Modular stair handrail

What it is

The WS-MH-300 stair handrail turns the modular system through the stair pitch. Raked stanchions are fixed to the stringers or the tread ends, and adjustable stair fittings hold the top rail and knee rail at the angle of the flight; at the top and bottom, knuckle fittings turn the rails into the landing guardrail so the hand never leaves the rail.

It is supplied with World Steel straight stairs and access platforms, or on its own for existing stairs and ramps.

Types and options

Design and compliance

The handrail height on a stair is measured vertically from the pitch line or nosing. OSHA 1910.29(f) sets stair rail systems and handrails at 30–38 in (76–97 cm) and 42 in where the stair rail also acts as a guardrail; AS 1657 and EN ISO 14122-3 give their own heights for stairs and landings. World Steel sets the fitting positions to the selected code and the stair geometry.

Rails must be continuous and graspable; open ends are closed with returns or caps so they cannot catch clothing. See stairs, ladders and gratings.

Installation and selection

• Fix the raked stanchions to the stringers, set the stair fittings to the pitch and lock them.
• Join the stair rails to the landing rails with knuckle fittings.
• Fit end returns at the bottom of the flight.
• Specify stair pitch, width, code and whether one or both sides need rails.

Fabrication and finishing at World Steel

Every WS modular handrail component is made in the World Steel plant in Vietnam: tube and bar are cut on saws to the component schedule, stanchions are welded to base plates, brackets or socket spigots on jigs so that rail heights repeat exactly, and fittings are fabricated from heavy-wall tube and plate, drilled and tapped for their locking screws. Welding follows qualified procedures under ISO 3834-2 and the AS/NZS 5131 and EN 1090-2 systems our certifications cover.

Components are then hot-dip galvanized as single pieces – which is only possible because the system is modular – giving full internal and external zinc coverage with no site welds to repair afterwards. A safety-yellow or architectural topcoat can follow. Parts are marked with their WS code, bagged by type and packed by area for export shipping, together with the structural steel or on their own.