How to Angle Concrete Steps

Determine what the riser height and tread length of your stairs will be. Concrete steps with a rise of 7 1/2 inches and a 12-inch tread are generally the most comfortable to walk on. Note that according to nationwide building codes, risers cannot exceed 7 3/4 inches and tread depth cannot be less than 10 inches.

Multiply the tread and riser dimensions each by themselves to find their squares. Add the two numbers together and find their square root on a calculator to determine the distance between the edge of each step and the one above it. With a rise of 7 inches and a tread of 11 inches, for example, these calculations would look like this on the scientific calculator: 7²=49; 11²=121; 49+121=170; √170=13.04

Divide the riser height by the edge-distance, or hypotenuse, to find their ratio. Find the inverse sine of the ratio with a calculator to determine the angle of the steps. With the example staircase, these calculations would look like this: 7/13.04=0.54; sin⁻¹(0.54)=32.47 degrees.