Stair Rise Calc
Answer One flight, cut as a single stringer.

15-step stair stringer

Total rise it covers 60into116in
Risers
15
Typical total rise
105in105.000 in8 ft 9 in
Board length
17ft
The stringer board as it lies for marking, with 15 notches cut along its top edge from a 17-foot board. One notch is dimensioned 7.000 inches on the rise and 11.00 inches on the run, the waste is hatched, and the bottom cut is dropped 1.00 inches. Rise mark7 in Run mark11 in Bottom cut1 in Board17 ft
Range

Every total rise this stringer covers

Pick your own total rise. Every row is cut with the same number of risers.
Total rise Riser Tread Total run Stringer Marked Board Result
93in 63/16in 125/8in 1763/8in 1997/16in 2105/8in 19ft Within
94in 61/4in 127/16in 1749/16in 1981/4in 2095/16in 18ft Within
95in 65/16in 125/16in 17211/16in 1971/16in 20715/16in 18ft Within
96in 63/8in 123/16in 17013/16in 19515/16in 2065/8in 18ft Within
97in 67/16in 121/16in 16815/16in 19413/16in 2053/8in 18ft Within
98in 69/16in 1115/16in 1671/16in 19311/16in 2041/16in 18ft Within
99in 65/8in 1113/16in 1653/16in 1929/16in 20213/16in 18ft Within
100in 611/16in 1111/16in 1635/16in 1911/2in 2019/16in 18ft Within
101in 63/4in 119/16in 1617/16in 1907/16in 2005/16in 18ft Within
102in 613/16in 113/8in 1595/8in 1897/16in 1991/8in 18ft Within
103in 67/8in 111/4in 1573/4in 1883/8in 19715/16in 17ft Within
104in 615/16in 111/8in 1557/8in 1873/8in 1963/4in 17ft Within
105in 7in 11in 154in 1863/8in 1959/16in 17ft Within
106in 71/16in 107/8in 1521/8in 1857/16in 1947/16in 17ft Within
107in 71/8in 103/4in 1501/4in 1841/2in 1935/16in 17ft Within
108in 73/16in 105/8in 1483/8in 1839/16in 1923/16in 17ft Within
109in 71/4in 107/16in 1469/16in 1825/8in 1911/8in 17ft Within
110in 75/16in 105/16in 14411/16in 1813/4in 1901/16in 17ft Within
111in 73/8in 103/16in 14213/16in 1807/8in 189in 17ft Within
112in 77/16in 101/16in 14015/16in 180in 188in 17ft Within
113in 79/16in 10in 140in 17915/16in 18713/16in 17ft Within
114in 75/8in 10in 140in 1809/16in 1883/8in 17ft Within
115in 711/16in 10in 140in 1813/16in 189in 17ft Within
116in 73/4in 10in 140in 18113/16in 1895/8in 17ft Within
Solution

Every dimension of this flight

Worked at a total rise of 105.00 inches.
DimensionValue
Typical total rise 105in105.00 in8 ft 9 in
Risers 15
Riser height 7in7.000 in
Treads 14
Tread run 11in11.000 in
Total run 154in154.000 in12 ft 10 in
One step along the edge 131/16in13.038 in
Marked length 1959/16in195.576 in16 ft 3.58 in
Stringer length 1863/8in186.389 in15 ft 6.39 in
Board length 17ft
Angle 32.5°
Bottom cut deduction 1in1.000 in
Cut list

The marks, bottom to top

Measured along the edge of the board from the foot, after the bottom cut.
Marked length
1959/16in195.576 in16 ft 3.58 in
Bottom cut deduction
1in
  1. 7in×11in 131/16inFrom the foot
  2. 7in×11in 261/16inFrom the foot
  3. 7in×11in 391/8inFrom the foot
  4. 7in×11in 521/8inFrom the foot
  5. 7in×11in 653/16inFrom the foot
  6. 7in×11in 781/4inFrom the foot
  7. 7in×11in 911/4inFrom the foot
  8. 7in×11in 1045/16inFrom the foot
  9. 7in×11in 1173/8inFrom the foot
  10. 7in×11in 1303/8inFrom the foot
  11. 7in×11in 1437/16inFrom the foot
  12. 7in×11in 1567/16inFrom the foot
  13. 7in×11in 1691/2inFrom the foot
  14. 7in×11in 1829/16inFrom the foot
  15. 7in×11in 1959/16inFrom the foot
Code

Each figure against the limit it has to meet

Dimension Limit Code Result
Riser height, maximum 73/4in IRC 2021 (residential) Within
Tread depth, minimum 10in IRC 2021 (residential) Within
Stair width, minimum 36in IRC 2021 (residential) Within
Riser height, minimum 4in ADA 2010504.2 Within
Riser height, maximum 7in ADA 2010504.2 Within
Tread depth, minimum 11in ADA 2010504.2 Within
Nosing projection, maximum 11/2in ADA 2010504.5 Within
Asked about this

Questions people search for

How high will a 15-step stringer go?
A 15-step stringer covers 60 to 116 inches of total rise, floor to floor. Below that the risers fall under the 4 inch minimum; above it they pass 7 3/4 inches.
How long a board do you need for a 15-step stringer?
At a 105 inch total rise the marks run 195.576 inches along the edge of the board, so the shortest board that takes them with the top and bottom cuts is 17 feet.
How do you lay out a 15-step stringer?
Set a framing square to 7.000 inches on the tongue and 11.00 inches on the blade and step it 15 times along the board, then drop the bottom cut by one tread thickness. Every mark is listed on this page, and the stringer layout page shows where each one goes.
Next door

Other step counts

Source

Where the limits come from

2 sources, with the date each was read

Building codes are adopted and amended locally. Confirm every figure with the code your jurisdiction has adopted before you cut.

Updated September 2026