottom rail, and you can mix and match those with six different color options for post sleeves. Coordinating with the colors already existing in your home and deck is easy.

From a bright, airy white (shown above) to a sleek, modern black (shown below), you can create any look with Trex Transcend. We especially love white trim with the brown Vintage Lantern rails which you can see at the beginning of this section.

Trex has led the outdoor living industry for decades, so Transcend Railing is incredibly easy to trust for performance. It holds up extremely well in even harsh outdoor climates, only requiring some regular light cleaning to shine like new.

And the best part about all those colors? You'll never need to paint or repaint to keep them bright.

Shop Trex Transcend More Trex Transcend looks:

You can also customize Trex Transcend for a unique look with either glass or Wild Hog mesh panels instead of traditional balusters.

Best Composite Railing: TimberTech Classic Composite

Reasons you'll love it:

• Ultra-customizable in look and style
• Four different top rail shapes to choose from
• Distinctive, desirable looks for premium, luxurious decks
• Trusted for durability with low maintenance demands
• View-maximizing glass and cable options

Our other favorite composite railing system is all about standing out. TimberTech's Classic Composite Series is an infinitely customizable composite railing that you can perfectly tailor to your desired style to look like nothing else in the neighborhood.

The top rail determines a lot of the character of your deck railing. What's great about TimberTech Classic Composite is that the system offers not one, not two, not three, but four different top rails you can choose from.

Around the industry, TimberTech is known for premium, high-end looks. If you want to add a dash of luxury to your deck, TimberTech's Classic Composite Railing is the way to go.

Like Trex, the TimberTech system centers on thick, substantial post sleeves that dress up the traditional look of wood posts. Maintenance is quick and easy: just occasional cleaning with a soft cloth. And the system will last for decades without losing its color and smooth finish.

Shop TimberTech Classic Composite

If your deck has an amazing view, you can also customize Timbertech Classic Composite Railing with a more open look by using glass or the striking stainless steel cable runs pictured below:

Best Value Composite Deck Railings

If you've got a specific budget in mind, check out these composite railing options that deliver a little less customization, but maximize the look and performance you get at a lower price.

Best Value: TimberTech RadianceRail Express

Where most composite railing systems are big and substantial, the TimberTech RadianceRail Express line offers a unique look. RadianceRail Express slims down the look with thinner posts and rails that look a little more modern and also keep costs lower.

The top rail is a slimmer version of the rounded-off RadianceRail available in the Classic Composite Series. And you can still mix and match colors between your rails, posts, and balusters, like the brown railing with black balusters shown above.

Shop RadianceRail Express

Best Value: Trex Select

Trex Select delivers a classic black-and-white look that's both timeless and versatile - it'll class up any deck and never look dated.

As with Transcend, you get the proven quality of the Trex name, so you know your railing will keep its strength and looks for years. If you want a clean, simple railing you can install and then not worry about, Trex Select is a brilliant choice.

As with Transcend, you get the proven quality of the Trex name, so you know your railing will keep its strength and looks for years. If you want a clean, simple railing you can install and then not worry about, Trex Select is a brilliant choice.

One more bonus, which we'll see below, is that Trex Select's clean, simple style looks awesome with a deck board mounted on top for a drink rail.

Shop Trex Select

Best Composite Railings With A Drink Rail

Add function to your style! Here are our favorite deck railing systems if you want a flat-top drink rail installed on top.

Best Drink Rail: Trex Select

The clean look of Trex Select is a perfect canvas to add a deck board as a drink rail.

You can choose the Trex Select or Transcend composite deck board of your choice, which means you can add almost any color tone imaginable to spice up the classic black-and-white Trex Select railing look.

Shop Trex Select

Best Drink Rail: TimberTech Classic Composite

TimberTech's Classic Composite Series is tailor-made for a drink rail - in fact, one of the four top rail shapes is the distinctive drink rail.

The TimberTech system makes it easy to create a totally continuous drink rail like the one above, which is a clean, modern twist on the traditional structure of composite railing.

TimberTech's huge range of deck board looks just continue to set the brand apart when it comes to customization. Pro tip: TimberTech's Vintage PVC line of deck boards comes with a narrow-width option that looks especially smashing as a drink rail.

Shop TimberTech Drink Rail