Swedish Ramp Gradients: 1:12 for an Accessible Ramp, No Fixed Number Otherwise

BFS 2024:12 keeps the old 1:12 maximum gradient for an accessible dwelling ramp — the one figure the 2025 reform didn't remove. Everything else about a Swedish ramp is now a functional, non-numeric requirement.

BFS 2024:9 & BFS 2024:12 (both in force 1 Jul 2025) Clause SE BFS 2024:9 §2:5 Clause SE BFS 2024:9 §2:11 Clause SE BFS 2024:9 §2:25 Clause SE BFS 2024:12 §2:4

The requirement

An accessible ramp to a dwelling entrance can be no steeper than 1:12 (BFS 2024:12, Kap 2 §4). Any other ramp has no fixed gradient at all. For those, only the safety wording of BFS 2024:9 applies. The 1:12 figure survived the 1 July 2025 rewrite unchanged.

Sweden splits its ramp rules across two rule books. Which one you follow depends on what the ramp is for.

BFS 2024:12 covers the accessible ramp. This is the normal case: a ramp that makes a dwelling’s entrance accessible. Kap 2 §4 caps the gradient at 1:12. The old BBR fixed the same limit, and the 2025 reform carried it forward. Few figures got that treatment. One- and two-family houses get an easier path (Kap 2 §1). It is enough that an accessible route can be arranged on the plot later. The ramp does not have to be built on day one.

BFS 2024:9 covers the general ramp. An internal or minor ramp outside the accessible route falls under Kap 2 §5. That is the same clause that governs a stair. It says people must be able to move safely. It attaches no gradient figure.

BFS 2024:12 · Kap 2 §4 (accessible ramp)

Which one applies? Building the route to a new house’s entrance? That is BFS 2024:12 and its 1:12 limit. Building a general or minor ramp elsewhere on the job? That is BFS 2024:9, with no fixed number to hit.

What else is fixed, and what isn’t

Landing: no fixed length. BFS 2024:12, Kap 2 §4 asks for a landing (vilplan) that works in use. At minimum, a helper must be able to move a wheelchair on it. It is not a millimetre figure.
Handrail: needed, height not fixed. A ramp needs a handrail on both sides. One side is enough if a second is not needed for the ramp’s use and design. The rule is BFS 2024:9, Kap 2 §§12–13, the same as for a stair. No height is given.
Width: no fixed figure. Neither BFS 2024:9 nor BFS 2024:12 states a minimum ramp width. Only a general sizing clause applies, and it holds no number.
Headroom: 2.00 m, fixed. BFS 2024:9, Kap 2 §25 gives a ramp the same figure and clause as a stair. A ramp counts as a “kommunikationsutrymme”, a space people move through.
Edge protection: needed, height not fixed. Say the ramp sits higher than the ground beside it. Then BFS 2024:9, Kap 2 §10 calls for a protective edge (kantskydd). It stops a wheelchair or walking aid rolling off. No fixed height is given for it.

Work it out on site

You are building the BFS 2024:12 accessible route to a new dwelling’s front door. The threshold sits 300 mm above the path. How long must the ramp be at the steepest allowed gradient?

Apply the 1:12 limit. Run = rise × 12 = 300 × 12 = 3600 mm (3.6 m). That is the steepest the rule allows.
Think about going gentler. 1:12 is a maximum, not a target. A flatter run is easier to use. At 1:15, the same 300 mm rise needs 300 × 15 = 4500 mm (4.5 m).
Size the landing to work. BFS 2024:12 gives no fixed landing length. Make it big enough for a helper to move a wheelchair, at both the top and the bottom of the run.

That is a worked example, not a rule beyond the 1:12 ceiling. Swap in your own rise. The slope calculator does the run-length maths for you.

Do it in 5 seconds

Part of the Swedish building regulations hub. It explains why 1 July 2025 changed so much, and what survived.
Building the stairs that ramp might replace? See Swedish stair & guard rules.

Sources

BFS 2024:12 — Boverkets föreskrifter om byggnaders tillgänglighet och användbarhet, Kap 2 §§1, 4 (accessible-ramp gradient and landing). Read it at boverket.se.
BFS 2024:9 — Boverkets föreskrifter om säkerhet vid användning av byggnader, Kap 2 §5 (general ramp, performance only), Kap 2 §10 (edge protection), Kap 2 §§12–13 (handrail) and Kap 2 §25 (headroom). Read it at boverket.se.

Read this first. These figures reflect BFS 2024:9 and BFS 2024:12, both in force since 1 July 2025 — and, since the one-year transition window for old BBR expired 1 July 2026, the only lawful basis for a new dwelling ramp today. The 1:12 accessible-ramp gradient is genuinely unchanged from the old BBR; the other old BBR ramp figures (landing length, width, edge-protection height) were not carried forward, and this page doesn’t print them as current. Both regulations are the deemed-to-satisfy route, not the only legal one. Always confirm the current, in-force text on boverket.se before you build to it.

Frequently asked questions

What's the maximum ramp gradient in Sweden?

It depends which ramp. A ramp that makes a dwelling entrance accessible is capped at 1:12 by BFS 2024:12, Kap 2 §4. That is the normal case for a new house. The 2025 reform kept this figure from the old BBR. Any other ramp has no fixed gradient. Only the safety wording of BFS 2024:9 applies.

Does a one- or two-family house always have to build the accessible ramp?

No. BFS 2024:12, Kap 2 §1 gives one- and two-family houses an easier path. It is enough that an accessible route can be arranged on the plot later. The ramp does not have to be built on day one.

How long does a ramp landing need to be?

There is no fixed length. BFS 2024:12, Kap 2 §4 asks for a landing (vilplan) that works in use. At minimum, a helper must be able to move a wheelchair on it. It is not a set number of millimetres.

What handrail height and ramp width apply?

A ramp needs a handrail on both sides, the same as a stair. One side is enough if a second is not needed for the ramp's use and design. BFS 2024:9 fixes no handrail height. Width has no fixed figure either, only a general sizing clause. Headroom is fixed: at least 2.00 m, as for a stair.

Is the 1:12 figure still current, or is it an old BBR number?

It is current. BFS 2024:12 kept the 1:12 limit unchanged from the old BBR. It is one of the few numbers to survive the 1 July 2025 rewrite. Most other old ramp figures did not, such as landing length, width and edge-protection height. This page does not print those old numbers.