Curved, Raked and Cranked Handrails

When nothing off the shelf fits the run

Most handrail you can buy online is straight. It is sold in fixed lengths, with fixed brackets, for a straight wall and a straight flight of stairs. That is fine until the thing you are putting it against is not straight, and a surprising number of them are not.

Ramps curve. Garden paths wind. Steps turn. Church and public entrances were laid out long before anyone thought about a 1:12 gradient and a continuous graspable rail. If you have measured a run and realised that no catalogue product fits it, this is the page for you.

Dio-Met has been making handrail systems to measure in our Sheffield workshop for 35+ years. Curved, raked, cranked and twin-rail systems are routine work for us rather than a special order, and we supply nationwide, either supply-only or installed by our own fitters.

What we mean by curved, raked and cranked

These three words get used loosely, so to be clear about what we make:

Curved means the rail turns in plan, looked at from above. A handrail following a winding path, a ramp that turns through a corner, or a rail running round a radiused landing edge. The tube is rolled to a radius rather than cut and welded, so the curve is smooth rather than faceted.

Raked means the rail follows the pitch of a flight of stairs or a ramp, and the fittings have to hinge to the angle rather than sit at 90 degrees. Any sloping run is raked.

Cranked means the rail steps up or across at a point along its length, usually where a raking section meets a level one at the top or bottom of a flight, or where the rail has to dodge an obstruction and come back to line.

Most real jobs are a combination. A ramp with a landing part way up is raked, then level, then raked again, with a crank at each transition. Getting those transitions right is most of the work, and it is why a template or a decent set of measurements matters more than the choice of tube.

Curved stainless steel handrail following a radiused approach, Beaconsfield
Rolled to a radius rather than cut and welded, so the curve reads as one continuous line

Ramp handrails

Ramps are where handrails stop being decorative. Approved Document M expects a ramp to have a continuous graspable handrail on both sides, at a height of 900mm to 1000mm above the ramp surface, with a graspable section of 32mm to 50mm, and with the rail continuing 300mm beyond the top and bottom of the ramp at the same height before it terminates safely.

Continuity is the part that catches people out. The rail is meant to be something you can hold onto from start to finish without letting go and finding it again, which means intermediate landings need the rail carried through rather than stopped and restarted. Our handrail building regulations guide covers the requirements properly.

Where the ramp turns, or where the approach is radiused, a straight rail in sections will not do it. We roll the tube to the radius and make the transitions as single pieces so the rail stays continuous round the turn.

Twin rail systems

Public, commercial and care environments frequently need two handrails at different heights on a ramp: one at the standard 900mm to 1000mm, and a lower one for children or wheelchair users. We build these as a post-and-rail system, with both rails carried on the same posts so the setting out stays consistent and the whole thing can be made and finished as one.

Steel ramp access handrails to a church entrance, Shiregreen, Sheffield
A ramp approach to a listed building, where nothing was square and nothing was standard

Curved handrails on stairs and within balustrades

A curved or turning staircase needs a handrail that turns with it. On a balustrade system, that means the top rail itself is the curve, carried on posts set out along the radius, with the glass or metal infill shaped to suit.

This is a different job from bending a rail to fit after the fact. The infill panels have to be set out from the same radius as the rail, which is why we draw and set out curved balustrades before anything is cut. Shaped glass is made to the drawing, not trimmed on site.

We make curved balustrade handrails in stainless steel, in galvanised and powdercoated steel, and in timber. Iroko is the usual choice for a timber top rail because it takes the weather and the handling without much fuss.

Garden paths, steps and landscaping

Garden handrails are the most common curved job we do and the least standard. A path that winds down a slope, a short run of steps between two levels, a rail along a retaining wall: the geometry is whatever the landscaper left you with.

These are usually post-mounted rather than wall-mounted, with posts either core drilled and grouted into the paving or concreted into the ground at around 400mm. Galvanised and powdercoated is the usual specification outdoors, or G316 stainless if you want the metal finish and you are prepared to clean it.

What we need from you

Curved work needs a bit more information than straight work. The more of this you can send, the closer the first quote will be:

  • The radius, if you know it. If you do not, the chord and the rise will do: measure the straight-line distance between the two ends of the curve, and the distance from the middle of that line to the middle of the curve.
  • A plan or a sketch with the run lengths and the positions of any landings, turns or level changes.
  • The rise and going of any steps or ramp sections, so we can set the rake.
  • Photographs along the run, taken from both ends. These tell us more than almost anything else.
  • What the posts will fix into: paving, concrete, soil, a retaining wall, a timber deck.
  • Whether you need one rail or two, and whether it has to meet Part M.

For a tight or unusual curve we may ask for a template. A length of thin timber or conduit bent to the line and marked up is enough, and it removes any doubt.

Frequently asked questions

Can you make a handrail to follow a curved path?

Yes. We roll the tube to the radius rather than cutting and welding segments, so the curve is smooth. We need the radius, or a chord and rise measurement, or a template.

What height should a ramp handrail be?

900mm to 1000mm above the ramp surface, with the rail continuing 300mm past the top and bottom at the same height. The graspable section should be between 32mm and 50mm. Our handrail regulations guide has the detail.

Can you do two handrails at different heights?

Yes. Twin-rail systems on shared posts are common on public and care ramps, and we make them to the heights your specification calls for.

Do you supply curved handrails for self-installation?

Yes, supply-only is available on curved work, but the setting out has to be right before anything is made. We will usually issue a drawing for your approval first.

What finishes are available?

Galvanised, galvanised and powdercoated to any RAL, G304 or G316 stainless steel in satin or mirror polish, and timber top rails. See our materials and finishes guide for which suits where.

Do you install, or supply only?

Both. Our own fitters install across much of the country; supply-only goes nationwide. Tell us which you want when you enquire.

Handrail ranges and components

Curved and bespoke handrails we have made

Send us the shape

If it curves, turns, ramps or steps and nothing off the shelf fits it, send us photographs and whatever measurements you have. We will tell you what it needs. Call 0114 243 9009 or email sales@diomet.co.uk, or request a quote online.