Railing Terms
ADA Handrail – Handrails that are made to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Bracket – a projection from a vertical surface that provides support for the handrail.
Baluster – A vertical member such as a post used as an in-fill to limit the size of the opening within a balustrade. It may also function to provide support to the top rail.
Balustrade – A railing system consisting of everything below the top rail that may consist of any combination of the following: newel posts, ornamental or glass panels, balusters, and base rail.
Cable Railing – A railing made up of posts and horizontal or vertical wire rope cables used for the infill between the posts.
Corner Post – Posts made to specifically transition the railing from one straight run to the next.
End Post – Sometimes referred to as termination posts. A post made to handle the tension load of cable and is used at the end of a railing run.
Escutcheon Plate – A decorative plate used to cover the hardware on the bottom of the railing post.
Fascia Mount -The railing post is made to mount to the front face, or the band board on the sides of a deck or stairs.
Guard Railing – A structure made of a top rail and a series of post supports and an infill, that is used as a guard or barrier. Guard railings are required on elevated surface of 36” or higher.
Infill – A term used to describe the portion of the railing system below the top rail.
Intermediate Post – Railing posts that is located between the end posts and corner posts. Sometimes referred to as line posts.
IPE – A very dense Hardwood otherwise known as Braziain Walnut often used as a top rail.
Nut Cap – A round cap made to hide individual hex lag heads and washer.
Surface Mount – Railing posts are made to mount to the surface of a step or the floor.
Top Rail – uppermost horizontal member of the railing supported by the posts of the railing system.
Undermount – The railing post is made to slice through the decking and attach to the deck framing below the surface of the deck.
Cable and Fitting Terms
Cable Fittings – A variety of small parts used to attach and tension the cable to the railing posts or structure.
Keuka Jaw – Small cable fitting piece made to grip an 1/8th inch cable and works in conjunction with a Keuka stud. U.S. Patent No. 10,436,23.
Keuka Ratchet Stud – A combination of the Keuka jaw and Keuka stud working together as a ratchet to grip an 1/8th diameter cable. U.S. Patent No. 10,436,23.
Keuka Stud – A small threaded barrel that works in conjunction with the Keuka Jaw and threads into a level or stair fitting. U.S. Patent No. 10,436,23.
Lag Fitting – A ⅜” inch diameter x either 2 in. or 4 in. long lag screw which allows our stair fitting to attach to a wood structure.
Level Fitting – A straight stainless steel barrel with a flange on one end that attaches 1/8th inch diameter cable to a straight run of railing posts. This fitting also provided the ability to tension the cables. U.S. Patent No. 10,436,23.
Stainless steel cable – or wire rope made with 1 x 19 – 1/8th in diameter or 3/16 in diameter stainless steel cable. The cable has 19 individual wires.
Stair Fitting – A pivoting stainless steel fitting that is used on pitched or angled runs. This allows a cable to attach to a post at the top or bottom of a stair or ramp.
Swageless Cable Railing Fitting – Swageless cable railing fittings do not require a special crimping tool to attach the fitting to the cable. They can be installed with your hands.
Stair Terms
Banister – A rail supported by posts and fixed along the side of a staircase.
Bull nose – A rounded leading edge of a stair step.
Cantilevered Stairs – These are characterized by having one stringer or rigid structural beam on the inboard side of the treads and open, unsupported on the outboard end of the treads.
Closed-Stringer – A staircase with the treads and riser ends are housed in the face of the string and concealed.
Curved Stairs – The steps follow a gradual helical arc and typically do not make a full circle.
Double Stringer – a floating staircase design that features two stringers (or beams) under the steps, and set in from the edge of the tread.
Floating Stairs – Characterized by an open design without risers between the treads giving the impression of the stair treads floating.
Gait Line – A pitch line that follows the angle of the stair connecting the nosings of the treads, aka nosing line.
Handrail – A handrail is a rail that is properly sized to be grasped by the hand.
Infill – The material used to fill the railing space between the posts, typically cable, glass, or metal.
Landing – A landing is a small platform used to break up a flight of stairs.
L-Shaped Stairs – A run of stairs with a bend (typically 90 degrees) in the middle of the stairs.
Mono-Stringer – a floating staircase design that features one stringer (or single beam) under the steps and supports the center of the treads. Also known as center stringer stairs.
Newel – A post at the head or foot of a stair supporting the handrail.
Nosing – The horizontal, protruding edge of the tread on the steps.
Open-Stringer – A staircase where the rise or vertical space between each step is open.
Riser – A stair riser is the vertical surface between the adjacent treads on a stair.
Spiral Stairs – Follow a helical arc and radiate around a central pole.
Stairs – A series or flight of steps.
Staircase – Term used to refer to the steps, railings, and stairs. It can be used interchangeably with the words stairs or stairway.
Straight Stairs – Any stairs that do not change direction.
Stairwell – The overall spatial shaft/opening where the staircase is built.
Step – A step is the tread and the riser.
Stringer – A means to provide structural support for the treads.
Total Rise – The total vertical distance from one floor to the next.
Total Run – The total horizontal distance of a flight of stairs.
Tread Run – The horizontal distance between the nose of one tread measured back to a projected vertical line to below an adjacent tread.
U-Shaped Stairs – Two straight runs of stairs joined by a landing that creates a 180 degree turn.
Winder Stairs – Instead of a flat landing winder stairs have pie-shaped or trapezoidal steps.
Winder Step – Are a series of steps that are narrower on one side. They can be used to form a circular or spiral staircase.
Zig Zag Stairs – Stairs with the stringers cut in a zig zag pattern.
Finish Terms
Anodized – An attractive aluminum finish formed by an electrolytic process in which the metal forms a protective oxide layer.
Brushed Stainless Steel – Typically a #4 polish in a vertical direction using a 150 – 180 grit abrasive sandpaper.
Fine Brushed Stainless Steel – Typically a #6 polish having a finer grain and a brighter sheen than a #4 brushed stainless steel.
Hot Dip Galvanize – The process of dipping metal in molten zinc to protect the underlying steel from corrosion.
Mirror Polished Stainless Steel – A highly reflective finish that is polished and buffed to remove a mirrored look.
Powder Coat – A type of coating that is applied as a free flowing dry plastic powder that is typically applied electrostatically and cured under heat forming a durable finish in any color or texture.
Gate Terms
Gate – A hinged barrier used as an entry or opening in a railing.
Hinge – A flexible device for gate to swing.
Latch – A metal bar with a catch and lever used for fastening a gate.
Pool Latch – Release mechanism is located at least 54 inches high or placed on the pool side of the gate at least 3 inches below the top of the gate.
Self-Closing Gate – The gate hinge is designed to pull the door closed after it has been opened and released.
