Approval of an American National Standard requires verification by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) that the requirements for due process, consensus, and other criteria for approval have been met by the standards developer. An American National Standard implies a consensus of those substantially concerned with its scope and provisions.

Consensus is established when, in the judgment of the ANSI Board of Standards Review, substantial agreement has been reached by directly and materially affected interests. Substantial agreement means much more than a simple majority, but not necessarily unanimity. Consensus requires that all views and objections be considered and that a concerted effort be made toward their resolution.

The existence of an American National Standard does not in any respect preclude anyone, whether they have approved the standard or not, from manufacturing, marketing, purchasing, or using products, processes, or procedures not conforming to the standards.

ANSI does not develop standards and will in no circumstances give an interpretation of any American National Standard. Moreover, no person shall have the right or authority to issue an interpretation of an American National Standard in the name of ANSI. Requests for interpretations should be addressed to the secretariat or sponsor whose name appears on the title page of this standard.

CAUTION NOTICE: This American National Standard may be revised or withdrawn at any time. The procedures of ANSI require that action be taken periodically to reaffirm, revise, or withdraw this standard. Purchasers of American National Standards can receive current information on all standards by calling or writing ANSI.

NOTICE ON FORMAT AND STYLE: The format and style of this document differs from ANSI style as specified by the ANSI Style Manual for Preparation of Proposed American National Standards.

Disclaimer

The information provided by the Architectural Woodwork Institute (“AWI”) in this document is intended solely for use by appropriately licensed and experienced professionals who have the necessary background to understand and interpret the information in accordance with generally accepted professional standards and regulations. AWI Standards provide the minimum criteria for the concept, design, fabrication, finishing, and installation of architectural woodwork. Provisions for mechanical and electrical safety are not included. References to life-safety requirements may be included but are not meant to be comprehensive. Improper application of the standards set forth herein may result in hazards to health and safety of installers, consumers, and others.

Wood products installed outside of climate controlled, interior environments are not governed by this standard.

Illustrations are intended to assist in understanding the standard and may not include all requirements for a specific product or unit, nor do they show the only method of fabrication. Such partial drawings shall not be used to justify improper or incomplete design and/or construction.

The Supplemental Materials are provided as an additional resource to the manufacturer, design professional, educator, user, or certifying organization.

This standard may include citations and quotes from other industry standards and guidelines that are neither developed nor published by AWI, which makes no representation as to the quality or efficacy of such other standards or guidelines.

AWI publishes the information provided in this document after undertaking reasonable inquiry regarding the subject matter. AWI publishes this standard in furtherance of its mission of benefiting the architectural woodwork and related interior finishes industry. All or any portion of this standard may be revised or withdrawn at any time. AWI standards are voluntary. AWI is not responsible for any results of use of this standard or performance of products used or created in connection with this standard. AWI makes no representation or warranty regarding the technical accuracy or sufficiency of the standard; nor does AWI represent or warrant that the standard conforms to any statute or regulation. AWI hereby disclaims any warranty of any kind, express or implied, with respect to the information contained herein, including merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

AWI shall not be responsible to anyone for the use of or reliance upon this standard. AWI shall not incur any obligation nor liability for damages, including consequential damages, arising out of or in connection with the use, interpretation of, or reliance upon this standard, except for the refund of any amount paid to AWI for this document by the affected user.

Copyright © 2021 by Architectural Woodwork Institute—All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced in any form without the prior written consent.

(This foreword is not a part of American National Standard AWI SMA 0643 – Wood Stair, Handrail, and Guard Systems)

The ANSI/AWI SMA 0643 Wood Stair, Handrail, and Guard Systems Standard is intended to provide comprehensive guidelines for wood stairs, handrail, and guard systems.

This standard encompasses a variety of wood stair, handrail, and guard systems and establishes structural and aesthetic tolerances, ensuring that the final product is of the utmost quality with regards to visual appeal and structural integrity.

This standard is intended for use by individuals and organizations from all aspects of the wood stair industry, including architects, design professionals, stairbuilders, manufacturer/suppliers, contractors, installers, and end users. Individuals within the industry will use this standard to maintain a high degree of control over the aesthetic quality and the structural integrity of their work, ensuring that potential differentiations in the workmanship and implementation of projects are made uniform.

This standard is meant to function in harmony with all current AWI Standards and is not meant to stand alone.

Effective August 15, 2021, this standard succeeds, replaces, and supplants Section 7 of the Architectural Woodwork Standards, Ed. 2 (2014) as the most current version of the AWI Standard for Wood Stair, Handrail, and Guard Systems.

Suggestions for the improvement of this standard will be welcome. Suggestions should be sent to:
Stairbuilders and Manufacturers Association
P.O. Box 448
Dalton, OH 44618
(877) 500-5759
standards@stariways.org
www.stairways.org

AWI Standards Development:
Doug Hague, Executive Vice President
Hunter Morrison, Technical Director
Cheryl Dermyre, Technical Projects Manager
Rex Chappell, Testing Specialist
Jairus Whitley, Graphic Designer

This standard was processed and approved for submittal to ANSI by the SMA Quality Standards Committee and the AWI Technical Committee. Committee approval of the standard does not necessarily imply that all committee members voted for its approval. At the time it approved this standard, the ANSI/AWI SMA 0643 Committees had the following members:

SMA Quality Standards Committee:
Douglas Adams, Committee Chair – Florida Stairworks & Carpentry, LLC
Matthew Adams – Florida Stairworks & Carpentry, LLC
Brandon Barnes – Honorary Member
David Cooper – Stairbuilders and Manufacturers Association
Terra Erb – Stairbuilders and Manufacturers Association
Mitch Kolata – United Rockland Stairs
Delon Shetler – Heartland Stairways
Ed Trimner – Trimcraft of Ft Myers, Inc.
David Wynne – Lifetime Emeritus Member

AWI Technical Committee:
Greg Lutz, Committee Chair – Lutz Woodworks
Jordan Backs – Pittsburg State University
Cory Bittner – TMI Systems Corporation
Tyler Cerny – Strata Design
Randy Jensen – Leonard Peterson & Company, Inc.
Michael McNulty – Architectural Woodwork Institute (AWI)
William Munyan – R&M Group Architects
Greg Parham – AWI Quality Certification Corporation (QCC)

The following organizations, recognized as having an interest in the standardization of Wood Stairs, Handrail, and Guard Systems, were contacted prior to the approval of this standard. Inclusion in this list does not necessarily imply that the organization concurred with the submittal of the proposed standard to ANSI.

Arro Consulting
Bilger Railing and Stairs
Brandon Barnes
Compass Group Architecture LLC
Compliant Systems and Design, LLC
Coriolis Design, Inc.
Crown Stair
Dressen Construction
Fabián Díaz
Florida Stairworks & Carpentry, LLC
Grass Valley Stair
International Code Council
Jepsen Construction
King & Company
L.J. Smith
Leonard Peterson & Company, Inc.
Madison Area Technical College
Mississippi State University
National Wood Flooring Association
Parks and Sons, Inc.
Prosser Career Education Center
Sargent Mill Woodworking
Schutte Stair Company, Inc.
Simpson Gumpertz & Heger
Southern Pine Inspection Burea
Spring Valley Millwork, Inc.
Stofft Cooney Architects
The Preview Group, Inc.
West Hartford Stairs & Cabinets Inc.
Young Manufacturing Co., Inc.

a) Provide standards and tolerances for the quality fabrication and field installation of wood stair, handrail, and guard systems (henceforth referred to as “Product”).

b) Establish minimum aesthetic and performance requirements intended to provide a well-defined degree of control over a project’s quality of materials, and workmanship, for the manufacture of wood stair, handrail, and guard systems.