It used to be there were extension ladders and step ladders. We could probably lump in step stools. But these days, there are so many types of ladders that we can’t even agree what to call them.In some cases, standards organizations haven’t figured out how to evaluate them.

All this might sound like a problem, but really, it’s not. These new and varied ladders are versatile and often improve on the portability, practicality, and stability of the ladders we’re all used to. The National Safety Council developed a publication about these in 2016, and since then, even more styles have come to the market.