The stair balance: rise, going & pitch

You're setting out a 6-riser timber flight from a deck down to the yard — before a single stringer gets marked. Drag the sliders and watch the pitch line, the 2R + G rule and the run change. Mission: bring all four checks into the green.

One flight: 6 risers, 5 goings, handrail and balustrade to the open side of the flight and landing. The dashed amber line is the site limit — the garden path starts 1700 mm out from the deck.

Set out your riser and going

Riser R — vertical200 mm

90115 – 190 ✓230

Going G — horizontal230 mm

200240 – 355 ✓400

Mission — four green checks

Riser Going 2R+G Pitch

—

pitch angle

—

2R + G

—

total rise · 6R

deck height

—

total run · 5G

—

✔ Compliant flight — ready to mark the stringers

The takeaway: a stair is a three-way balance — comfort (2R + G ≈ 550–700 mm matches a natural stride), safety limits (riser and going ranges), and the run you actually have on site. A bigger going flattens the flight and stretches the run; a bigger riser steepens the climb and shortens it. On the job you set risers and goings to the regulated pitch on your stringers before you cut — exactly what you just did.

Keep exploring — try trading riser against going and watch 2R + G hold the balance.

The compliant zone — every riser-and-going pair at a glance

Riser, going and 2R + G all within NCC limits.

Pitch lines — the comfortable band sits between 30° and 38°.

Tap or drag on the map to jump straight to any riser-and-going pair — the elevation redraws live.

The limits this model checks (NCC — private stairways)

Check	Limit	Why it matters
Riser R	115 – 190 mm	Too low trips toes; too high overworks legs and drops heels.
Going G	240 – 355 mm	The whole foot needs to land on the tread — especially coming down.
2R + G	550 – 700 mm	Matches a natural walking stride, so the rhythm feels right.
Pitch	~30° – 38° comfortable	Over 38° feels like a ladder; well under 30° eats your run.

Also on external stairs: keep every riser and going uniform through the flight, and treads need a non-slip finish. Confirm exit and ground levels from the site drawings before you calculate — the deck height fixes your total rise.