Indian Ramp Guidance: NBC 2016 Scope and Gradients

The requirement

Edition and scope. This page summarizes the stated older NBC 2016 reference. BIS now lists SP 7:2026. A model text is not a nationwide permit rule: confirm the local bye-law and adopted edition first. The newer standard’s clauses have not been checked here.

The cited NBC 2016 access annex excludes private residences. That does not prove a private home has no access duties under other rules. The Code’s only detailed ramp table sits in Annex B, and it runs from 1:12 down to 1:20, banded by rise.

Annex B is the Code’s access annex, “Requirements for Accessibility”. Its scope clause is blunt: “it does not apply to private residences” (Part 3 §13.1.2).

So why show the table? It is the Code’s only detailed ramp guidance. Builders still reach for it, even when the law does not ask. Treat it as a handy guide, not a rule for your house.

Annex B Table 10 bands the slope, width and landings by the rise.

Rise	Max gradient	Min width	Landing interval
150–300 mm	1:12	1200 mm	—
301–750 mm	1:12	1500 mm	every 5 m
751–3000 mm	1:15	1800 mm	every 9 m
over 3000 mm	1:20	1800 mm	every 9 m

NBC 2016 Part 3, Annex B, Table 10

Two more figures sit with the table.

Handrail: needed on both sides once the rise is over 150 mm, set at 850–950 mm high (cl B-5.5.2.2(e) / B-6.2.7).
Landing length: at least 1500 mm in the direction of travel.

Vehicle ramps follow a different rule. The NBC lets a driveway or a basement or podium parking ramp go as steep as 1:8. That is steeper than any walking figure above. Keep the two rules apart. Never use the vehicle figure on a pedestrian ramp, or the other way round.

Worked example

Say you are adding a ramp from a path up to a verandah. The rise is 500 mm. For this geometry example, assume the cited table is the selected design reference. Its legal scope still needs a separate check.

Find the rise band. 500 mm sits in the 301–750 mm band.
Read off the slope. That band caps at 1:12. 500 mm × 12 = 6000 mm of run, which is 6 m.
Check width and landings. The band asks for at least 1500 mm of width, with a landing at least every 5 m. At 6 m of run, you need one landing partway along.

So plan on about 6 m of ramp at 1:12, at least 1500 mm wide, with one landing worked into the run. The slope calculator does the rise-over-run maths for you.

Do it in 5 seconds

The India’s building code hub explains how the NBC model code and state bye-laws fit together.
Building the stairs that a ramp might replace? See Indian stair rules.

Sources

National Building Code of India 2016 (NBC 2016 / SP 7:2016), Bureau of Indian Standards — Part 3 §13.1.2 (Annex B scope exclusion for private residences), Table 10 (gradient, width, landing bands), cl B-6.2.6/B-6.2.7 (landing and handrail), and the Part 3/4 vehicle-ramp clauses (1:8). Check BIS for full-text access; check the current status at bis.gov.in.

Read this first. These figures are from NBC 2016, which BIS has withdrawn and replaced with SP 7:2026 (“National Building Construction Standards 2026”), gazette-notified in 2026 (reported 30 April 2026) and now BIS’s current national standard. NBC is also a model code: it has no legal force until your state or municipality adopts it into its own bye-laws — and local instruments may use a fixed edition or an updated reference. Confirm which edition your local bye-law currently adopts before relying on any figure. Check other access duties as well as the scope of this older annex.

Frequently asked questions

Does an ordinary house in India need a ramp?

The cited NBC 2016 access annex excludes private residences. That does not establish an exemption from all access duties. Check current local rules, building use and the selected design route before deciding whether a ramp is needed.

If I build one anyway, what gradient should I use?

Follow Annex B Table 10. It bands the top slope by the rise: 1:12 for a rise up to 750 mm, 1:15 up to 3000 mm, and 1:20 past that. It is not a private-house rule. But it is the Code's only detailed ramp table, so builders use it as a guide.

How long do the landings need to be?

The cited older table uses landings at least 1500 mm deep. Its 301–750 mm rise band gives a 5 m run interval; the higher bands give 9 m. Confirm the original table and local adopted rules before use; this is not a current-code approval.

How wide does the ramp need to be?

Table 10 bands the minimum width by the rise too. You need 1200 mm for a rise up to 300 mm, 1500 mm up to 750 mm, and 1800 mm above that.

What about a driveway or car-parking ramp?

That is a separate rule. The NBC lets a vehicle or parking ramp go as steep as 1:8, steeper than any pedestrian figure above. Its scope is basement or podium parking access only. It is not a stand-in for the pedestrian table.