Vertical bars
Square bars along the steps.
Updated 18 Oct 2026
Stair railing designs: steel railings and steel stairs
Welded to your stairs at your house.
Get QuoteA stair railing is a handrail on posts with bars, tubes or glass between them. The National Building Code puts the handrail 800–900 mm above the nosing (front edge) of each step. Popular steel designs: vertical bars, a single pipe handrail, and full steel stairs with the railing. Our welder comes to your house in southwest Cebu and welds it to your stairs — see our railing welding service.
Three stair railing designs
Pipe handrail
One rail for a few steps.
Steel stairs
Stairs and railing in one.
Stair rules in the building code
| Rule | PD 1096 IRR |
|---|---|
| Handrail height | 800–900 mm above the tread nosing (Sec. 1207) |
| Handrails | On each side. One is enough for a stair up to 1.10 m wide or a stair inside one house, but every open side needs one (Sec. 1207) |
| Short stairs | Fewer than 4 risers: no handrail required (Sec. 1207) |
| Step size, houses | Clear width at least 750 mm, rise 200 mm, run at least 200 mm (Sec. 708) |
| Step size, other stairs | Rise at most 200 mm, run at least 250 mm (Sec. 1207) |
| Headroom | At least 2.00 m (Sec. 1207) |
| Landings | At most 3.60 m of height between landings (Sec. 1207) |
| Balconies and porches | Railing required when more than 750 mm above grade (Sec. 1209) |
National Building Code of the Philippines, Revised IRR. Your engineer’s plan comes first.
Steel for a stair railing: weight per metre
| Part | Steel | Weight per metre |
|---|---|---|
| Handrail | Rectangular tube 50 × 25 × 1.5 mm | 1.70 kg |
| Post | Square tube 38 × 38 × 1.5 mm | 1.72 kg |
| Baluster | Square bar 12 mm | 1.13 kg |
| Baluster | Square tube 25 × 25 × 1.2 mm | 0.90 kg |
Nominal sizes, computed from the density of steel, 7,850 kg/m³ (Engineering ToolBox); corners taken as sharp. Common sizes, not a design.
Choosing a stair railing
Grip
A round pipe or narrow tube on top is easy to hold all the way down.
Children
Vertical bars are harder to climb than horizontal ones. Keep the gaps small.
Posts
Welded to a steel plate bolted to the concrete, or set into the step.
Match
Use the same design as your gate, grills or balcony.
Steel stairs, guards and rust
Outdoor steel stairs are welded from steel stringers with steel or checkered-plate steps, and the railing is welded on in one job. They are common for a second-floor entrance or a roof deck.
The building code gives no guard height for a house balcony. As a reference, US workplace rules (OSHA 1910.29) set a guardrail top rail at 107 cm ± 8 cm that holds 890 N (200 lb) at the top edge (OSHA).
Near the sea, steel rusts faster: ISO 9223 puts sites within one kilometre of the ocean in corrosion class C4 (HDGASA, based on ISO 9223). In Moalboal, Badian or Alcantara, ask for primer and top coat, or galvanized steel.
Glass between steel posts? Read glass railing. Matching the front of the house: gate and fence design. What drives the price: how welding jobs are priced.
Send the number of steps and a photo of your stairs. Get a railing quote — we measure, weld and install in Ronda and southwest Cebu.
Questions
What is the standard height of a stair railing?
In the Philippines, the handrail goes 800–900 mm above the tread nosing (PD 1096 IRR, Sec. 1207).
Does a house stair need handrails on both sides?
No. A stair in one house, or any stair up to 1.10 m wide, may have one handrail, but every open side must have one (Sec. 1207).
What is the maximum step height?
200 mm rise. Houses need a run of at least 200 mm (Sec. 708); other stairs at least 250 mm (Sec. 1207).
Do you make steel stairs?
Yes — outdoor steel stairs with the railing, welded to fit your house.
Can you copy a railing design from a photo?
Yes. Send the photo and the number of steps for a quote.
