Steel Stair Design Examples (Carbon & Stainless Steel Metal)

Steel stair designs provide a strong, durable, safe, and flexible solution for any stair project.  Metal stair designs in either carbon steel or stainless steel can fit many different applications and design specifications. Steel staircases can be designed to be both cost-effective and visually appealing. These steel stair design examples show they work for a wide range of designs, from maintenance and service stairs to high-end architectural stairs.

Carbon steel stair design examples

Carbon steel is the most common material used to design metal stairs. It is cost-effective, extremely strong and durable to support complex stair designs, and can be finished with many types of coatings. Lapeyre Stair specializes in designing commercial steel stairs and industrial prefab steel stairs.  Many companies specialize in designing architectural and feature stairs. Below are examples of the different design and finish options for the different components of metal stair design. 

Steel stair tread design examples

Stair treads serve as the walking surface for each step. A durable, non slip surface is the most important safety criteria for stair treads. Stair treads can be purely functional in nature for service stairs, egress stairs, and maintenance stairs; or they can serve as an architectural focal point on monumental stairs. 

Concrete stair tread Durable for commercial and residential stairs	Abrasive coated stair tread Non slip and durable for service and egress stairs	Wood stair treads For architectural and modern steel staircases

Steel handrail design examples

Handrails are a safety feature of stairs that the user can grab onto in the case of a slip or fall. Handrails can be attached to either a guardrail or directly to a wall. IBC stair codes require two handrails on each stair flight, and OSHA requires at least one handrail. 

Steel guardrail mounted handrail Serve as the grabrail on the guardrail side of the staircase	Steel wall mounted handrail Serve as grabrail on the wall side of a staircase

Steel railing design examples

Stair railings act as the guardrail to protect people from falling off the stair. They can be purely functional in nature or serve as an architectural centerpiece. Powder coated steel railings provide a long-term and durable finish to protect the railings.

Stair railings for egress stairs

Functional railings serve as a fall protection on the open side of the stairway. These types of railings are used in service stairwells and egress stairways. While the primary purpose is functional in nature, these railings can be designed to have an clean finish and look. 

Picket railing Cost-effective for commercial and residential stairs	Mesh panel railing High-end look for commercial and residential stairs	Multi-line railing Durable for commercial stairs

Architectural stair railings

Architectural railings serve as a visual focal point for modern stairs and ornamental stairways. These railing systems not only can look visually appealing but also provide fall protection on the open side of the stairway. Architectural railing systems are designed and manufactured by companies who specialize in these types of railing systems.

Steel with glass railing example

Steel stair stringer design examples

Stair stringers serve as the support structure for the stair flight. Stringers can be side mounted to the treads or positioned underneath the treads. Functional stairs for service stairwells and egress stairwells usually have side mounted stringers. Architectural and modern stairs may have stringers positioned directly underneath the treads. A floating stair has the stringer hidden in the wall to make the stair appear floating in space.  

Egress steel stair stringers examples

Steel plate stair stringer Cost-effective stringer for service and egress stairs	Steel channel stair stringer Multi-functional stringer for any type of application	Steel tube stair stringer High-end stringer for commercial and residential egress stairs

Modern steel stair stringer examples

Center stringer underneath stair treads	Two stringers underneath stair treads

Floating stair stringer example

Stainless steel stair design examples

Stainless steel stairs are best for architectural stairs and industrial stairs in food production or chemical environments. Stainless steel provides a polished look and is easily cleanable. Because it does not rust like carbon steel it works great for outdoor stairs. Stainless steel stairs are considerably more expensive than carbon steel stairs. 

Industrial stainless steel stair treads

Stainless steel diamond stair tread All-purpose stainless tread	Stainless steel bar grate stair tread Heavy duty and drains easily for wet environments	Stainless steel grip tread Added slip-resistance for wet or slippery environments

Stainless steel alternating tread stair tread

Slip resistant tread for space-restricted applications

Stainless steel railings

Stainless steel railings are rust-proof, easily cleanable, and have a polished finish. Stainless railings are best for high-traffic areas in commercial buildings and for wet or chemical industrial environments. 

Architectural stainless steel railing For high traffic areas in commercial buildings and egress pathways. Great for outdoor railings.	Industrial stainless steel railing For wet and chemical environments. Great for food applications that have stringent cleaning requirements

Need steel staircase design for your project?

Lapeyre Stair's team of designers can help you design a steel stair to meet your application. We specialize in industrial stair designs, service stairs, and egress stair design. Our stair design team has advanced knowledge of building codes and stair engineering requirements to guarantee a safe, code-compliant stair design.