How much concrete for 3 steps?
Three solid steps 4 feet wide (7 inch rise, 11 inch run) with a 3 foot deep landing at the top take 33.8 cubic feet of concrete (1.25 cubic yards). With 10% extra that is 63 bags of 80 lb mix, or 83 of 60 lb. The three steps alone, without the landing, take 12.8 cubic feet: 24 bags of 80 lb.
How to work it out
- Step blocks: 4 ft × 11 in × 7 in × (1 + 2 + … + 3 = 6) + landing 36 in deep × 3 risers tall
- = 33.8 cu ft = 1.25 cu yd
- + 10% = 1.38 cu yd ÷ 0.6 cu ft per 80 lb bag = 63 bags
Three risers is the classic stoop up to a back door, about 21 inches of total rise. Where the steps lead to a door, a landing at the top is normally required — the International Residential Code calls for a landing or floor on each side of an exterior door (section R311.3), and your local code sets its size. That landing is most of the concrete.
Adjust for your project
More options: Extra
- Or ready-mix to order
- 1.38 cu yd (37.2 cu ft)
- Concrete before the extra
- 1.25 cu yd (33.8 cu ft)
- Total height
- 21 in
- Total depth (front of bottom step to back of top)
- 69 in
- Weight of the concrete (≈ 145 lb/cu ft)
- 4,906 lb (2 tons)
- Total to buy counts this as ready-mix. Switch “How will you buy it?” to bags if you are mixing it yourself.
- Steps attached to a house or porch may need footings below the frost line. Your building department will say.
3 steps with a 3 ft landing at other widths (10% extra)
| Step width | Bags of mix | Or ready-mix to order | Weight of the concrete (≈ 145 lb/cu ft) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 ft | 47 bags | 1.03 cu yd | 3,679 lb |
| 4 ft | 63 bags | 1.38 cu yd | 4,906 lb |
| 5 ft | 78 bags | 1.72 cu yd | 6,132 lb |
| 6 ft | 94 bags | 2.07 cu yd | 7,359 lb |
| 8 ft | 125 bags | 2.76 cu yd | 9,812 lb |
Where the concrete goes
The steps are a stack of blocks: the bottom one 4 ft wide, 33 in deep (three treads) and 7 in tall, the middle one 22 in deep, the top one 11 in deep — 12.8 cu ft in all. The landing sits behind the top step at the full 21 in height, so a 3 ft deep landing 4 ft wide adds 21 cu ft on its own, more than the three steps. Check the landing depth your code asks for and enter it; a deeper landing grows the order quickly.
Sixty-three 80 lb bags is about 1.4 cubic yards with the extra, and nearly 5,000 lb of concrete. That is a long day of mixing; many people order a small ready-mix load for a stoop with a landing, or fill the landing’s core with compacted gravel inside the forms if their plans allow it and subtract that volume. Fill the bottom step first and work up, giving the lower treads a few minutes to stiffen so the concrete doesn’t squeeze out under the riser boards.
Two, four or five steps
Each added step costs more than the last, and the landing grows with the total height. Without a landing, 2 steps take 12 bags, 3 take 24, 4 take 40 and 5 take 59 at this width and size. Check your riser and tread sizes against your local code before you build forms. The walk at the bottom is a small slab — how many bags of concrete for a 4×4 slab covers a typical one — and a curb or border alongside is on the curb calculator.
Different size? Use the full Concrete Steps Calculator.
What you’ll need
- Concrete edger and groover setBudget price
The edger rounds slab edges so they don’t chip; the groover cuts control joints while the concrete is still soft.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Steel form stakesMid-range price
Round steel stakes with nail holes hold slab and curb forms in line. Easier to drive and pull than wooden ones.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Magnesium hand floatBudget price
Closes the surface and pushes stones down after screeding, and prepares the slab for a broom or trowel finish.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links to products are affiliate links — they cost you nothing extra and help keep these calculators free.
Frequently asked questions
How much concrete for 3 steps without a landing?
0.48 cubic yards for three steps 4 feet wide, or 24 bags of 80 lb with 10% extra — only where the top step doesn’t serve a door.
How much concrete for 2 steps with a landing?
0.83 cubic yards with 10% extra, or 38 bags of 80 lb, with a 3 foot landing.
How much concrete for 4 steps with a landing?
2.01 cubic yards with 10% extra, or 91 bags of 80 lb. Ready-mix starts to make sense.
Sources
- Quikrete Concrete Mix (No. 1101) data sheet (opens in a new tab) — Yields: 40 lb ≈ 0.30, 50 lb ≈ 0.375, 60 lb ≈ 0.45, 80 lb ≈ 0.60, 90 lb ≈ 0.675 cu ft; unit weight ≈ 140 lb/cu ft; for pours 2 in thick or more; 6–9 pints of water per 80 lb bag; control joints every 6–8 ft; cure 5 days at 70 °F or above, 7 days at 50–70 °F; protect from freezing for 48 hours.
- NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C — General Tables of Units of Measurement (opens in a new tab) — 1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet; 1 cubic foot = 1,728 cubic inches.