DDA Compliant Disabled Access Ramps
Modular steel DDA ramps with continuous handrail, in 1200mm and 1500mm widths. Free design service from your measurements. Quote within one hour.
Not Sure What You Need?
Send a sketch, a photo or your measurements. We draw it up free and quote within one hour.
DDA Compliant Ramps: Modular Steel Disabled Access Ramps with Handrail
We supply modular steel disabled access ramps and the continuous handrail that goes with them, built from key clamp fittings and galvanised steel tube with a GRP walkway. A public access ramp needs a maximum gradient of 1:15, a clear width of 1200mm or 1500mm, level landings at the top and bottom and an intermediate landing every 5 metres of slope. Ours are built to those dimensions and go together with a hex key: no welding, no hot works, no poured foundation.
For building owners, councils and contractors who need step-free access into schools, surgeries, shops, offices, care homes and homes. Send us the levels and the space in front of the door and our free design service works out the layout and parts list. We quote within one hour in working hours, cut tube to length free and deliver stock orders next day.
How a Modular Steel Ramp Goes Together
A modular ramp is a galvanised steel frame joined with tubular key clamp fittings, standing on adjustable load-bearing feet and carrying a GRP deck. The handrail and guarding fix to the same frame. Ramps can be permanent or semi-permanent.
| Part of the ramp | What we supply | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Frame | Galvanised steel tube joined with tubular key clamp fittings | No welding. Very little maintenance compared with timber or concrete |
| Walkway | GRP (glass reinforced plastic) panels with grit in the surface and drainage holes | Water and ice drain through rather than sitting on the slope |
| Floor panels | Colour-contrasted panels as an option | Help users with visual impairments read the edge of the route and each landing |
| Handrail | Smooth, continuous 42.4mm rail, galvanised or powder coated to RAL colours | A continuous rail can be followed end to end. Powder coat feels warmer in cold weather |
| Guarding | Anti-climb vertical bar infill panels and toeboard edge guards | Stops a wheel or walking aid running off the edge |
| Options | Child-height rails and stair modules where needed | A second, lower rail where the ramp serves a school, nursery or family setting |
| Feet | Adjustable load-bearing feet | Take up level changes on site without a poured foundation |
Handrail only? See the DDA handrail range. Guarding for a raised landing? See key clamp handrail kits.
What Makes a Ramp DDA Compliant
"DDA" is the name the trade still uses, but the legal basis today is the Equality Act 2010, which replaced the Disability Discrimination Act. The Act requires reasonable adjustments to overcome physical barriers to disabled access. It sets the duty, not the dimensions. Those come from Approved Document M (Access to and use of buildings), which covers ramp gradient, width, landings, handrail dimensions, grip and colour contrast, and BS 8300, the British Standard on designing an accessible and inclusive built environment. Our guide to DDA ramp requirements works through each rule in detail.
Gradient: 1:15 maximum for public access
For public access, specify a maximum gradient of 1:15: one metre of rise for every fifteen metres of run. A 600mm rise at 1:15 needs 9 metres of slope before any landings, and a 9 metre run also needs an intermediate landing, which is why longer ramps switch back on themselves. Approved Document M sets gradient limits in relation to the length of each flight, so confirm the figure for your flight lengths before the layout is signed off.
Width: 1200mm or 1500mm clear
1200mm is the usual specification for public use. Choose 1500mm where a carer walks alongside, people pass in both directions or the entrance is busy, such as a school, GP surgery or care home. Clear width is measured between the inside faces of the guarding, not the outside of the frame.
Landings: top, bottom and every 5 metres
A compliant ramp needs a level landing at the top, so a wheelchair user can open the door without holding position on the slope, a level landing at the bottom, and an intermediate landing every 5 metres of slope. Every change of direction needs a flat landing. On a tight site the landings decide the layout, so measure for them first.
Handrails: 40mm to 45mm, smooth and continuous
The Building Regulations recommend a handrail outside diameter of between 40mm and 45mm. Our DDA handrail uses 42.4mm (size 7) tube and runs as one smooth, continuous line, so a visually impaired user can follow it the full length of the ramp without meeting a post. Read why the ramp handrail must be continuous.
Not Sure What You Need?
Send a sketch, a photo or your measurements. We draw it up free and quote within one hour.
How to Choose and Specify Your Ramp
| Decision | Options | How to decide |
|---|---|---|
| Rise and gradient | 1:15 maximum for public access | The total rise sets the length of slope you need |
| Layout | Straight run or switchback | If the site will not take the full run in a straight line, the ramp turns at a landing |
| Handrail finish | Hot-dip galvanised or powder coated to a RAL colour | Powder coat for colour contrast and a warmer feel. Pick the colour against its background |
| Guarding and options | Toeboards, vertical bar infill, child-height rails, stair module, contrasted floor panels | Infill and child-height rails where children use the building. Specify at design stage |
Handrail Fittings for Ramps
Our DDA compliant fittings work with standard key clamps to make a smooth, continuous 42.4mm (size 7) handrail to the elevation of the slope, in line with the Equality Act 2010 and Building Regulations Part M. Galvanised as standard, powder coated on request.
- DDA747 and DDA748 handrail brackets fix the rail to the posts, used with an A6-7 or A2-7 key clamp.
- DDA745 and DDA746 wall brackets carry the rail off a wall.
- DDA09 internal variable elbow makes the change of angle at the top and bottom of the slope, with a pair of A9-7 internal connectors.
- DDA725 internal 90 degree elbow turns the rail round a landing.
- A9 internal connectors join lengths of 42.4mm tube flush, in tube with a maximum wall thickness of 3.2mm.
For guardrail on the slope as well as the handrail, send us the gradient and layout and we will list the key clamp fittings.
Materials and Finish
- Frame. Galvanised steel, hot-dip galvanised to BS EN ISO 1461. It resists rust and moss and needs very little maintenance.
- Walkway. GRP panels with grit built into the surface and drainage holes through the panel, for year-round outdoor use.
- Handrail finish. Hot-dip galvanised as standard, or powder coated to RAL standard colours subject to quantity and availability. Powder coated parts go to the coaters and back, so allow extra time and specify the finish at quote stage.
Why a Modular Steel Ramp
- No welding or hot works. Assembly needs a hex key. See key clamp fittings versus welding.
- No heavy groundwork. Adjustable load-bearing feet take up level changes on site.
- Fits round what is already there. Doorways, uneven ground, changing levels and awkward corners are designed around rather than dug out.
- Can be changed later. Modify, extend or take it down and rebuild it. See why modular guardrail costs less than welded.
- Low maintenance outdoors. See key clamp fittings for outdoor use.
Where Our Ramps Are Used
GP surgeries, schools and libraries; retail and commercial entrances; care homes and supported housing; offices and workplaces; and private homes that need step-free access. We supply businesses, councils, contractors and property managers.
A school in Widnes needed a ramp and handrail so a pupil in a wheelchair could take part in the school play. Our free design service worked out the design with the school, we built and refined a test ramp in our factory, then shipped it in kit form. The kit arrived within 2 days and went together with a single Allen key. Read the wheelchair access ramp case study.
How to Order a Ramp
- Measure the total rise from ground level to the threshold.
- Measure the footprint you have in front of the door, including room for top, bottom and intermediate landings.
- Choose 1200mm or 1500mm width.
- Choose the handrail finish and any options: infill, child-height rails, contrasted floor panels, a stair module.
- Note anything the ramp has to work around: steps, drains, walls, a door that opens outwards. Photographs help.
- Send us a plan, sketch or photos with your measurements, or call 01905 779944. We reply within one hour in working hours with a component list and price.
Thanks to standard components held in stock, most ramps can be delivered within days of your order. The Equality Act duty to make reasonable adjustments sits with the building owner or occupier.
Why Buy Ramps and Handrails from Fisher Alvin
- Free design service. We work out the layout and the kit list from your measurements.
- Quote within one hour in working hours, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
- Next-day delivery on stock orders. Galvanised tube and key clamp fittings held in stock.
- Tube cut to length, free. It arrives ready to assemble.
- Founded in Birmingham in 1912. Now based in Cradley Heath, West Midlands.
DDA Ramp Questions
What gradient does a DDA compliant ramp need?
A maximum of 1:15 for public access, which is one metre of rise for every fifteen metres of run. Approved Document M sets gradient limits in relation to flight length, so confirm the figure for your flight lengths before the layout is signed off.
How often does a ramp need a landing?
A level landing is needed at the top and bottom, plus an intermediate landing every 5 metres of slope. A flat landing is also needed wherever the ramp changes direction.
What surface do the ramps use?
A GRP walkway with grit built into the surface and drainage holes through the panel, so water and ice drain away rather than sitting on the slope. Floor panels can be colour contrasted to help users with visual impairments.
Does a modular ramp need foundations?
No poured foundation is needed. The ramp stands on adjustable load-bearing feet that take up level changes on site, and the frame joins with key clamp fittings and a hex key, with no welding or hot works.
How quickly can a ramp be assembled?
A standard ramp can be assembled in around a day, depending on the design. Tube arrives cut to length, and most ramps can be delivered within days of your order.
Is DDA still the law?
No. The Disability Discrimination Act was replaced by the Equality Act 2010, which is the legal basis today. DDA is still used as trade shorthand, and the ramp dimensions come from Approved Document M and BS 8300.
DDA Ramp Guides and Related Ranges
Read first: DDA ramp requirements: gradient, width, landings and handrails, DDA handrail requirements, why the ramp handrail must be continuous, galvanised or powder coated handrail finishes, specifying DDA handrails on a refurbishment and key clamp handrail systems: installation and compliance. See a handrail fitted to a wheelchair access ramp.
Related ranges: the DDA handrail range, key clamp handrail kits, key clamp fittings, galvanised key clamp tube and brochures.
Recent projects
A few of the jobs we have supplied. Every one was quoted, drawn up and delivered by the Fisher Alvin team.
Tell Us the Job. We Quote Within One Hour.
In working hours, with a free design service if you need the layout drawn up. Or call 01905 779944.