The team at Higginson Staircases will be happy to assist you with any questions, the following is an extract from the Timber stairs terminology standard BS EN 14076.
Strings: Inclined member supporting the step
Tread: The horizontal part of the stair that is stepped on
Riser: Component closing the gap between 2 adjacent treads (where no risers are present this would be referred to as an “open riser”). The number of steps in a staircase is counted by the number of risers, not the number of treads
Balustrade: Infill guarding the open edge of a stair or landing to prevent the user from falling over the side
Handrail: Component providing support and grip to users of the stair
Newel: A large vertical component at either end of the stair or in the middle of a flight into which the string and handrail are fixed
Winder: Tapered step in which the nosing of the tread is not parallel to the nosing of the step or landing immediately above it
Apron: Vertical member to conceal the edges of the floor around the stairwell
Flight: Unbroken series of steps between wo landings
Rise: Distance measured vertically from the surface of one tread or landing to the surface of the next
Going: Horizontal distance between the nosings of two consecutive steps measured on the walking line
Pitch: The slope of the staircase measured as the ratio between the rise and going
Walking line: Theoretical line indicating the average path of the users of the stair
