Product
Switchback Stairs
A switchback turns the climb back on itself at a landing, which is how we fit a full storey of rise into a shaft, courtyard or mechanical room that has no room for a straight run.
Steel Masters fabricates the flights, landings and railings together so the geometry is right before anything reaches the site.
Switchback stairs are steel staircases built as two or more flights connected by welded intermediate landings, doubling back within a footprint too tight for one long run. Steel Masters fabricates switchback stairs for NYC courtyards, light shafts, mechanical rooms, mezzanines and roof access towers, from single-turn stairs to multi-storey towers.
Why NYC Owners and Managers Choose Steel Masters
- Flights and landings built as one assembly - stringers, landing framing and railings are shop-welded together and shipped as matched sections, not field-assembled from loose parts.
- Fits shafts and courtyards a straight run can't - doubling the rise back on itself cuts the footprint roughly in half compared to one continuous flight.
- Load-rated intermediate landings - welded steel landing framing decked in grating or diamond plate, sized to carry the same load as the treads.
- Multi-storey towers - flight and landing modules stack to cover several floors of rise for roof access or interior mechanical shafts.
- Continuous handrails through the turn - pipe or picket railings are welded around the landing so there is no gap in the guard at the direction change.
- Field-measured rise and run - we measure the actual shaft, opening and floor-to-floor height before fabrication rather than working off a stock layout.
- Galvanized exterior, painted interior - exterior towers are hot-dip galvanized for weather; interior stairs are shop-primed and finish painted.
Single-Turn vs. Multi-Storey Towers
A single-turn switchback covers one floor of rise in two flights and one landing, the common layout for a light shaft, areaway or interior mezzanine access. A multi-storey tower repeats that module up several floors, most often on the exterior of a building for roof access or as an added means of egress. Both are built from the same fabrication approach - welded flight and landing sections joined on site rather than a stair assembled piece by piece in place.
Fabrication and Structural Fit
Stringers are steel channel or angle sized to the span and load, with landing framing welded in at each turn to tie the flights together and carry the transfer load. Landing decks are grating, diamond plate or checker plate depending on whether the run needs to shed water or carry equipment.
Because the geometry has to close correctly at every landing, we field-measure the shaft width, floor-to-floor height and any obstructions before fabrication, then model the flights so the final riser lands flush at the top. On multi-storey towers we produce shop drawings for review before cutting steel.
Where Switchback Stairs Get Used
Interior light shafts and airshafts, courtyard and rear yard access where space is tight, mezzanine and platform access in warehouses, and exterior roof access towers on multi-storey buildings. Anywhere the rise is too great for one flight and the footprint is too narrow for it, a switchback is the way to make the numbers work.
Every job is measured in the field and built to that opening - we fabricate in our own Brooklyn shop and install with our own crew, the same way we have since 1972.
Related Steel Masters Product Lines
- Diamond Plate Open Tread Stairs - a straight-run stair for cellars, roofs and mechanical rooms
- Fire Egress Stairs - exterior life-safety stairs, often built with switchback runs
- Steel Mezzanines - the platforms these stairs typically connect to
- Pipe & Staircase Railings - continuous railings fabricated for any flight and landing combination
Serving All Five Boroughs, Long Island & Westchester
Steel Masters fabricates in Brooklyn at 135 Liberty Ave and installs with our own crews across Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, Long Island and Westchester. Call (888) 577-8335, send us your plans through shop drawings and plans, or contact us online for a quote on switchback stairs.
Frequently Asked Questions
A switchback climbs a flight to a landing, turns back on itself, and climbs a second flight in the opposite direction. It is the layout used when a shaft, courtyard or mechanical room is too narrow for one long straight run to cover the required rise.