Staircase handrail requirements: height, sides and grip
Written by Scott Jones, The Stair Guys, independent staircase measuring and sourcing specialists·Last updated
A handrail is the thing you actually hold, so the rules are about it being at the right height, on the right side, and genuinely grippable and solid. In England and Wales the figures are straightforward.
Height: 900mm to 1000mm
The handrail should sit between 900mm and 1000mm high, measured vertically from the pitch line on the flight and from the floor on a landing. That band is comfortable for most people and consistent up the whole stair, which is part of why a rail should run continuously rather than stopping and starting.
One side or both
You need a handrail on at least one side of any flight. If the flight is 1 metre wide or wider, you need one on both sides. Narrower than that, one side is enough, though there is nothing stopping you fitting two.
Continuous and easy to grip
A handrail should be continuous over the flight so your hand does not have to leave it, and it should be a shape you can actually get your hand around and hold, not a wide flat section you can only rest a palm on. It also has to be fixed to something solid, into a wall, a newel or the structure, not just skinned to plasterboard.
Wall clearance, and allowing for the finish
Where a handrail runs along a wall, it needs a gap behind it so your knuckles do not scrape the wall every time you go up. In practice we leave around 60mm of clearance, and the important bit people miss is that this is measured off the finished wall, not the bare wall. So you allow for the wall finish first, roughly 15mm for board and skim or wet plaster, or about 25mm for dot-and-dab, and then the clearance on top of that. Measure to bare blockwork and forget the finish, and the rail ends up too close to the wall.
The exact figures, and how they change across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, are in our guide to UK staircase building regulations.
Frequently asked
How high should a staircase handrail be?+
Between 900mm and 1000mm, measured vertically from the pitch line on the flight and from the floor on a landing. Keeping it within that band the whole way up is part of why a handrail should run continuously.
Do you need a handrail on both sides of the stairs?+
You need one on at least one side of every flight. If the flight is 1 metre wide or wider, you need a handrail on both sides. Below 1 metre, one side is enough, though you can fit two if you want.
How much clearance does a wall-mounted handrail need?+
Enough that your knuckles do not scrape the wall, in practice around 60mm, measured off the finished wall. Allow for the wall finish first (roughly 15mm for board and skim or wet plaster, about 25mm for dot-and-dab), then the clearance on top. Measuring to bare blockwork and forgetting the finish leaves the rail too close.
What makes a handrail compliant besides its height?+
It should be continuous over the flight, a shape you can actually grip rather than just rest a hand on, and fixed to something solid such as a wall, newel or the structure rather than plasterboard. Height alone does not make a handrail sound.
Related guides
- UK Staircase Building Regulations, ExplainedThe building regulations for stairs in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, in plain English. Rise, going, pitch, headroom, guarding and handrails, every figure sourced.
- Staircase headroom: how much you need and how to check itHow much headroom a staircase needs under UK building regulations: the 2 metre rule, the reduced loft-conversion allowance, where headroom is tightest, and how to check it properly.
- Staircase guarding and balustrade: height and the 100mm ruleWhat UK building regulations require of staircase guarding and balustrade: where it is needed, the 900mm height, the 100mm sphere gap rule, and why it must not be easy for a child to climb.
- Private staircase dimensions: rise, going and pitchThe rise, going and pitch rules for a private (domestic) staircase in the UK, the 2R+G formula, why every rise must be equal, and the simple going = rise divided by 0.9 rule of thumb that keeps a stair within 42 degrees.
- Staircase building regulations: Northern IrelandThe staircase building regulations for Northern Ireland under Technical Booklet H (2012): rise, going, pitch, risers per flight, width, headroom, handrails and guarding, and how they differ from England, Wales and Scotland.
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