Incorporate a Stair Tread Nosing on your Staircase

When contractors are looking to build steel staircases, the most common types of construction are checker plate, grating and poured-in place concrete.  Determining the desired construction, ensuring that the stairs meet required safety regulations and finding the best supplier in your area must be considered before your purchase.

Determine the type of construction for iron and steel stairsTrademarked construction types of iron and steel stairs are generally more durable and expensive, but may be the best route.  A manufacturer that specializes in steel and iron stairs should be able to explain each type thoroughly, such as American Stair or American Steel Online.  Also, if you are only looking for the stair tread or stair tread nosing you may contact Contractors Steel Company, Ryerson or Alro Steel Corporation.  As a rule of thumb, the minimum required tread length for a staircase should be at least 9 inches and the riser height should be a maximum of 8.25 inches.

Make sure the iron and steel stairs meet safety regulations – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides safety regulations to many different items such as industrial stairs.  OSHA ‘s 1910.24 standard states that staircases shall be constructed to carry a load of five times the normal live load and that all treads shall be reasonably slip-resistant and the stair tread nosing shall be of non-slip finish.  OSHA also states that if the stairs are made from concrete, then the nosing can end three inches from either side of the tread and if the stairs are made of steel pans filled with concrete, then the nosing must extend from side to side.

The International Building Code states the following:

  • All stair tread nosing’s must be the same and cannot extend beyond the stair tread more than 1.25 inches.
  • The curvature of a stair tread’s leading edge cannot be more than ½ inch and the beveling of the stair nosing cannot be more than ½ inch.
  • The underside of a nosing’s angle must be at least 30 degrees from the vertical.
  • Risers must be solid or sloped at an angle, no more than 30 degrees from vertical.
  • If risers are not solid, then they must be spaced in such a way to prevent the passage of an object more than four inches between them.

SLIPNOT Metal Safety Flooring manufactures an all metal slip resistant coating which is applied metal substrates such as stair tread nosings.  SLIPNOT’s non-slip coating has a coefficient of friction that is greater than or equal to 0.85, exceeding all OSHA recommendations.

Find a local iron and steel supplier – All building components must comply with local regulations, and when it comes to stairs, the building codes tend to be especially lengthy.  If you are looking for a stair tread or stair tread nosing to retrofit over your stairway, you may contact SLIPNOT at 313-923-0400 for more information.

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