Guide · For the trade
How wide should a stair runner be: the reveal, the three standard widths and when to cut custom
How wide a stair runner should be comes down to the reveal: leave 3 to 5 inches of tread showing on each side, which puts a 27 inch runner on a standard 36 inch stair, a 32 inch runner on a 40 to 42 inch stair and a 36 inch runner on a 44 to 48 inch stair. Measure the tread between the skirt boards or balusters, not the nominal width, and if the stair is wider than 48 inches or changes width, cut the runner to a custom width from broadloom.
This guide is for the designer or the junior sizing a stair runner on a plan, or specifying one on a stair that is not a plain 36 inch straight run. It covers the reveal rule, how to measure, the standard widths against stair widths, custom widths, how binding and pattern change the number, and what the width does to the yardage.
The reveal rule: 3 to 5 inches each side
A stair runner is sized by what it leaves uncovered. The strip of tread showing on each side is the reveal, and the stair reads right when it is between 3 and 5 inches. At 2 inches the runner looks like wall-to-wall carpet that missed the edges; at 7 inches it looks narrow and the client walks on wood. Equal reveals on both sides are the rule, and the installer centers the runner on the tread, not on the stringer.
How wide should a stair runner be: width by stair width
| Tread width between skirts | Runner width | Reveal each side | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 34 to 36 in | 27 in | 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 in | Woven runner line, or cut from broadloom |
| 38 to 42 in | 32 in | 3 to 5 in | Woven runner line, or cut from broadloom |
| 44 to 48 in | 36 in | 4 to 6 in | Woven runner line, or cut from broadloom |
| 48 to 60 in | 40 to 50 in, custom | 4 to 5 in | Cut from broadloom and serged or bound |
| Over 60 in | Full width, or a wide custom runner | 5 to 6 in, or none | Broadloom wall to wall, or a 15 ft roll cut lengthwise |
The 27 inch stair runner is the one most lines are woven in, because 36 inches has been the residential stair width since the building codes settled on it. The 32 and 36 inch widths exist for the wider stairs in larger houses and for halls. Beyond that every width is custom, and that is no harder to order; see the custom runner guide.
How to measure the stair for width
Ask the installer, or the junior on site, for three numbers: the tread width between the skirt boards at the top step, the middle and the bottom step, taken at the back of the tread. If the bottom one or two treads flare, as with a bullnose starting step, the runner stays at the width of the straight run and the flared steps show more reveal. If a stair is wider at the top than the bottom by more than an inch, we have the runner cut to the narrowest tread, with the reveal growing toward the wide end.
Width when the runner is cut from broadloom
Any of our 3,671 broadloom styles can become a stair runner at any width, cut lengthwise from a 12 ft, 13 ft 2 in or 15 ft roll and finished at the edges. The finish adds to the width: serging adds about 1/4 inch per side and a cotton or linen binding tape about 1/2 to 1 1/4 inches per side, so the cut width is the finished width minus the finish. Write the finished width on the order and we take care of the arithmetic. A wide fabric or leather border on a stair runner is unusual because the border lands on the nosing and wears first; a narrow serged edge is the stair standard, and the binding and serging guide covers the choices.
Pattern changes the width question too. A woven runner with a border has its width fixed by the loom and cannot be trimmed without losing the border; a broadloom pattern cut to a custom width needs the cut placed so the motif is centered. Width holds through a landing and across winders, and the stair runner with landing guide lays out the layouts and yardage for each.
What the width does to the yardage
Width sets how the runner is cut, not how much length the stair needs. Length is the stair count times about 20 inches per step for a standard 10 to 11 inch tread and 7 to 7 3/4 inch riser, plus landings at their full depth, plus 10 percent for waste and pattern. A 15 ft roll yields six 27 inch strips, five 32 inch strips or five 36 inch strips, which is why a long stair-and-hall run in a custom width is often cut from one roll with little waste. Send the stair count, the tread width and the landing dimensions and we return the yardage with the quote.
What to tell the installer about width
Specify the finished width, the reveal in inches, that the runner is centered on the tread between the skirts, and the method: waterfall or Hollywood wrap, tackless strip or stapled, with 1/4 to 3/8 inch dense pad cut 1 inch narrower than the runner on each side so the edges lie flat. On a wood stair, specify that the reveal is finished before the runner goes down; the stair runner on hardwood guide has the sequence. Stair rods are ordered 2 inches wider than the runner so the finials clear the edges; the stair rods guide has the sizes.
Questions designers ask
How big is a stair runner?
Standard runners are 27, 32 or 36 inches wide and sold by the linear foot, or in a woven line by the piece. A 13 or 14 step straight stair needs about 25 linear feet; with a landing and a turn, about 30. A custom width can be cut from any broadloom, up to the full 15 ft width of a roll.
What is the 7-11 rule for stairs?
It is the building code proportion for a comfortable stair: a riser of about 7 inches and a tread of about 11 inches. It matters to the runner because riser plus tread plus the wrap over the nosing is what each step consumes, roughly 18 to 19 inches on a 7-11 stair, which is why we estimate 20 inches of runner per step.
What type of carpet is best for stairs?
A dense, low-pile construction in wool or nylon: a woven Wilton, a tight loop, a low cut pile under 1/2 inch. Avoid a thick plush, a high loop that catches heels and anything in viscose or silk. The best carpet for stairs guide ranks the constructions and the wool stair runners guide covers the fiber.
How do you calculate a stair runner?
Count the steps and multiply by 20 inches, add every landing at its full depth plus 2 inches per turn, add 10 percent for waste and pattern matching, and round up to the next whole foot. For width, take the tread width between the skirts and subtract 8 to 10 inches for the two reveals. Send us the stair count and the tread width and we check the math before the order is placed.
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