# Stair Winders & Landings (NCC 2025) How to turn a stair the right way — winder goings measured on the walking line, when you need a landing, and the 3-winders-per-quarter-turn rule. - Canonical HTML: https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/au/stairs/stair-winders-and-landings/ - Publisher: Chippy Tools - Updated: 2026-09-06 - Market: au - Code edition / reference: NCC 2025 - References: HP 11.2 - Scope: Australia; Class 1 and 10 Housing Provisions. Confirm local adoption and variations. - Source text checked: 2026-09-06 - Review scope: Official source cross-check; not a site-specific compliance assessment. ## The requirement Measured on the walking line, a winder’s going must be at least **240 mm** (**210 mm** on a spiral). You can use up to **3 winders** for a quarter turn, or 6 for a half turn, in place of a landing. A landing must be at least **750 mm** long (NCC 2025, Housing Provisions Part 11.2). Turning a stair is where a lot of good work goes wrong. You’ve got two ways to do it. A landing is a flat platform you step onto mid-flight. Winders are the pie-shaped turning treads that fan around a corner. Part 11.2 sets out how to do both safely. **Winders and the walking line.** A winder is a tapered tread. It’s wide on the outside of the turn and pinched to almost nothing on the inside. Its going (the depth you actually step onto) changes as you move across it. So the code measures it on a walking line, the path a person’s feet really take round the bend. Where that line sits depends on the stair: | Stair type | Where the walking line sits | |-------------------|-----------------------------------------------| | 1 m wide or less | Down the **middle** | | Wider than 1 m | **400 mm in** from each side | | Spiral / circular | **0.7 of the width** out from the centre pole | The going you measure on that line is the one that has to pass. It must meet **Table 11.2.2a**: | What | Minimum | Maximum | |------------------|------------|------------| | Going (standard) | **240 mm** | **355 mm** | | Going (spiral) | **210 mm** | **370 mm** | | Riser (standard) | **115 mm** | **190 mm** | | Riser (spiral) | **140 mm** | **220 mm** | Using winders instead of a landing? Then every winder must have the same going, a constant step round the whole turn. You can’t have a couple of generous ones and then a tight one that catches a heel. **Diagram labels:** 1; 2; 3; 400 mm; ≥ 240 mm NCC 2025 Housing Provisions 11.2 1. 1 walking line 2. 2 winder tread 3. 3 landing **Where winders are allowed.** Only in place of a landing, at a turn. Never part-way along a straight flight. Up to **3 winders** make a quarter turn (90 degrees). Up to **6 winders** make a half turn (180 degrees). Any more than that and you need a landing instead. **Landings.** A flight can have at most **18 risers** and at least 2. That cap is what forces a landing into a long run. You can’t just keep stacking steps forever. The landing rules (clause 11.2.5): - At least **750 mm** long. - On a turn, measure that 750 mm at a line **500 mm in** from the inside edge. That’s the tight side of the corner. It stops the short side cheating the length. - No steeper than **1:50**. - Must run the full width of any doorway that opens onto it. - You need a landing where a doorway opens onto a stair with a drop of more than **3 risers or 570 mm**. That way nobody steps straight out of a door into a fall. ## Work it out by hand You’re framing a quarter turn at the bottom of a stair. You want 3 winders instead of a landing. The stair is 900 mm wide, under a metre. So the walking line runs down the middle. 1. **Find the walking line.** 900 mm wide, so the line sits at 450 mm, the centre of the tread. 2. **Set the going on that line.** Your treads must give at least 240 mm of going on that middle line. Say you set them out so the walking line reads 250 mm. That clears the 240 mm minimum with a touch of room to spare. It also sits well under the 355 mm maximum. (250 mm is just an example set-out, not a code figure. The code figure is the 240 mm minimum.) 3. **Keep them equal.** These winders replace a landing, so all three must have the same going on the walking line. Mark and cut them off one story pole so they match. 4. **Check the count.** 3 winders for a 90-degree turn. That meets the count limit for this example. A half turn permits up to 6 winders in this scope. So: 3 equal winders, walking line down the middle, at least 240 mm of going on that line. This checks only the example’s going and winder count. Check the risers, 2R+G, headroom and all other rules before using the layout. ## Calculate and keep your working [Download the Chippy Tools code-check worksheet](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/printables/#code-check) to record the winder rules and approved details. The straight-flight stair worksheet does not set out winders. ## Related - Part of the [NCC rules for Australian chippies](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/au/ncc-for-chippies/) — the pillar guide, with the state-by-state adoption tracker. - Getting the straight runs right first? See [NCC stair requirements: riser, going & the 2R+G rule](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/au/stairs/ncc-stair-requirements/). - Fitting the barrier round the turn? See [Balustrade height requirements: when do you need one?](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/au/stairs/balustrade-height-requirements/). ## Sources - **NCC 2025, ABCB Housing Provisions Standard, Part 11.2 (Stairway and ramp construction)** — winder goings and the walking line (cl 11.2.2), Table 11.2.2a goings and risers, the 18/2 riser limits, and landings (cl 11.2.5). Confirm the 240 mm / 355 mm goings, the 115–190 mm risers, the 750 mm landing length, and the 3-winder quarter-turn / 6-winder half-turn rule at [the official NCC provision](https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/editions/ncc-2025/adopted/housing-provisions/11-safe-movement-and-access/part-112-stairway-and-ramp-construction). *(Confirmed against the NCC 2025 Housing Provisions Standard, source text checked 2026-09-06.)* Content adapted from the National Construction Code 2022, provided by the Australian Building Codes Board under the CC BY 4.0 licence. This page is general information for tradespeople and is not compliance, engineering or legal advice. Requirements are subject to state and territory variations and adoption timing. Always confirm requirements with your building certifier and relevant state authority. ## Frequently asked questions ### How do you measure the going on a winder? You measure it on a walking line, the path your feet take round the turn. Stair 1 m wide or less: the line runs down the middle. Wider than 1 m: it sits 400 mm in from each side. On a spiral it sits 0.7 of the width out from the centre pole. ### What is the minimum going on a stair winder? Measured on the walking line, the going must be at least 240 mm (210 mm on a spiral). The maximum is 355 mm (370 mm on a spiral). If winders replace a landing, every winder must have the same going. You can't mix wide and narrow ones. ### How many winders can you use to turn a stair? Up to 3 winders make a quarter turn (90 degrees). Up to 6 make a half turn (180 degrees). Winders are only allowed in place of a landing at a turn, never in a straight flight. ### When do you need a landing on a stair? A flight can have at most 18 risers and at least 2, so long runs need a landing. You also need one where a doorway opens onto a stair with a drop of more than 3 risers or 570 mm. A landing must be at least 750 mm long, no steeper than 1:50, and run the full width of any doorway. ### How long does a stair landing have to be? At least 750 mm. On a turn, you measure that 750 mm at a line 500 mm in from the inside edge, the tight side of the corner. That stops the short side cheating the length. The landing also has to be no steeper than 1:50. ## Source-check references - [NCC 2025 Housing Provisions 11.2.2 and Table 11.2.2a; 11.2.5](https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/editions/ncc-2025/adopted/housing-provisions/11-safe-movement-and-access/part-112-stairway-and-ramp-construction)