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.
Glass Railing Terms
Annealed Glass – Ordinary glass – Annealed glass is a type of glass that has been slowly cooled. This process is known as annealing and makes the glass less likely to shatter due to temperature changes. It is commonly used for windows, mirrors, and picture frames. Annealed glass is NOT a safety glass.
Aspect Ratio – The proportional relationship between the width and height of the glass panel. For example an aspect ratio of 2:1 is twice as wide as it is tall. A 1:1 aspect ratio would be a square panel.
Beveling: The process of cutting and polishing the edge of a glass panel at an angle rather than leaving it flat. This creates a sloped edge giving the glass or more decorative finished look.
Edge Polish – Refers to the process of smoothing and shining the edges of a glass panel after it has been cut. There a a variety of polish styles including Flat Polished Edge, Pencil Polished Edge, Beveled Edge, Seamed Edge.
Exposed Edge – Any edge of the glass that is visible and not covered in the final installation. The edge is not hidden by a frame, seal or other materials.
Extra Clear Glass – Also known as low iron glass. The reduction in iron eliminates the greenish tint often seen in regular glass resulting in a much clearer glass.
Flat Polished Edge – Smooth, glossy, and Flat.
Framed: Glass panel that is enclosed by a frame. This can be made of a variety materials like metal, wood or plastic.
Frameless Glass – Glass panels not enclosed by a frame. They are typically supported by hardware like clips, hinges or brackets.
High Risk Area – A location where glass may cause people injury due to impact, breakage or environmental factors that pose a safety hazard.
Pencil Polished Edge – Rounded edge with a shiny finish, resembling the side of a pencil.
Seamed Edge – Lightly sanded to remove sharpness but not glossy, used where edges are not visible.
Tempered Laminated Glass – A type of high-strength multi-layer safety glass. Consists of two or more layers of tempered glass to increase strength with a tough plastic sheet sandwiched between the glass. The layers that hold the glass fragments together if it breaks maintaining the panel integrity.
Monolithic Glass – A single solid piece of glass as opposed to laminated that has more than one piece.
Patterned Glass – Also known as textured glass is a type of glass that has a decorative pattern molden or rolled into the surface.
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.
