U-shaped stairs
This u-shaped staircase calculator takes your total rise and divides it across two flights that turn back around a landing. The calculator keeps a single riser height across both flights, and they run parallel in opposite directions, folding the stairway back on itself to fit a tight footprint.
U-shaped stairs
You can set the tread run higher than the 10 in residential minimum.
Tap or type into any yellow number on the drawing to change it.
At the landing, a U-shaped stairway bends roughly 180 degrees, so the two flights run parallel in opposite directions. That lets a stairway fit into a tight footprint by putting two flights into roughly the length of one. The calculator divides the total rise across two flights, splitting risers as evenly as possible. Every step then has a single height, and a landing between the flights runs the stairway width on each side. Steps are cut into or attached to a diagonal board called a stringer. The stringer count targets a nominal 16-inch spacing: the stair width divided by 16 inches, rounded down, plus one. A 36-inch-wide stair gets 3 stringers at 18 inches on centre. This site also has a straight stair calculator and an L-shaped variant for a single corner turn.
Depending on the unit system chosen, total rise, tread run, and width display in inches or centimeters.
What floor area does a U-shaped stairway save compared with a straight run?
The two flights run parallel in opposite directions after the stairway turns roughly 180 degrees at the landing. That puts two flights into roughly the length of one, which is why it suits a tight footprint.
Is the riser height the same on both flights of a U-shaped stairway?
Yes. Two flights share a single riser height because the calculator divides the total rise between them, which makes every step in either flight identical.
How does a U-shaped stairway differ from an L-shaped stairway?
At the landing a U-shaped stairway turns roughly 180 degrees, so its two flights run parallel in opposite directions. An L-shaped stairway makes a single corner turn, which is a 90 degree change in direction.