How to measure steps
- Number of steps: count the risers, not counting the landing.
- Rise: the height of one step, from one tread to the next.
- Run: the depth of one tread, front to back.
- Width: side to side, between the forms.
- Landing: the depth of the flat platform at the top, front to back. Enter 0 if the steps go straight onto a porch or doorway.
Check your local building code for allowed rise and run before you build forms; this calculator works out the concrete for the sizes you enter.
How the volume of steps is calculated
Solid steps are poured as a stack of blocks. The first step is one rise tall, the second two rises, and so on, so the total is width × run × rise × (1 + 2 + … + number of steps). The sum 1 + 2 + … + N is N × (N + 1) ÷ 2. Here are three 36 in steps with a 7 in rise and 11 in run:
Steps
- Number of steps: 3
- Rise (height of each step): 7 in ÷ 12 = 0.5833 ft
- Run (depth of each tread): 11 in ÷ 12 = 0.9167 ft
- Width: 3 ft
- Landing depth at top: 0 ft
- Step blocks (1 + 2 + … + N): 3 × (3 + 1) ÷ 2 = 6
- Steps: 3 ft × 0.9167 ft × 0.5833 ft × 6 = 9.625 ft³
Total and order
- In cubic yards: 9.625 ft³ ÷ 27 = 0.3565 yd³
- With 5% extra: 0.3565 yd³ × 1.05 = 0.3743 yd³
- Order, rounded up to the next 0.25 yd³: 0.5 yd³
That's 9.63 ft³: 17 80-lb bags with 5% extra. Add a 36 in landing and it rises to 25.38 ft³, because the landing is a block as tall as the whole staircase.
Concrete for steps by number of steps
7 in rise, 11 in run, no landing. Bags include 5% extra.
| Steps | ft³ (36 in wide) | 80-lb bags | ft³ (48 in wide) | 80-lb bags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 step | 1.6 | 3 | 2.14 | 4 |
| 2 steps | 4.81 | 9 | 6.42 | 12 |
| 3 steps | 9.63 | 17 | 12.83 | 23 |
| 4 steps | 16.04 | 29 | 21.39 | 38 |
| 5 steps | 24.06 | 43 | 32.08 | 57 |
| 6 steps | 33.69 | 59 | 44.92 | 79 |
Tips for pouring steps
- Landings add up. Three 48 in steps with a 48 in landing are 40.83 ft³, 72 80-lb bags. Price ready-mix before you commit to bags.
- Fill big steps with clean rubble or gravel only if your plans allow it, then subtract that volume by adding a part set to subtract.
- Pour the steps with the slab or walk by adding both as parts, so one order covers both.
- Brace the riser forms. Wet concrete pushes hard on tall forms; see the weight under the result.
Questions people ask
How much concrete for 3 steps?
Three solid steps 36 in wide, each with a 7 in rise and 11 in run, take 9.63 ft³ (0.36 cubic yards). With 5% extra that's 17 80-lb bags.
Why does each extra step add so much concrete?
Solid steps are poured as blocks from the ground up, so the top step is the tallest block. Going from 3 to 4 steps in the example above raises the volume from 9.63 to 16.04 ft³.
How do I add a landing?
Enter the landing depth (front to back). The calculator treats the landing as a block at the height of the top step. A 36 in landing on the 3-step example raises the total to 25.38 ft³.
How do I measure rise and run?
Rise is the height of one step, from the top of one tread to the top of the next. Run is the depth of one tread, front to back. Width is measured side to side.
Related calculators
Sources
- QUIKRETE Concrete Mix No. 1101 product data sheet, retrieved October 2, 2026
- NRMCA, Concrete in Practice 31: Ordering Ready Mixed Concrete, retrieved October 2, 2026
- NRMCA, Concrete in Practice 36: Structural Lightweight Concrete, retrieved October 2, 2026
Last updated October 2, 2026. Read how we calculate, including formulas, waste defaults and rounding.