How to Determine the Rise Between Stair Treads

When constructing or carpeting stairs, you have to take several measurements to calculate how much material you will need. One of these measurements is the rise between the stair treads, which is the vertical distance a person needs to move to get to the next step. When calculating the rise, you need to adhere to the physical limitations of the space and the building code in your area.

Measuring tape
Calculator

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the distance from the top of the stairs to the floor. This figure is referred to as the "total rise."
- 2
  Check your local building code to determine the maximum riser height allowed by law. If you would like to use this maximum height, divide the total rise by this maximum height. Round the result to the nearest whole number to find the number of risers you will need for your space. If you desire a shorter riser height, use that figure. For example, if the total rise was 95 inches and you want a riser height of 6 inches, divide 95 by 6. This results in 15.8, which you would round up to a whole number for a total of 16 risers.
- 3
  Divide the total rise by the number of risers to get the height of each riser. Using the previous example of 16 risers, 95 divided by 16 will give you 5.9 or 5 7/8 inches for the riser height.

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