An overview of the most important German and European standards for stair construction.
See how fast it worksThe most important German standard on stairs has certainly been DIN 18065 for years. It is also gladly used in other Central European countries that have no regulations of their own.
DIN 18065 applies generally to all stairs in construction – i.e., in and on buildings. It explicitly does not apply to stairs on machines and equipment, as regulated in DIN EN ISO 14122-3.
DIN 18065 therefore also applies to escape stairs in buildings. Since these often look like stairs for machines and installations (“industrial stairs”), this is often not recognized and these stairs are executed incorrectly.
This standard distinguishes between buildings in general and buildings with no more than two dwellings. The latter roughly correspond to building classes 1 and 2 of the MBO, but do not exactly coincide with them.
The current version is the slightly corrected edition from June 2011.
EN 14122-3 is a European standard. It applies to all stairs and stepladders on machines and installations as well as to stairs on buildings that specifically serve access to them. It also regulates all dimensions, etc., for the typical guard-rails with toe boards and knee rails.
Definitions and rules on dimensions (e.g., the step formula) are similar to DIN 18065 but unfortunately not identical. This is probably because they are handled by two different standards committees. A new draft of this standard is currently available.
This standard also specifies strength requirements for guard-rails and describes how to verify them.
This standard has been withdrawn!
This standard is dedicated specifically to prefabricated concrete stairs. The focus is primarily on material properties as well as testing and certification procedures.
Part 1 of DIN 18040 explains the design principles for publicly accessible buildings. Stairs also play a major role.
Part 2 of DIN 18040 deals with the design principles for dwellings. This also affects stairs.
External stairs are covered here in Section 5.4.4.
This standard deals with the classic bar-grating steps as found not only on stairs for machines and installations but also on escape stairs.
Analogous to Part 1, Part 2 refers to gratings made from sheet-metal profiles.
The last part of the standard deals with steps made of plastic.
Stairs are mentioned only in a rudimentary way in this standard. Requirements for sound insulation of stairs are also vaguely formulated.
A standard concerned solely with the definition of terms for timber stairs in German, English, and French.
Comment: unfortunately only very few terms are translated — and some of them are questionable (e.g., “balustrade” for railing).
A standard specifically for loft ladders.
Extensive standard on requirements for traditionally (craft) manufactured solid-wood stairs that are not covered by the provisions of ETAG 008. In Germany, these are stairs constructed according to the “Handwerkliche Holztreppen” rulebook.
This concerns a standardized procedure for the structural calculation of timber stairs. The standard has been submitted for discussion at the European level.
