Concrete steps calculator

Enter the total rise, the width and the tread. We split the rise into equal risers, add the landing and count the concrete in cubic yards and bags.

3 risers of 7.00 in and 2 treads plus the landing: 1.02 cu yd of concrete solid. Order 1.12 cu yd, which is 51 bags of 80 lb mix or 68 bags of 60 lb.

Total run: 58.0 in, 4.8 ft out from the wall
Cubic feet: 27.4 cu ft before the extra
80 lb bags: 51, $329.97 at $6.47 a bag
Ready-mix: $134.04 to $167.55 at $120.00 to $150.00 a cu yd delivered, worth pricing at this size

The riser count splits your rise into equal steps no taller than 7.75 in. The bag price is Quikrete 80 lb concrete mix at Home Depot, read Oct 13, 2026, before tax. Solid steps; a fill of compacted gravel or rubble inside the forms cuts the concrete on a tall flight.

Pouring a pad at the bottom? Concrete slab calculator

Cubic yards, bags, base and control joints for the slab.

Planning figures for solid steps on a compacted base. Your local code, frost depth and the building department decide footings, rebar and railings. Call 811 before you dig.

How the concrete steps calculator works

Enter the total rise from the ground to the top, the width of the steps, the tread depth and, if you want one, the landing. The concrete steps calculator splits the rise into equal risers, stacks the steps as solid blocks of concrete, adds the landing at the top and the extra to order, and counts the bags of 80 lb and 60 lb mix.

Risers and treads

A 21 in rise divided by 7.75 in is 2.7, so it takes 3 risers of exactly 7 in. With a top landing the last riser steps onto the landing, so there are 2 treads below it; without a landing, the top tread is the third. The total run of the example is 58.0 in, 4.8 ft out from the wall.

Volume

The bottom step is 7 in tall, the next 14 in, and the landing 21 in: 48 x 11 x 7, plus 48 x 11 x 14, plus 48 x 36 x 21, is 47,376 cubic inches, 27.4 cu ft. With 10% extra that is 1.12 cu yd, or 51 bags of 80 lb, $329.97 at the shelf price.

Bags or a truck

Up to about a cubic yard, 45 bags, mixing by hand or with a rented mixer is the usual way. Past that, price ready-mix; most plants charge a short-load fee under a few yards, so a tall flight with a big landing is often the point where the truck wins.

Concrete for common steps

Steps	Risers	Cubic yards	To order, +10%	80 lb bags
14 in rise, 48 in wide, no landing	2 of 7.00 in	0.24	0.26	12
21 in rise, 48 in wide, no landing	3 of 7.00 in	0.48	0.52	24
21 in rise, 48 in wide, 36 in landing	3 of 7.00 in	1.02	1.12	51
21 in rise, 60 in wide, 48 in landing	3 of 7.00 in	1.59	1.75	79
28 in rise, 48 in wide, 36 in landing	4 of 7.00 in	1.51	1.66	75
36 in rise, 48 in wide, 36 in landing	5 of 7.20 in	2.15	2.36	107

Steps down to a patio

Concrete steps from a back door are often the way down to a new patio. The concrete slab calculator counts the pad at the bottom, and if the steps lead to a deck instead, the stair stringer calculator lays out wood stairs.

Where the numbers come from

Riser, tread and landing limits are the 2021 International Residential Code, sections R311.3.1, R311.7.5.1, R311.7.5.2 and R311.7.6; your town may adopt a different edition or amend it. Bag yields are the Quikrete Concrete Mix 1101 data sheet: 0.6 cu ft for 80 lb, 0.45 cu ft for 60 lb. The bag price is Quikrete 80 lb concrete mix at the Home Depot Hamilton Mill store (ZIP 30011), read Oct 13, 2026, before tax. The ready-mix range, $120.00 to $150.00 a cubic yard, is HomeGuide, Stamped concrete cost (page dated Dec 23, 2025): concrete prices are $120 to $150 per cubic yard delivered for grades from 2,000 to 5,000 PSI, read Nov 6, 2026. The 10% order allowance is editorial.

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Questions

Anything else? Write to us or see every calculator.

Questions people ask

Treat the steps as stacked blocks. Each step is the width times the tread times its height above the ground; add them up, add the landing, and divide the cubic inches by 1,728 for cubic feet. Three risers of 7 in, two 11 in treads and a 36 in landing, 48 in wide, is 27.4 cu ft, 1.02 cu yd, and 51 bags of 80 lb mix with 10% extra.

An 80 lb bag makes 0.6 cu ft and a 60 lb bag 0.45 cu ft (Quikrete). Two solid 7 in steps, 48 in wide and 11 in deep, take 12 bags of 80 lb; three steps with a 36 in landing take 51.

No riser over 7.75 in and no tread under 10 in under the International Residential Code (R311.7.5), with every riser in the flight the same height to within 3/8 in. The calculator divides your total rise into the fewest equal risers that stay under 7.75 in.

At an exterior door, yes: a landing as wide as the door and at least 36 in deep in the direction of travel (IRC R311.3.1 and R311.7.6). Pour it with the steps. At the required exit door its top sits no more than 1-1/2 in below the threshold, or 7-3/4 in where the door does not swing over the landing (IRC R311.3.1).