Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
Last updated
General product information only, not medical advice. Fitting, settings and the choice of parts for a particular person come from the chair’s manufacturer manual and the clinician or supplier responsible for that person.
Short answer
A manual wheelchair is made of a frame, seat, cushion, backrest, armrests, footrests with an optional calf strap, push handles, brakes, rear wheels with push rings, and front castor wheels; the World Health Organization labels these parts in its manual wheelchair guidelines. Tilt-in-space chairs add a seat that tips as one unit, and a separate recline setting for the backrest on some models.
Definition and scope
This guide names the parts of a wheelchair and says what each does, using the World Health Organization’s Guidelines on the provision of manual wheelchairs in less resourced settings (2008, checked 2026-10-30), a manufacturer operating sheet for a tilt-in-space chair, and the Medicare wheelchair options and accessories policy. It covers the chair itself, not the person’s assessment, and it gives no sizes or prices. For the chair as a whole, see what a wheelchair is.
How the parts are used in practice
The WHO guidelines identify the common parts in a labelled figure: backrest, push handles, armrest, rear wheels, push rings, brakes, cushion, seat, castor wheels, frame, calf strap and footrest. They treat the cushion as an integral part of every wheelchair, not an add-on, and say it should be removable and easy to clean with soap and water. The guidelines also describe parts working against each other: moving the front castor wheel forward adds forward stability but makes the chair harder to manoeuvre in confined spaces.
WHO notes that a bag or backpack hanging behind the chair moves the centre of gravity back and makes backward tipping more likely, which is why the rear anti-tip device exists (see wheelchair anti-tippers).
Parts and what WHO says about each
| Part | What WHO (2008) says |
|---|---|
| Seat | Two common types: sling (flexible canvas or vinyl) and solid (wood, metal plate or plastic). Seat angle to the horizontal 0 to 12 degrees, front higher than rear. |
| Cushion | Integral to the chair; should be removable and cleanable with soap and water. |
| Backrest | Sling or solid, in low and high heights; seat-to-back angle 80 to 100 degrees. |
| Armrests | Should be removable, folding or low-profile to ease transfers; for temporary postural support only. |
| Footrest and calf strap | Adjusted for each user; height adjustable; enough ground clearance so it does not catch obstacles. A calf strap keeps the foot on the footplate. |
| Rear wheels and push rings | Rear wheel position governs push stroke and stability. |
| Castor wheels | Larger front castors roll over bigger obstacles but need more room to swivel; a pneumatic castor can be hard to repair or replace. |
| Brakes | Brake effectiveness affects user safety; brakes should stop the chair sliding on an incline. |
The WHO document covers manual chairs. Medicare treats some options, such as non-standard seat dimensions or a gear reduction drive wheel, as options with their own payer conditions (LCD L33792); those rules are for suppliers and payers.
Tilt in space: the extra parts
A Scottish NHS service (NHS Scotland SMART) publishes operating instructions for the Rea Azalea chair that show how one tilt-in-space design is laid out. Its brakes are on the push handles. A lever on the right push handle tilts the seat; a separate lever on the left push handle reclines the backrest. The sheet says the two can be adjusted separately, warns that reclining the backrest without also tilting the seat may cause the user to slide forward, and says not to leave the chair in negative tilt, meaning the front lower than the rear. Its rear anti-tip tubes are to be fully down when the chair is used fully reclined and tilted.
For power chairs, the Medicare policy describes a power seating system as tilt only, recline only, or a combination, and sets payer conditions that include a supplier employing a RESNA-certified Assistive Technology Professional (checked 2026-10-30). Dimensions of power chairs are covered in power chair dimensions.
Where it matters for labs, clinics and supply decisions
The WHO guidelines say a wheelchair should be repairable near the user’s home and replacement parts should be easily available, so the availability of spares is a supply question as well as a clinical one. For weight figures see lightweight wheelchair weight; for the difference between chair families see transport and standard wheelchairs and the wider durable medical equipment list.
Common misunderstandings
- The cushion is optional. WHO treats it as an integral part to be included with every wheelchair.
- Tilt and recline are the same. The Rea Azalea sheet gives them separate levers and warns about using recline alone.
- Anti-tip devices only help. WHO also notes that most designs restrict the chair’s ability to travel over kerbs or dips.
- Armrests are for resting arms all day. WHO says to use them only for temporary support so the arms stay free for propelling.
Frequently asked questions
What are the parts of a wheelchair?
The WHO guidelines label backrest, push handles, armrest, rear wheels, push rings, brakes, cushion, seat, castor wheels, frame, calf strap and footrest on a manual wheelchair. The WHO guidelines cover manual chairs; for power chair sizes see power chair dimensions.
What are tilt in space wheelchair parts?
Beyond the usual parts, a tilt-in-space chair has a seat that tips, with a lever or motor to do it, and often a separate backrest recline control plus anti-tip tubes that go fully down when tilted and reclined. That layout is from one manufacturer operating sheet (checked 2026-10-30); other models differ.
What is the difference between tilt and recline?
According to the NHS Scotland SMART operating sheet for that chair, tilt moves the seat and recline moves the backrest, using separate levers, and they can be altered separately.
Sources
- World Health Organization, Guidelines on the provision of manual wheelchairs in less resourced settings (2008), checked 2026-10-30.
- CMS Medicare Coverage Database, LCD L33792, Wheelchair Options/Accessories, checked 2026-10-30.
- NHS Scotland SMART, Rea Azalea Operating Instructions, checked 2026-10-30.
