Staircases are a crucial aspect of most buildings and provide easy access to different floors. They form the ‘core’ of the building and can be made with different materials like steel, concrete and wood. However, concrete or RCC staircases are the most commonly observed type, especially in residential and commercial buildings. What makes an RCC staircase stand out from stairs made with other materials? Keep reading to learn the answer and understand the RCC stair details and components, types of concrete staircases and the pros and cons of an RCC staircase design.
Overview of an RCC Staircase
An RCC staircase is made up of concrete that is reinforced with steel rods and connects different levels of a building. Steel reinforced concrete provides strength and stability to the staircase, enabling it to bear high amounts of loading. Offering several benefits over other materials that are used to make staircases, concrete staircases are widely used in buildings of all sizes and types across the world.
RCC Staircase Details and Components
A staircase design RCC unit typically has the following components:
- Tread: This is the flat, horizontal portion of a step on which people walk. Its width is between 220-250mm in residential buildings and 250-300mm in public buildings.
- Riser: It is the vertical portion of a step, whose height ranges between 120-150mm in public buildings and 150-180mm in residential buildings. Although absent in many modern designs for aesthetic reasons, risers provide safety by ensuring that a person’s foot does not fall through gaps while walking upstairs.
- Landing: A landing provides a break from climbing up steps continuously. It is recommended to provide a landing after a maximum of 13 steps in a flight.
- Supporting Beams/ Walls: RCC staircases are supported by side beams or load bearing walls. These supports are generally present along the length or width of landings.
Other elements, such as railings and flooring materials, help in forming a complete staircase unit. The Indian Standards code IS 456: 2000 provides guidelines for constructing RCC staircases.
Types of Concrete Staircases
Based on Staircase Profile
- Waist Slab Staircase: In such a staircase, the treads and risers are erected on a sloping concrete slab that spans across the landings on both sides. A waist-slab staircase has a clean, straight soffit or underside, which is easy to build and maintain.
- Folded Plate Staircase: This staircase is a monolithic structure with a bottom surface that is parallel to the treads and risers. A uniform thickness is maintained all along the staircase, which looks like a thickened zig-zagging line.
- Cantilevered RCC Stairs Design: Such a staircase typically does not have any risers and is supported by a sloping beam and/or wall that is located at the center or edge of the staircase width. These staircases have a floating appearance and are very popular in modern construction.
Based on Concrete Casting Method
- Precast Staircase: Individual steps and landings or entire staircases can be manufactured in factories and transported to the construction site as precast concrete units. Precast steps reduce the construction time and labour required and assure uniform quality in all the elements. They are especially beneficial for large buildings with multiple staircases that have the same design and size.
- Cast In-Situ RCC Staircase: The concrete in such a staircase is mixed and poured on the construction site after shuttering is placed and the steel reinforcement bars are bent and fixed. This method is ideal for small buildings with 1-2 staircases and in case customised designs are required.
Apart from these classifications, different types of stairs based on the shape—such as dog-legged, open well and L-shaped—can also be built with RCC.
Why Opt for an RCC Staircase?
- High Strength: RCC staircases have high tensile and compressive strength and can bear large live loads and dead loads. They can thus be used for low-rise as well as high-rise buildings with large occupancy levels.
- Maintenance and Durability: A steel staircase can undergo rusting, and a wooden staircase can rot, especially in regions with high humidity levels. However, a concrete staircase does not experience these issues, is extremely durable and requires little to no maintenance.
- Large Spans: Concrete staircases can have large spans of more than 1m with adequately designed supporting beams and/or walls, making them ideal for commercial spaces like shopping malls and hospitals.
- Fire Resistance: RCC is a non-combustible material and can resist fires better than other materials which are used for making staircases, such as steel and timber.
- Finishing Options: With the right shuttering, an RCC staircase can be left exposed to achieve a raw, industrial aesthetic with treads that are slip-resistant. If not, other flooring types like tiles, natural stone and wood can also be easily installed on concrete steps.
Limitations of an RCC Stairs Design
- Limited Flexibility: Unless ferrocement is used, it is generally difficult to mould RCC staircases into curvilinear or organic shapes and forms. The main steel reinforcement bars in these staircases are typically thick (around 12-16mm in diameter), making it tough to bend them into organic shapes.
- Construction Time and Cost: For cast-in-situ concrete staircases, processes like fixing shuttering materials, bending and installing steel rebars and concrete mixing, pouring and curing are required, all of which are more time-consuming than steel or wooden staircase erection. Precast concrete stairs can be fixed faster, but these are much more expensive.
- Labour Cost: Due to the intense and time-consuming labour processes, the cost of labour for making an RCC staircase is high.
- Weight: Compared to steel or wooden staircases, the weight of a concrete staircase is much higher. This increases the load on the structure and foundation, further increasing the construction cost.
Getting a Modern RCC Staircase Design
Advancements in technology have led to the possibility of innovative staircase designs. However, staircase RCC design requires careful analysis of structural and aesthetic requirements to ensure stability. Trusted construction companies in India, such as Brick & Bolt, employ qualified architects and structural engineers who work together to ensure the success of such designs. With 470+ quality tests conducted and a 10 year structural warranty provided for every project, premium quality is assured while maintaining the lowest construction prices. To get your RCC staircase custom-designed for your dream project, get in touch with Brick & Bolt today!
Apoorva H P Achar 
Hemali Patel