Elements of a staircase

A stair is a set of steps (a series of risers and treads) that connects floors at different levels, giving access from one storey to another, usually with landings and a balustrade.

Elements of a staircase

A stair has the following essential elements:

• Step: one riser plus one tread; steps are the basic unit.
• Tread and riser: tread is the horizontal surface (250-300 mm), riser the vertical face (150-175 mm).
• Nosing: the rounded projecting edge of the tread (about 25 mm).
• Flight: an unbroken series of steps between landings (3 to 12 steps).
• Landing: level platform at the ends of a flight or between flights; quarter-space or half-space.
• Going and rise: horizontal and vertical measurements of a step or flight.
• Waist slab / stringer: the inclined slab or beam which supports the steps.
• Soffit: underside of the flight.
• Handrail, baluster and newel post: the balustrade that protects the open sides; handrail about 0.9 m high.
• Headroom: clear height above the steps (min. about 2.0-2.2 m).
• Winder: tapered step used to turn the stair in restricted space.
• Pitch line: imaginary line joining the nosings; its angle with the horizontal is the pitch.

        handrail
          /|  baluster
   newel /_|__
        |    |  nosing
  riser |____|__ tread
  ______|
   going <--->