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Stairs that feel right

20 April 2026

A stair is comfortable when riser and going follow the length of a human step. The rule is old and still works.

People notice a bad stair within three steps, even if they cannot say why. Almost always the cause is a riser and going that do not match the natural length of a stride.

The step rule

Two risers plus one going should come to 600-640 mm. A riser of 170 mm with a going of 280 mm gives 620 mm - a stair most people climb without thinking.

The rule goes back to the seventeenth century and has survived because it describes the body rather than a fashion. Shallow, deep steps suit public buildings and long flights; steeper steps save floor area in a small house but should stay within the range above.

Other numbers worth keeping

• Clear headroom of at least 2.0 m measured vertically from the pitch line
• Handrail height of 900 mm above the nosing, continuous from bottom to top
• No more than 16 risers in a flight before a landing
• Every riser in a flight the same height - a difference of a few millimetres is enough to trip someone

Check the last point on site. The finished floor at the top and bottom is often thicker or thinner than drawn, and the first or last riser quietly absorbs the difference.