Accessibility
Staircase design without barriers for people with disabilities.
Key staircase terms explained simply.
Note: Content currently available in German.
Staircase design without barriers for people with disabilities.
Staircases meeting standards for people with disabilities.
Staircase with alternately halved treads for minimal space.
Hardest native wood — extremely durable and elastic.
Row of small columns as a classic, decorative railing form.
Points where stair loads are transferred into the building structure.
Hard timber with uniform grain and warm colour tone.
Decorative edge trim on a staircase.
Solid step made from a single piece of material.
Apparently floating staircase with bolted treads.
Lower post at the start of a stair railing.
Standardised test method for determining wood hardness.
Mechanical surface texturing of wood for a rustic feel.
Official approval for construction products and methods.
Categorisation of buildings by height and area.
Legal regulations governing staircase construction.
Railing infill of horizontal bars or cables.
Staircase with treads projecting freely from the wall.
Opening in the floor slab for the staircase passage.
Staircase with a single central load-bearing beam.
Elegant timber with a warm, reddish-brown tone.
Protective measures on staircases for the safety of children.
Structural stair clad with finished treads of timber, stone or tiles.
Free passage height above a staircase.
Space to be kept clear above and beside the stair flight.
Staircase with risers between all treads.
Historical comfort formula for stairs: going minus rise equals 12 cm.
Staircase made of reinforced concrete — precast or cast in situ.
Protective covering for staircases during the building phase.
Weathering steel with a characteristic rust patina.
Abrasion-resistant laminate for stair surfaces.
Staircase with a gently sweeping flight.
Staircase individually manufactured to the exact dimensions of the installation site.
Maximum and minimum dimensions for stairs per DIN 18065.
German standard for accessible construction.
The principal German standard for building stairs.
Double bolts for load transfer without wall fixing.
Single-flight stair with two 90-degree turns.
Classification of the natural resistance of wood to decay.
European standard for fire-protection classification of building materials.
Climbing stairs requires significantly more energy than walking on level ground.
Staircase forming part of the escape route in an emergency.
Europe-wide approval for non-standardised construction products.
Collective term for all protective devices against falls on stairs.
Minimum gap between handrail and wall.
Fire-resistance classes for staircase components.
Classification of stairs by fire-resistance duration.
Staircase with high fire-resistance duration (F90/F120).
Staircase with moderate fire-resistance duration (F30/F60).
Fold-away ladder for flat-roof access.
Space required by a staircase in plan view.
Stair type with Z-shaped connected treads and risers.
Space required for unfolding loft ladders.
Corrosion protection for metal parts through a zinc coating.
Outdoor staircase for bridging differences in terrain.
Staircase with transparent safety-glass treads.
Stair tread made from glued timber laminations.
Extremely hard natural stone for interior and exterior stairs.
Collective term for all types of fall protection on staircases.
Straight flight with a 180-degree turn in the middle.
Staircase with a 180-degree turn in the flight.
Grip rail on the railing or along the wall of a stair flight.
Combination of oil and wax for natural protection of timber staircases.
Staircase with a cable-like support structure on the open side.
Clear height above the stair flight.
Inner, harder part of the tree trunk — preferred for stair treads.
Spiral-shaped staircase with an open stairwell void.
Timber stair with treads housed into the side stringers.
High-pressure laminate — extremely durable surface material for stair treads.
Measures to reduce sound transmission when walking on stairs.
Timber grading by number and size of knots.
Surface sealing through a closed lacquer film.
Protective caps on the feet of loft ladders.
Multi-layer safety glass for stair treads and railings.
Horizontal platform interrupting the stair flight.
Topmost step of a stair flight.
Hardest native softwood with a reddish colour tone.
Staircase turning counter-clockwise when ascending.
Staircase for bridging small height differences.
White pigmentation of wood pores for a pale vintage look.
Frame for loft ladders set into the ceiling.
Fold-away ladder for attic access.
Horizontal bars in the lower area of a railing.
Staircase with treads of natural stone.
Central support tube of a spiral stair.
Overhang of a tread beyond the step below.
The most popular and versatile timber in stair construction.
Natural surface treatment that penetrates deep into the wood.
Open side of a staircase without wall connection.
Staircase without risers between the treads.
The stringer on the open side of a staircase.
Weather-resistant staircase designed for exterior use.
Renovation method by applying new treads over the existing surface.
Space-saving stair with alternately offset treads.
Combination of solid parapet and handrail.
Angle of the stair flight to the horizontal.
Hard-wearing surface treatment for metal parts.
Total depth of the staircase in plan view.
Stair flight with a 90-degree turn.
Straight flight with one 90-degree turn.
Fall protection and guidance element on staircases.
Prescribed minimum height of stair railings.
Infill element between handrail and stair construction.
Horizontal connecting element in the railing system.
Vertical bars in a stair railing.
Staircase whose railing performs a structural function.
Pre-fabricated, thin tread specifically for overlaying existing stairs.
Staircase prescribed by building regulations as an escape route.
Extendable ladder for attic or storage access.
Staircase turning clockwise when ascending.
Vertical distance between two successive steps.
Ratio of step height to step depth.
Vertical step element in closed staircases.
Turning angle of each individual step in spiral stairs.
Horizontal length of the stair flight in plan.
Staircase where treads rest on top of a stringer beam.
Concertina-type attic ladder.
Staircase without a building-code escape-route function.
Staircase without visible substructure, appearing to float in space.
Precise measurement of building conditions for perfectly fitting staircases.
Slip safety of stair surfaces, classified per DIN 51130.
Oak timber darkened to deep brown through ammonia fumigation.
Staircase made entirely of solid timber.
Stair tread made from through-and-through solid timber.
Compact staircase with reduced dimensions.
Spiral-shaped staircase with a central column.
Colouring wood while preserving the visible grain.
Corrosion-resistant steel for railings, handrails and connections.
Building-code term for the space containing the staircase.
Continuous section of a staircase between two levels.
Overarching term for the calculation rules for comfortable stairs.
Adequate illumination of staircases for accident prevention.
Protective profile on the front edge of stair treads.
Visual and functional renewal of an existing staircase.
Clear width of the stair flight.
Enclosed building section housing the staircase.
Free air space in the centre of a stair installation.
First and lowest step of a stair flight.
Staircase with a steel support structure.
Surface material applied to a stair tread.
Rule of thumb for comfortable stairs: 2 × rise + going ≈ 63 cm.
Height difference between two storeys.
Staircase connecting two storeys.
Stair flight without direction change or landing.
Load-bearing beam beneath the treads.
Stair type with one or two stringer beams as the support structure.
Lateral load-bearing elements of a staircase.
Connecting elements between treads in bolt staircases.
Staircase with treads hung from a structural handrail.
Modular, pre-fabricated staircase from a kit system.
Moving handrail for folding and scissor ladders.
Provisional staircase on construction sites.
Timber made durable through heat treatment.
Upper post at the end of a stair railing.
Horizontal, walkable part of a stair step.
Horizontal depth of a step, measured on the walking line.
Material thickness of a stair tread.
Historical term with more precise modern replacements.
Staircase with two opposing flights and an intermediate landing.
Thermal transmittance coefficient of building components.
Actual walking width between the stair boundaries.
Part of the staircase where the walking line runs.
Typical path of movement on the staircase.
Handrail mounted directly on the wall.
The stringer on the wall side of a staircase.
Elegant, dark hardwood for representative staircases.
Traditional surface treatment with a silky-matt sheen.
Staircase with direction change via wedge-shaped steps.
Wedge-shaped step in winding stair sections.
Wedge-shaped tread in winding stair sections.
Direction change in the stair flight through wedge-shaped steps.
Residual moisture in timber after technical drying.
Curved section of a handrail.