1. Straight run stairs
A stairway that has no turns.

2. Guardrail
A guardrail is a railing that is placed along the edge of something such as a staircase, path, or boat, so that people can hold onto it or so that they do not fall over the edge.

3. Handrail
A railing that helps people steady themselves as they travel up and down steps or ramps where they might slip, trip, or fall.

4. Headroom
The Shortest clear vertical distance in a stairway, measured between the nosing of the treads and the ceiling.

5. Landing
A flat floor area at some point between the top and bottom of the stairway. The areas at the top and bottom of the stairway may also be considered landings.

6. Newel
A main post that supports the handrail of a stairway at the top, bottom, and points in between where the stairs change directions.

7. Nosing
rounded projection of a stair tread that extends past the face of the riser.

8. Riser:
A vertical face that runs from one tread to the next in a stairway. Not all stairways have risers.

9. Stringer
A structural member that supports the treads and risers on a stairway.

10. Run
distance from the face of one riser in a stairway to the face of the next riser.

11. Tread
A horizontal member of a stairway that constitutes the step (surface) on which a person walks.

12. Total Run
The total horizontal length of a stairway.

13. Total rise
The total floor-to-floor height of a stairway.