Handrails, banisters, or railings are in place in stairways to provide guidance. They are designed to be grasped by the hand while ascending or descending the stairs.

According to most building codes, handrails are located at a height between 34" (864 mm) and 38" (965 mm) and have dimensional limitations regarding graspability. In areas where children are the principal users of a building or facility, the Americans With Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) recommends that a second set of handrails at a maximum height of 28" (711 mm) measured to the top of the gripping surface from the ramp surface or stair nosing can assist in preventing accidents.

Handrail dimensions: Most commercial building and accessibility codes now agree on definitions regarding graspability of a handrail. It is either a circular cross section with an outside diameter of 1-1/4" (32 mm) [minimum?] and 2" (51 mm) [maximum?] or a non-circular cross section with a perimeter dimension of 4" (100 mm) minimum and 6-1/4" (160 mm) maximum and a cross section dimension of 2-1/4" (57 mm) maximum.

I added the words "[minimum?]" and "[maximum?]" above because they seemed to be inadvertently omitted, though I'm not certain if that is what the original author intended. If anyone knows, please fix this and delete this comment. Thanks. -- DBooth 05:37, 3 October 2006 (UTC)

The International Residential Code (IRC) does allow for handrails with a perimeter dimension greater than 6-1/4" (160 mm)if a graspable finger recess area is provided on both sides of the profile.

Handrail clearance The distance between the wall and handrail gripping surface is also governed by local code with the most common requirement being 1-1/2" (38 mm) minimum. The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA)requirement requires that the distance between the wall and handrail be a minimum of 2-1/4" (57 mm).