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Stair Riser Calculator

The rise in; how many risers, and how tall each one is.

Your building department's riser limit wins; type it under Assumptions.

4' 2 3/4" · 50.75 in · 4.2292 ft · 1.2891 m

3' · 36 in · 3 ft · 0.9144 m

11" · 11 in · 0.9167 ft · 0.2794 m

7 3/4" · 7.75 in · 0.6458 ft · 0.1968 m

7 risers

Nothing is added unless you add it: boards are bought whole and long enough. Waste is added once, to every board and piece on the list.

This page recalculates as you type. There is no Calculate button.

Answer

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Each riser

7 1/4"

6 treads of 11" over 5' 6" of run, at 33.39°.

How many risers 7 risers of 7 1/4"
Total run 5' 6"
Stringer length, top tread a riser below the floor 6' 7 1/16"
Stringers, 18" apart at most 3 stringers
More numbers
How many treads 6 treads of 11"
Angle 33.39 °
Hung flush instead 7' 8 1/4"
Each stringer board, at least 6' 10 3/16" cut from a 8 ft board
Stringer left under the notches 5 3/16"
Twice the riser plus the tread 25 1/2"
Cost of what is ticked $306.68
DrawingThe project drawn to scale. Stair 1: 7 1/4" × 11" × 4' 2 3/4" × 5' 6".7 1/4"11"4' 2 3/4"5' 6"Stair 1

Breakdown

Flight Measurements Qty Risers Share
Stair 1 4' 2 3/4" × 3' × 11" × 7 3/4" Add ×1 7 risers

What to buy

Shopping list

3 boards $65.94 Reference price $21.98. Type your store's.
6 pieces $149.88 Reference price $24.98. Type your store's.
7 pieces $90.86 Reference price $12.98. Type your store's.
Ticked items $306.68

Untick what you have, and the riser boards for open risers.

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Standards

We hold the criteria and the clause, not the wording of the standard.

Meets IRC 2021 · R311.7.5.1

Every riser is 7 1/4", within the 7 3/4" the code allows.

Meets IRC 2021 · R311.7.5.1

The finished risers differ by 0", within 3/8": the bottom riser is cut for the tread and the flooring.

Meets IRC 2021 · R311.7.5.2

Treads of 11" are at least the 10" the code asks.

Meets IRC 2021 · R311.7.5.3

Not required: every tread is at least 11" deep.

Meets IRC 2021 · R311.7.3

The flight rises 50 3/4", within the 151" the code allows between floors or landings.

Meets IRC 2021 · R311.7.1

36" wide, at least the 36" the code asks above the handrail.

Not checked IRC 2021 · R311.7.2

The code asks 80" of headroom over the nosings; measure the flight as a stair under an opening to check it.

Not checked IRC 2021 · R311.7.8

Required: a handrail on at least one side. The flight has 7 risers, and the code asks for one from 4.

Not checked IRC 2021 · R312.1.1

Required along any open side: the stair climbs 50 3/4", more than 30" above the floor below.

How this was worked out

Every number below is yours. Each constant links to the row where you can change it.

Stair 1: risers 4' 2 3/4" ÷ 7 3/4" = 6.548, rounded up 7
Stair 1: each riser 4' 2 3/4" ÷ 7 7 1/4"
Stair 1: total run 6 × 11" 5' 6"
Stair 1: angle atan(7 1/4" ÷ 11") 33.39°
Stair 1: stringer, marked along its edge 6 steps of 13 3/16", the square set at 7 1/4" and 11" 6' 7 1/16"
Stair 1: bottom riser, as cut 7 1/4" − 1 1/2" tread + 0" flooring to come 5 3/4"

Change:Tread thicknessFlooring still to go down, at the bottom

Stair 1: top tread's cut, below the upper floor 7 1/4" + 1 1/2" tread − 0" flooring to come 8 3/4"

Change:Tread thicknessFlooring still to go down, at the top

Stair 1: every riser cut the same instead every riser 7 1/4": first step 8 3/4", last 5 3/4" 3" apart; a flight may differ 3/8"
Stair 1: board for each stringer 6' 7 1/16" + 5 3/4" × 7 1/4" ÷ 13 3/16" 6' 10 3/16" → 8 ft
Stair 1: stringer under the notches 11 1/4" − 7 1/4" × 11" ÷ 13 3/16" 5 3/16"

Change:Dressed, 8 in and wider

Stair 1: stringers 36" ÷ 18" = 2, rounded up, + 1; at least 3 3
7 risers of 7 1/4" 2 × 7 1/4" + 11" = 25 1/2", against 25" 5' 6" of run

Change:Comfortable step, 2 × riser + tread

8 risers of 6 3/8" 2 × 6 3/8" + 11" = 23 11/16", against 25" 6' 5" of run

Change:Comfortable step, 2 × riser + tread

9 risers of 5 5/8" 2 × 5 5/8" + 11" = 22 1/4", against 25" 7' 4" of run

Change:Comfortable step, 2 × riser + tread

Cost 3 × $21.98 + 6 × $24.98 + 7 × $12.98 $306.68

Assumptions

Every one of these is editable. Change one and the answer changes with it.

Assumption Value Confidence
Dressed, 8 in and widerNIST PS 20-20, Table 3: 8 in nominal and wider is dressed dry ¾ in under it - 8 to 7¼, 10 to 9¼, 12 to 11¼. in From a data sheet or an agency document
Tread thicknessMyCarpentry's default tread, a 2× board 1½ in thick; a 5/4 tread is 1 in. The bottom riser is cut shorter by it. ≈ in Trade convention
Nosing1 in, the middle of the ¾–1¼ in nosing the code allows. ≈ in Trade convention
Flooring still to go down, at the bottomFlooring still to go down at the foot of the stair; 0 when that floor is finished. The stringer stands under it, so its bottom riser is cut taller by it. ≈ in Trade convention
Flooring still to go down, at the topFlooring still to go down at the top of the stair; 0 when that floor is finished. It moves where the stringer hangs, not how it is cut. ≈ in Trade convention
Stringer spacing under wood treadsAWC DCA 6-15, p. 20 and Figure 29: cut stringers no more than 18 in apart on center under 2× or 5/4 treads. in From a data sheet or an agency document
Fewest stringersAWC DCA 6-15, p. 20: where only cut stringers are used, at least three. stringers From a data sheet or an agency document
Least stringer to keep under the notchesAWC DCA 6-15, Figure 28 (p. 21): a cut stringer keeps at least 5 in below its notches. MyCarpentry and Blocklayer say the same. in From a data sheet or an agency document
Comfortable step, 2 × riser + treadTwice the riser plus the tread. Riser counts are ranked by how near they come to 25 in, inside the 60–65 cm Omni's calculator calls comfortable. ≈ in Trade convention
Lowest riser before a warningBlocklayer's stair calculator warns below a 4 in riser. ≈ in Trade convention
Deepest tread before a warningBlocklayer's stair calculator warns above a 14 in tread. ≈ in Trade convention
Tallest riser the code allowsIRC 2021 R311.7.5.1 (R318.7.5.1 in IRC 2024): a riser is not more than 7¾ in, measured between the leading edges of the treads. in From a data sheet or an agency document
Most two risers of a flight may differIRC 2021 R311.7.5.1 (R318.7.5.1 in IRC 2024): the tallest riser of a flight is no more than ⅜ in taller than the shortest. in From a data sheet or an agency document
Shallowest tread the code allowsIRC 2021 R311.7.5.2 (R318.7.5.2 in IRC 2024): a tread is at least 10 in deep, measured nosing to nosing. in From a data sheet or an agency document
Least nosing, where one is requiredIRC 2021 R311.7.5.3 (R318.7.5.3 in IRC 2024): a nosing projects at least ¾ in. in From a data sheet or an agency document
Most nosingIRC 2021 R311.7.5.3 (R318.7.5.3 in IRC 2024): a nosing projects no more than 1¼ in. in From a data sheet or an agency document
A tread this deep needs no nosingIRC 2021 R311.7.5.3 (R318.7.5.3 in IRC 2024): no nosing is required where the tread is at least 11 in deep. in From a data sheet or an agency document
Least headroomIRC 2021 R311.7.2 (R318.7.2 in IRC 2024): at least 6 ft 8 in of headroom, measured up from the sloped line of the nosings. in From a data sheet or an agency document
Narrowest stairIRC 2021 R311.7.1 (R318.7.1 in IRC 2024): at least 36 in of clear width above the handrail. in From a data sheet or an agency document
Tallest flight between floors or landingsIRC 2021 R311.7.3 (R318.7.3 in IRC 2024): a flight rises no more than 12 ft 7 in between floors or landings. in From a data sheet or an agency document
Risers that call for a handrailIRC 2021 R311.7.8 (R318.7.8 in IRC 2024): a handrail on at least one side of a flight with four or more risers. risers From a data sheet or an agency document
Open-side drop that needs a guardIRC 2021 R312.1.1 (R321.1.1 in IRC 2024): a guard along an open side more than 30 in above the floor or grade below. in From a data sheet or an agency document

How tall each riser is

Divide the total rise by the tallest riser you will allow, round the count up, then divide the rise by that count. A deck or a porch 50¾ in high, under the IRC's 7¾ in limit: 50¾ ÷ 7¾ = 6.548, so 7 risers, and 50¾ ÷ 7 = 7¼ in each.

The run comes from the treads, not the risers: the top floor is the last step, so there are 6 treads, and at 11 in each the stair runs 66 in. A common mistake multiplies the 7 risers by the tread instead and gets 77 in, 11 in too long. The stringer is 6 ft 7 1/16 in along its notches.

Every riser the same height

The IRC lets the tallest riser of a flight be no more than ⅜ in taller than the shortest. Two things break that at the ends of a stair:

  • The tread. Every tread lies on the stringer except at the floor, so the stringer's bottom riser is cut shorter by the tread's thickness: 7¼ − 1½ = 5¾ in. Cut it 7¼ in and the first step finishes at 8¾ in.
  • Flooring still to go down. Tile at the foot makes the first step shorter, hardwood at the top makes the last one taller. Put both thicknesses under Assumptions and the page adds them to the rise and cuts the stringer for them.

When the code allows a taller riser

The model IRC allows 7¾ in. Of the five state adoptions of IRC 2021 we read, four allow more: Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Virginia 8¼ in, Utah 8 in, all with treads from 9 in. Type your town's figure over the code's under Assumptions and the check calls it your rule. A tread of 11 in or more needs no nosing; under 11 in the code asks for ¾ to 1¼ in.