Approved Document K sets the main rules for stairs in England. The limits depend on who uses the stair.
Rise and going
- Private stair, inside one home: rise up to 220 mm, going at least 220 mm, pitch no more than 42 degrees.
- Utility stair, for example to plant: rise 150 to 190 mm, going 250 to 400 mm.
- General access stair, used by the public: rise 150 to 170 mm, going 250 to 400 mm.
- For all of them, twice the rise plus the going should be between 550 and 700 mm.
Headroom
Allow at least 2.0 m clear headroom over the stair. In a loft conversion where space is tight, 1.9 m on the centre line falling to 1.8 m at the side can be accepted.
Handrails and guarding
Handrails go 900 to 1000 mm above the pitch line. A stair less than 1 m wide needs a handrail on at least one side; a wider stair needs one on both sides. In homes, guarding on stairs is usually at least 900 mm high and must not let a 100 mm sphere pass through where young children may use the stair.
Open risers
Stairs with open risers need treads that overlap by at least 16 mm, and the gaps must not let a 100 mm sphere through.
What we check
Before we fabricate a steel stair we check the rise, going, pitch, headroom and guarding against the drawings and the measured floor levels, and raise anything that does not fit. Use the stair checker on our Tools page for a quick first look.
