How to calculate Stair Rise and Run

1.) Determine total rise (finish floor height to finish floor height) in Inches
2.) Find # of Risers- Divide total rise by 7 (ideal riser height)
3.) Take the answer from step two and Round up or down to the nearest whole
number (14, 15, 16 etc.) since we cant have 14.3 risers, etc.
4.) Divide total rise (in inches) by the whole number of risers that you found in
step 3. This gives you the total rise of each stair.
5.) Find the number of Treads required- there is always one less tread than the
total number of risers. Ex. 14 risers = 13 treads.
6.) Figure total run by multiplying ideal tread width x # of treads.
7.) Adjust Run/Tread width as needed to meet the needs of your floor plan but
remember to stay within the code allowed tread width min. of 9

Example Formula:
Step 1. Determine the total rise in inches finished floor to finished floor
inch plywood
9 floor joist
3 top plates
104 5/8 studs
+_1 bottom plate_________________
119.125 inches (119 1/8 ) Total Rise

Step 2. Find the total number of risers required.

Divide total rise by 7
119.125 / 7 =17.018
Step 3. Round the answer you got in step 2 up or down to nearest whole number
= 17 risers
Step 4. Divide total rise (in inches) by this number
119.125 / 17 = 7.007 inches (or rounded down 7) -This is your riser height for EACH RISER
Adjust up or down as needed to meet code/preferences (ex. If you wanted a higher riser height than 7
and want to shorten the total run of your stairs, simply take 119.125 (total rise) / 16 [rounded 17.018
down to the next lowest whole number] = 7.45 riser height.
Step 5. Find the total number of treads
17 risers -1 = 16 treads
Step 6. Find the total run by multiplying the ideal tread width x # of treads
16 treads x 11 ideal tread width = 176 (14 8) total run

A few notes for residential straight treads:

Ideal Riser height is around 7 inches, Ideal Tread width is around 11 inches
Code Allowed Rise: 8 MAX Code Allowed Tread width: 9 MIN
For a nice set of stairs: 2 rise + 1 tread = 25