Attic ladders are retractable ladders that are installed into the floor of an attic and ceiling of the floor below the attic. They are used as an inexpensive and compact alternative to having a stairway that ascends to the attic of a building.
Typical models have a drawstring that hangs down to allow the ladder to be extended. Attic ladders are usually made of wood, metal, aluminum, or fiberglass. [1]
An attic ladder can also refer to a firefighting tool. It is a narrow collapsible ladder used to access an attic space via a scuttle hole; which are often found in closets and other narrow passages. It is also known as a closet ladder, a pencil ladder or a folding ladder.