Spiral stair or helical stair? How to choose
People often use spiral and helical to mean the same thing. They are different stairs, and the difference matters when you are planning a space.
Spiral stairs
A spiral stair winds around a centre column. The column carries the treads, so the stair needs very little floor space. That makes it ideal for tight spots: roof access, courtyards, lofts and service areas. Spiral stairs are generally quicker and simpler to fabricate.
Helical stairs
A helical stair, also called a curved stair, has no centre column. The curved stringers carry the stair around an open well. It takes more room and more engineering, but it gives you the sweeping, sculptural stair you see in offices and high end homes, like our curved stairs.
Which suits your project
- Short on space, or need a practical access stair: spiral
- Want the stair to be the centrepiece of the room: helical
- Outdoors: either can work, galvanised steel is the usual choice
- Commercial building: check early with your certifier which stair types suit the building's use
Talk to us early
The sooner we see the drawings, the easier it is to get the size, structure and finishes right. Send us what you have and we will tell you what will work.
Got a job like this? See our spiral stairs page or send us the drawings.
