Measuring runner length across a landing

A landing is a flat run of runner between two flights, and it is where most DIY calculations go wrong — people count the steps and forget the three feet of floor in the middle.

Add each landing by its depth (front to back, in the direction the runner travels) and the calculator includes it in the total, the diagram and the materials list.

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.

Measuring a landing correctly

Measure along the path the runner will take, not the width of the landing. On a straight half landing that is the distance from the top nosing of the lower flight to the bottom nosing of the upper flight — commonly 36 to 48 in.

Quarter landings and turns

On an L-shaped stair with a quarter landing, the runner usually turns through 90°. Most fitters cut and rejoin at the turn rather than folding, so allow for two cut ends and a little extra length at the corner.

Should the landing be one piece with the flight?

If your total runs longer than the roll length, the landing is the best place to put a seam — it is flat, it is walked across rather than stepped on, and the join sits away from the eye line. The seam planner compares your estimate with an available piece length; it does not choose a safe join position or account for pattern repeats.

Questions people ask

Do I add the landing depth to the runner length?: Yes. Measure the landing along the direction the runner travels and add it to the total for the flights above and below it.
Can I have more than one landing?: Yes — add each landing separately with its own depth, and the calculator sums them into the overall length.

Related guides

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