Handrail

What is a handrail?

A handrail (madlo) is a rail that a person grips for balance while climbing or descending a staircase or a ramp. Its purpose is to be held. It gives the hand something secure to close around when balance is uncertain. This applies on the way up, on the way down and at the turn of a flight.

A handrail does not have to stop a fall from an open edge. That is the job of the railing beside it. Decree 532/2002 Z. z. keeps the two parts apart. Its § 28 ods. 8 says that the sloping railing of a stair and of a ramp must carry a handrail (madlo). The handrail is a part added to the railing, not a replacement for it.

Handrail or railing: what do madlo and zábradlie mean?

In English one railing can have a top rail, posts and infill. Zábradlie is the Slovak word for the whole barrier. Decree 532/2002 Z. z. uses it in § 27 ods. 8 for the rail of a stair. It uses it in § 28 for the guard at any walking surface where a person can fall. Madlo is the grip rail on the slope of a stair. The decree also uses držadlo for the grip part of a railing (§ 28 ods. 8). A balcony railing is the same kind of barrier, set at a balcony or terrace edge. The table sets the two side by side.

Feature	Handrail (madlo)	Railing (zábradlie)
Main purpose	Something to grip for balance	Stops a person falling off a free edge (§ 28 ods. 1)
Usual place	On the sloping railing of a stair or ramp	At balconies, terraces, stair wells and other free edges
Height in decree 532/2002	900 to 1,200 mm (§ 28 ods. 8)	At least 1,000 mm as a basic value, including the handrail (§ 28 ods. 4)
Infill	None	Solid, panel, vertical bars or lattice (§ 28 ods. 6)

How high must a railing and a handrail be?

The decree sets the minimum height of the railing, and that height includes the handrail (§ 28 ods. 4). The basic minimum is 1,000 mm in every case that the decree does not treat separately. Four values follow from the depth of the free space, which is the drop beside the edge.

Case in § 28 ods. 4	Minimum height of the railing with its handrail
Basic, in all cases not named below	1,000 mm
Reduced, if the free depth is at most 3 m	900 mm
Raised, if the free depth is over 12 m, if the surface slopes toward the edge, or if the free space holds a substance harmful to health	1,100 mm
Special, if the free depth is over 30 m	1,200 mm

These values cover the free edges of a house, such as a gallery or a terrace. For a stair or ramp with a well, § 28 ods. 5 does not give a figure. It says the minimum height must match the Slovak technical standards, and its footnote names STN 74 3305 and STN 73 8106. The handrail on the slope is a separate value, 900 to 1,200 mm (§ 28 ods. 8).

A building meant for children has two extra handrails. For children up to six years the decree adds one at 400 to 500 mm. For children up to twelve years it adds one at 600 to 700 mm (§ 28 ods. 8). A family house is not named in that provision.

When does a stair need a rail on both sides?

The number of rails follows from the width of the stair or ramp (§ 27 ods. 8). A stair up to 1,200 mm wide needs one railing. A circular stair is the exception, because it must always have two. A stair wider than 1,200 mm needs two railings or handrails. A stair wider than 2,200 mm also needs an extra railing with a handrail that splits it into lanes at most 2,200 mm wide. The main stair of a family house is 900 mm wide at minimum (§ 45 ods. 3). A single rail is therefore the usual case, unless the owner chooses a wider stair.

How wide may the gaps between balusters be?

In an apartment building or in premises for children, a railing must be solid or have panel, vertical bar or lattice infill. Its gaps may not be wider than 120 mm in an apartment building or 80 mm in premises for children (§ 28 ods. 6). The provision does not name a family house. Even so, if small children will live in the house, choose the narrower value. Avoid horizontal bars that a child can climb. Where a foot could slip under the railing or an object could fall over the edge, the decree also requires a toe board. It must be at least 100 mm high (§ 28 ods. 7).

Which Slovak rules and standards cover handrails?

Decree 532/2002 Z. z. holds the rules named above. It stays in force until the new implementing regulations take effect. The latest end date is 31 March 2027 (§ 84 ods. 23 písm. b of act 25/2025 Z. z.).

STN 74 3305, Ochranné zábradlia (Guard railings, June 2014), is the standard that the decree names for railing height. It covers the design and making of guard railings that are a permanent part of a building. It applies to new buildings and to changes of buildings. Its contents list has sections on railing height, toe board, infill and the railing handrail (4.2 to 4.5). The text of the standard is paid, so this page quotes no value from it. The standard does not cover the handrails of moving stairs or walkways, or railings on machinery.

The decree also points to STN 73 4130, Schodištia a šikmé rampy (Stairs and inclined ramps), for the dimensions of a stair. The Slovak standards catalogue lists it as valid. Its text is paid too, and no clause is quoted here.

What makes a handrail comfortable and safe to grip?

The decree sets one rule on the shape of the grip. The handrail of a railing may not have sharp edges or projections (§ 28 ods. 8). Beyond that, comfort is a matter of design practice. A rail that a hand can close around is easier to hold than a flat edge. A non-slip finish helps in wet conditions, and the fixing should hold when a person pulls on the rail. A rail fixed with screws into plasterboard without backing is a common fault on site.

Run a handrail as one line along each flight and across the landing, so the hand does not have to let go at the turn. Check the position of the rail against the stair headroom and the step rhythm from the stride length rule. A rail designed alone can end up too high for the hand or too close to the wall.

What are the common misconceptions about handrails?

The first misconception is that a handrail and a railing are interchangeable. A tall top rail does not replace infill, and a handrail alone does not stop a fall from a free edge. The second is that one rail is always enough. It is enough up to 1,200 mm width, but not for a circular stair or a wider one. The third is that the baluster gap is a matter of taste. The decree caps it at 120 mm or 80 mm in the buildings it names. A family house with small children is a good reason to follow the narrower value.