Calculating stair runner length online

Nothing to download and nothing to install — the calculator loads in any modern browser and recalculates as you type, which makes it practical to use standing on the stairs with a tape measure in the other hand.

You can enter the measurements on a phone and keep the result beside you while checking the flight.

Your staircase

Optional starting measurements

Example measurements only, not building-code advice. Replace them with measurements from your own stairs.

Check a few steps before using one set of measurements for the whole flight.

Number of stairs

Count the tread-and-riser pairs the runner will cover. Exclude landings.

Tread depth (in)

Measure the runner path across the flat tread. Fractions like 10 1/2 work.

Riser height (in)

The vertical face between two treads.

Waste allowance

Custom%

10% is the starting allowance here, not a guarantee. Ask your fitter about patterns and turns.

Add a nosing / overhang allowance per step

Enter the extra runner path around the edge, including any underside wrap. Do not add it twice if it is already included in your measurements.

Your runner estimate

20 ft 3.1 in

Total runner required for 13 steps, including a 10% waste allowance.

Total runner length in each unit
Inches	243.1 in
Feet	20.26 ft
Feet & inches	20 ft 3.1 in
Yards	6.75 yd
Meters	6.17 m
Centimeters	617.47 cm

Length to order

21 ft

7 yd · 6.4 m · 252 in

This calculator provides an estimate based on the measurements and installation assumptions you enter. Complex, curved or winder staircases may require professional measurement.

One step, shown in profile

Side elevation of a staircase. The runner travels across each tread and down each riser, so every step consumes tread depth plus riser height of material.

Use it on site

Measure one step, enter it, and the total updates immediately. If a tread turns out to be a quarter inch deeper than you thought, change one field and watch the order length move.

Works offline once loaded

Because the arithmetic runs client-side, a dropped signal in a stairwell does not stop the tool from working once the page has loaded.

Share the result instead of retyping it

The share button builds a link that carries your figures. Send it to your installer or client and they open the same calculation on their own device.

Questions people ask

Do I need to install an app?: No. It is a web page — open it in Safari, Chrome, Firefox or Edge on any device.
Does it work on a phone?: Yes, the interface is designed mobile-first with large touch targets and a results panel that stays readable on small screens.

Related guides

See all stair runner calculator guides