Superstructure (excluding roofs)

6.6Staircases

This chapter gives guidance on meeting the Technical Requirements for staircases.

Definitions for this chapter

Balustrading	The collective name for the complete assembly of handrails, baserails, newels, spindles and caps.
Common (communal) stair	A staircase serving more than one property.
Continuous handrail	Using lengths of handrail connected to handrail fittings and ramps, the handrail flows over the tops of newel turnings, creating a continuous run of handrail.
Going	The horizontal distance between the face of the first and last risers.
General access stair	A stair intended for all users of a building on a day-to-day basis, as a normal route between levels.
Newel post	A post at the head or foot of a flight of stairs, supporting a handrail.
Nosing	The edge of the tread projecting beyond the face of the riser.
Pitch	The angle between the pitch line and the horizontal.
Pitch line	A notional line connecting the nosings of all treads in a flight of stairs.
Private stair	A staircase wholly within one dwelling.
Rise	The vertical distance between the floors or landings connected by a flight. The individual rise is the vertical measurement from the top of a tread to the top of the next tread.
Riser	The board that forms the face of the step.
Spindle	A vertical member, plain or decorative, that acts as the infill between the handrail and baserail.
Staircase	The entire structure relating to a stair, comprising steps, treads, risers, strings, balustrading, landings, etc.
Stairway	The space/void provided for the stairs.
Step	The tread and riser combined.
Tread	The top or horizontal surface of a step.
Utility stair	A staircase used for escape, access for maintenance, or purposes other than moving between levels on a day-to-day basis.
Winders	Radiating steps, narrower at one end, that are used to change the direction of stairs through 90° or 180°.