Measuring Guide

How to Measure Stair Handrails

Measure your staircase in minutes and choose the right CoreMount handrail with confidence. Whether you have a straight staircase, a quarter-turn stair or a half-turn layout, just a few simple measurements are usually enough for us to guide the right arrangement.

Looking for a complete wall mounted handrail kit? Browse our full range of wall mounted handrail kits for stairs, available in oak and stainless steel, all supplied ready to install.

Looking for a stair handrail? See our wall mounted handrail for stairs guide.

Measurement Confidence

We don’t usually survey these jobs in person. Instead, we work from customer measurements and design the layout in a way that allows for small adjustments during installation.

If you make a genuine measuring mistake, don’t worry — we’ll help put it right. Because the CoreMount system is modular, it’s often just one small rail section that needs adjusting or replacing rather than the entire handrail.

For turned staircases we typically design the rail from the corner outward, which creates a much more natural fit than trying to force the entire layout from one end.

What type of staircase do you have?

Straight stairs Use this guide to choose your handrail length and shop straight handrail kits. Stairs with a turn or landing Use our continuous handrail calculator to get an estimated guide price.
Straight stairs 1/4 turn stairs 1/2 turn stairs

Straight Staircase Measuring Guide

For a simple straight staircase, measuring is usually very straightforward. In most cases, all we need is the nosing-to-nosing measurement along the main stair run.

This gives us the key length for the sloping handrail section and is often enough to guide the right handrail size for a standard straight flight.

  1. 1
    Measure from nosing to nosing Take your measurement along the stair run from the nosing at the bottom of the flight to the nosing at the top of the flight.
  2. 2
    Use the full stair run This measurement should follow the full straight run of the stairs and gives the main handrail length we need.
  3. 3
    Turned staircase? If your stairs turn at a landing or corner, scroll further down the page for our 1/4 turn and 1/2 turn measuring guides.
Tip: if your staircase is just a single straight flight, the nosing-to-nosing measurement is usually the main one we need. If your stair layout turns, use the guides further down this page.
Shop handrail kits Check handrail height guide
Straight staircase handrail measuring example showing nosing to nosing measurement
For a straight staircase, the key measurement is usually the nosing-to-nosing distance along the main stair run.

Once you’ve taken your measurements, make sure your handrail is positioned at the correct height. See our handrail height UK guide for clear guidance on recommended heights and where to measure from.

1/4 Turn Staircase Measuring Guide

For a quarter-turn staircase, the simplest approach is to break the layout into three parts: the main stair run, the transition through the turn, and the section after the turn. This makes it much easier to account for the angle change as the stairs begin to widen.

In most cases, we design the handrail to begin from the corner and work outward. That gives a more forgiving installation and usually leads to a better result on site.

  1. 1
    Measure the main stair run Take the nosing-to-nosing measurement along the main flight of stairs. This gives the length of the sloping handrail section.
  2. 2
    Measure the transition at the turn As the stairs begin to widen, there is a change in angle. Measure from the nosing at the top of the main stair run across to the wall. This helps us position the turn correctly.
  3. 3
    Measure the wall section after the turn Measure the straight wall run after the turn to give the length of the final handrail section.
CoreMount tip: All measurements can be taken at floor level for simplicity. For quarter-turn stairs, we normally install from the corner outwards in both directions, as this is generally more forgiving than working from one end only.
Use quarter-turn calculator Check handrail height guide
Quarter-turn staircase handrail measuring example showing the three main dimensions
Example quarter-turn layout showing the main three measurements.

Once you’ve taken your measurements, make sure your handrail is positioned at the correct height. See our handrail height UK guide for recommended heights and where to measure from.

Quarter-turn staircase?
Use our continuous handrail calculator to get an estimated guide price and send your measurements through for confirmation.

1/2 Turn Staircase Measuring Guide

For a half-turn staircase, we recommend taking five simple measurements. In most cases these can be taken at floor level, which keeps things straightforward. The main exception is the wall-to-wall measurement across the mid landing, which is worth double-checking at handrail height in case the walls are out of plumb.

  1. 1
    First flight: nosing to nosing Measure the first stair run from nosing to nosing on the lower flight.
  2. 2
    Nosing to mid-landing wall Measure from the end of the first flight to the mid-landing wall.
  3. 3
    Mid landing wall to wall This is the most critical dimension. Measure the wall-to-wall width across the mid landing.
  4. 4
    Wall to top-flight first nosing Measure from the wall to the nosing of the first step on the upper flight.
  5. 5
    Top flight: nosing to nosing Measure the top stair run nosing to nosing on the upper flight.
Important: all of these measurements can usually be taken at floor level, but we would always want the mid-landing wall-to-wall dimension checked again at handrail height in case either wall falls out of plumb.
Use half-turn calculator Check handrail height guide
Half-turn staircase handrail measuring example showing five key dimensions
Example half-turn layout showing the five main measurements needed for a made-to-measure handrail arrangement.

Once you’ve taken your measurements, make sure your handrail is positioned at the correct height. See our handrail height UK guide for clear guidance on recommended heights and where to measure from.

Half-turn staircase?
Use our continuous handrail calculator to get an estimated guide price and send your measurements through for confirmation.

Need Help Confirming Your Stair Layout?

Send us your stair photos and measurements and we’ll help confirm the most suitable CoreMount layout for your staircase. For turned staircases, a few clear dimensions and photos are usually enough for us to guide you in the right direction.

Send Measurements & Photos Use Continuous Calculator
Measuring guidance is for general help only. Stair layouts can vary, so for quarter-turn and half-turn staircases we recommend sending photos and measurements before ordering where possible.