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Staircase Calculator

Enter your floor height and stair type. Get the risers, treads, flights and stair-hall size, checked against the Model Building Bye-Laws 2016 clause by clause.

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Quick Answer

Divide your floor-to-floor height by the maximum riser and round up. That's your number of risers. For a house under the Model Building Bye-Laws 2016, the riser can be at most 190 mm and the tread at least 250 mm, with no more than 12 risers in one flight. A 3,000 mm floor height needs 16 risers of 187.5 mm, so you need two flights and a landing. As a dog-legged stair with a 1 m width and a 1 m landing, that fits in a stair hall about 2,750 × 2,000 mm inside the walls.

Figures checked Oct 2026. Source: Model Building Bye-Laws 2016, Town and Country Planning Organisation, Ministry of Urban Development: cl. 4.17.2 to 4.17.4.2 staircase width, tread, riser, risers per flight and headroom (p57); cl. 5.4.3 c to f high-rise stairways (p82); definitions of residential and high-rise buildings (p2, p3); cl. 2.2 applicability (p13); cl. 8.5 stairways for the differently abled (p107); cl. 11.8.1 spiral stairs (p123).

190 mmhighest riser in a house (cl. 4.17.4.1)
250 mmleast tread in a house, without the nosing (cl. 4.17.3)
12most risers in one flight, 15 in a high-rise (cl. 4.17.4.1, 5.4.3)
2.2 mheadroom under a landing and anywhere on the stair (cl. 4.17.4.2)

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The Formula

Risers, treads and stair-hall size = Risers n = H ÷ max riser, rounded up; each riser = H ÷ n; flights = n ÷ risers allowed per flight, rounded up (2 for a dog-leg or quarter turn), split evenly with the first flight taking any extra; treads per flight = risers in it − 1; going = treads × tread. Dog-leg: length = longest going + landing, width = 2 × stair width + gap. Straight with landings: length = all goings + landings. Pitch = tan⁻¹(riser ÷ tread).

The limits are clause 4.17 of the Model Building Bye-Laws 2016 (page 57): least width by building type (4.17.2), least tread (4.17.3), largest riser and 12 risers a flight (4.17.4.1) and 2.2 m headroom (4.17.4.2). High-rise buildings follow clause 5.4.3 on page 82, which allows 15 risers a flight. Headroom under a landing = its top level − slab thickness. Headroom over a step = (H − slab) − the step's height.

Section through a 3,000 mm dog-legged stair (worked example 1)Side section of a stair 3,000 mm floor to floor. Flight 1 climbs 8 risers of 187.5 mm over 7 treads of 250 mm, 1,750 mm of going, to a 1,000 mm landing at 1,500 mm. Flight 2, dashed, climbs back over flight 1 to the floor above. A dashed line at 2,200 mm marks the passage headroom; a red line shows only 1,350 mm clear under the 150 mm landing slab.ground floor 0floor above2.2 m for a passage1,350 mmclearlanding +1,5003,000mm7 × 250 = 1,7501,000
Section through a 3,000 mm dog-legged stair (worked example 1). Drawn to scale. Flight 1 and the landing are solid and flight 2 is dashed behind them. The landing top sits at 1,500 mm, so only 1,350 mm is left under its slab, well short of the 2.2 m a passage needs.

Assumptions

  • Heights are finished floor to finished floor. If you measure slab to slab, add the flooring and screed on the upper floor and take off the flooring on the lower one.
  • All risers come out equal. The first and last steps get no allowance for floor finishes, so measure after the flooring thickness is fixed.
  • The tread is the going of one step without the nosing, the way clause 4.17.3 measures it.
  • A residential hotel takes the 300 mm tread and 150 mm riser of "other buildings". The bye-law's definition of a residential building (page 2) needs living accommodation with cooking facilities, which a hotel room doesn't have. Your authority may read it differently.
  • The stair-hall size is inside the walls and leaves out any space you want in front of the first step or at the top.
  • The bye-law sets no landing depth and no pitch. The tool shows both but checks neither.
  • We quote the Model Building Bye-Laws 2016 published by the Town and Country Planning Organisation, Ministry of Urban Development, on the copy at mohua.gov.in, read on 16 October 2026. They are a model. Your state or city notifies its own bye-laws, often with changes, so check those before drawings go in.

Staircase limits in the Model Building Bye-Laws 2016

Least clear width, least tread and largest riser by building type, from clause 4.17 (page 57).

Building typeLeast stair widthLeast treadLargest riser
Dwelling1.0 m250 mm190 mm
Row house, 2 storeys0.75 m250 mm190 mm
Residential hotel1.5 m300 mm150 mm
Educational1.5 m300 mm150 mm
Institutional2.0 m300 mm150 mm
Assembly (auditorium, cinema)2.0 m300 mm150 mm
All other buildings1.5 m300 mm150 mm

Clauses 4.17.2, 4.17.3 and 4.17.4.1 of the Model Building Bye-Laws 2016, read on 16 October 2026. The hotel row uses the "other buildings" tread and riser, because the bye-law's definition of a residential building needs cooking facilities (page 2); your authority may read it differently. Every type gets 12 risers a flight and 2.2 m headroom. High-rise buildings (clause 5.4.3, page 82) keep the same widths, treads and risers but allow 15 risers a flight and add a handrail at least 0.9 m above the centre of the tread.

Worked Examples

Plan of the same dog-legged stairPlan of a dog-legged stair. Flight 1 goes up along the lower half, 7 treads of 250 mm, to a landing 1,000 mm deep across the far end; flight 2 returns along the upper half to the floor above. Overall 2,750 mm long by 2,000 mm wide.UP: flight 1 →← flight 2 to the floor abovelanding2,750 mm = 7 × 250 + 1,000 landing2,000mm
Plan of the same dog-legged stair. Two flights of 7 treads run side by side and meet at a landing across the far end. Inside the walls the stair hall is 2,750 mm long and 2,000 mm wide.

House, 3,000 mm floor height, dog-legged

  1. Risers: 3,000 ÷ 190 = 15.79, round up to 16. Each riser is 3,000 ÷ 16 = 187.5 mm
  2. 16 is more than 12 in one flight, so two flights of 8 risers and 7 treads each
  3. Going: 7 × 250 = 1,750 mm per flight
  4. Stair hall: 1,750 + a 1,000 mm landing = 2,750 mm long, 2 × 1,000 = 2,000 mm wide, inside the walls
  5. Pitch: tan⁻¹(187.5 ÷ 250) = 36.9°
  6. Landing top at 8 × 187.5 = 1,500 mm. Less a 150 mm slab, 1,350 mm clear under it: storage, not a passage
  7. The floor slab above can only cover the first 750 mm of the lower flight; the rest of the stair hall stays open

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Two-storey row house, 2,900 mm, straight with a mid landing

  1. Risers: 2,900 ÷ 190 = 15.26, round up to 16. Each riser is 2,900 ÷ 16 = 181.25 mm
  2. Two flights of 8 risers and 7 treads each; going 7 × 250 = 1,750 mm
  3. Straight with one landing: 1,750 + 1,750 + 750 = 4,250 mm long, 750 mm wide (the row-house minimum, cl. 4.17.2)
  4. Pitch: tan⁻¹(181.25 ÷ 250) = 35.9°
  5. Open the floor slab above for at least 3,500 mm, ending at the top riser
  6. The same stair as a dog-leg fits in 2,500 × 1,500 mm

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Shop or office, 3,600 mm, dog-legged

  1. Other buildings: riser at most 150 mm, tread at least 300 mm, width at least 1.5 m
  2. Risers: 3,600 ÷ 150 = exactly 24 risers of 150.0 mm
  3. Two flights of 12, right at the limit, with 11 treads each: going 11 × 300 = 3,300 mm
  4. Stair hall: 3,300 + 1,500 = 4,800 mm long, 2 × 1,500 = 3,000 mm wide
  5. Pitch: tan⁻¹(150 ÷ 300) = 26.6°
  6. As one straight run with a mid landing it would be 3,300 + 3,300 + 1,500 = 8,100 mm long

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How to Use This Calculator

  1. Measure floor to floor. Take the height from the finished floor below to the finished floor above, or pick one of the common heights.
  2. Pick the building type. A house or flat gets a 190 mm riser and a 250 mm tread. Most other buildings get 150 mm and 300 mm. Mark it high-rise if it has more than 4 storeys or is 15 m or taller.
  3. Choose the stair shape. A dog-leg keeps the stair hall short, which suits most house plots. Straight with a landing suits a long, narrow plot.
  4. Enter tread, width and landing. Enter 0 in any of them to use the bye-law minimum. Go bigger if you have the room.
  5. Read the check table. Each row shows your figure, the limit and the clause. Fix any Fail before the drawings go to your engineer and the authority.

Tips and tricks

  • Measure floor to floor after flooring, not slab to slab. Tiles and screed on both floors change the riser by several millimetres, and the first and last steps take the error.
  • Check the headroom under the first landing before you plan a toilet or a passage there. With two flights and a floor height of 2,900 to 3,200 mm, it comes out at about 1.3 to 1.55 m.
  • Count treads as risers minus one in each flight. Plans drawn as "16 steps, 16 treads" come out one tread too long.
  • If the stair hall is too long for your plot, a dog-leg cuts the length of a straight stair with a mid landing to about half.
  • You can make the tread and width bigger, or the riser lower; the bye-law only sets the limits. For an elderly parent, clause 8.5 (written for public buildings, not homes) uses 150 mm risers, 300 mm treads and handrails on both sides; you can enter those as your own figures.

What we would do

For a house with a floor height around 3 m, we'd plan a dog-legged stair with 16 equal risers and a 1 m width, and keep the space under the first landing for storage, not a passage. Before drawings go to the authority, we'd type its notified figures into the custom limits. Then the engineer designs the waist slab and steel.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the maximum riser height for a house in India?
Under the Model Building Bye-Laws 2016 it is 190 mm for residential buildings (clause 4.17.4.1). Your state's notified bye-laws can differ, so check them.
What is the minimum tread width for stairs?
250 mm without nosing for residential buildings and 300 mm for other buildings (clause 4.17.3).
How many steps can one flight have?
Twelve risers per flight under clause 4.17.4.1. In high-rise buildings, chapter 5 allows 15 (clause 5.4.3).
What is the minimum width of a staircase in a house?
1.0 m for dwellings, and 0.75 m for two-storey row housing (clause 4.17.2).
How much headroom does a staircase need?
At least 2.2 m clear anywhere in the staircase, and 2.2 m in a passage under a landing (clause 4.17.4.2).
How many steps for a 10 feet floor height?
10 ft is about 3,048 mm. At 190 mm that is 16.04, so 17 risers of about 179 mm, in two flights of 9 and 8.

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Sources & Limitations

What this calculator does not model

  • It checks plan dimensions only. The waist slab, steel, beams and support are your engineer's design.
  • It doesn't draw spiral stairs, winders, or a dog-leg or quarter turn that needs more than two flights.
  • The headroom checks use one slab thickness for the landing and the floor above, measured straight up from the step.
  • It doesn't check fire exits, the number of staircases a building needs, or travel distance. Those are in Part 4 of the National Building Code, which clause 4.17.5 points to.