Craft Quantities
Plan & Takeoffs

Materials & Quantities

Accessible Ramp Flights and Landings Calculator (Approved Document M)

An accessible ramp's flights and landings under Approved Document M, from its total rise and gradient, and the length of the whole ramped approach.

  • Answers as you type
  • Every formula cited
  • Calculated in your browser
SettingsSettings for this calculationUS
Market
Imperial · sales tax
The whole height the ramped approach climbs, from the lower level to the upper.

Measure from the finished ground or floor at the foot to the finished level at the top. Several flights share this rise; the page divides it into equal flights no steeper and no longer than Approved Document M allows.

Enter 15 for a gradient of 1:15 — from 12, the steepest, to 20, the shallowest ramp.

The steeper the ramp, the shorter each flight must be: Approved Document M allows 1:12 only on the shortest flights and 1:20 on the longest, with a straight line between. A shallower ramp is easier to climb and needs fewer landings per metre of rise, at the cost of a longer approach.

Length of the ramped approach, landings included

62.72 ft

High confidence

At 1:15 the rise divides into 3 equal flights, each within the going and rise Approved Document M's Table 1 allows at that gradient, with a landing at the head and the foot and 2 between. With three flights or more, landings at least 1800 mm (about 5 ft 11 in) square are needed as passing places. The rise is over 300 mm (about 12 in), so clearly signed steps are needed as well as the ramp.

Flights
3 flights
Rise of each flight
12 in
Going of each flight
15 ft
Longest going Approved Document M allows at this gradient
16.4 ft
Sloped length, all flights
45 ft
Each landing at the head and foot, at least
3.94 ft
Intermediate landings
2 landings
Each intermediate landing, at least
4.92 ft
Then change the inputs to see how far the answer moves.

Show calculation logic

How this was calculated

Formula source(s)

  • Approved Document M Volume 2, Table 1, Limits for ramp gradients: a flight with a 10 m going may be 1:20 with a maximum rise of 500 mm, a 5 m going 1:15 with 333 mm, and a 2 m going 1:12 with 166 mm; for goings between 2 m and 10 m the gradient may be interpolated — 1:14 for a 4 m going, 1:19 for a 9 m going
  • Approved Document M Volume 2, para 1.26: no flight with a going over 10 m or a rise over 500 mm; landings at the foot and head at least 1.2 m long and intermediate landings at least 1.5 m, clear of door swings; 1800 mm by 1800 mm passing places where one end of the ramp cannot be seen from the other or there are three flights or more; a surface width of at least 1.5 m; an alternative such as a lift where the total rise is over 2 m; and signed steps as well where the rise is over 300 mm

Inputs used

Total Rise of the Approach
3 ft
Ramp Gradient, 1 in
15

Intermediate steps

Flights
3 flights
Rise of each flight
12 in
Going of each flight
15 ft
Longest going Approved Document M allows at this gradient
16.4 ft
Sloped length, all flights
45 ft
Each landing at the head and foot, at least
3.94 ft
Intermediate landings
2 landings
Each intermediate landing, at least
4.92 ft
Final result62.72 ft

Confidence note: At 1:15 the rise divides into 3 equal flights, each within the going and rise Approved Document M's Table 1 allows at that gradient, with a landing at the head and the foot and 2 between. With three flights or more, landings at least 1800 mm (about 5 ft 11 in) square are needed as passing places. The rise is over 300 mm (about 12 in), so clearly signed steps are needed as well as the ramp.

What this calculation does not cover

  • Straight flights in one line. A ramp that turns needs landings sized for the turn, and a door opening onto a landing needs its clear space on top of the landing's length.
  • It lays out the flights and landings only. The surface width, handrails on both sides, kerbs on open sides, the slip resistance of the surface and the level of each landing are separate requirements of the same paragraph.
  • Approved Document M applies in England. The ADA's rule is different — 1:12 at the steepest, with a landing every 30 in (760 mm) of rise — and has its own calculator on this site.
3 ft
Schematic, drawn to the proportions you entered — not to scale on screen.

Computed in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded. Presented in US customary units and US trade terminology. Where a formula follows a published standard, that standard and its edition are cited beside it on this page; where none governs, the page says so. Local amendments override model codes — verify against the code in force where you build.

Sources checked 2026-09-22 · v1.0.0

Regulatory standards & verification citations2
  1. Approved Document M Volume 2, Table 1, Limits for ramp gradients: a flight with a 10 m going may be 1:20 with a maximum rise of 500 mm, a 5 m going 1:15 with 333 mm, and a 2 m going 1:12 with 166 mm; for goings between 2 m and 10 m the gradient may be interpolated — 1:14 for a 4 m going, 1:19 for a 9 m going
  2. Approved Document M Volume 2, para 1.26: no flight with a going over 10 m or a rise over 500 mm; landings at the foot and head at least 1.2 m long and intermediate landings at least 1.5 m, clear of door swings; 1800 mm by 1800 mm passing places where one end of the ramp cannot be seen from the other or there are three flights or more; a surface width of at least 1.5 m; an alternative such as a lift where the total rise is over 2 m; and signed steps as well where the rise is over 300 mm

Which documents these citations point at

  • Approved Documents to the Building Regulations (England) — M (United Kingdom)Practical guidance on meeting the Building Regulations, one lettered part per subject — Part A structure, Part B fire, Part K protection from falling, Part L conservation of fuel and power, and the rest.

A code or standard has force only where a jurisdiction has adopted it, usually with local amendments. This site holds no adoption data for any authority, so check what is in force with the authority where you build. Any section cited above without an edition should be checked against the edition in force where you build. What it would take to know.

Cite this page

Your workspace

Most jobs need more than one number. Add the calculators you need next and they open right here, underneath this one — your figures stay on screen and nothing is lost to a page change.

How to calculate accessible ramp flights and landings (approved document M) in 3 steps

  1. Total Rise of the ApproachThe whole height the ramped approach climbs, from the lower level to the upper.
  2. Ramp Gradient, 1 inEnter 15 for a gradient of 1:15 — from 12, the steepest, to 20, the shallowest ramp.
  3. Length of the ramped approach, landings includedThe tool computes the length of the ramped approach, landings included from those figures and shows the formula, its sources, and a confidence rating alongside it.

Length of the ramped approach, landings included by total rise of the approach

Page defaults, not your figures above.

Total Rise of the ApproachLength of the ramped approach, landings included (ft)
2 ft42.8
3 ft62.7
4 ft82.6
5 ft103

Frequently asked questions

Why does a steeper ramp need shorter flights?
Because the effort of pushing a wheelchair up a slope grows with both its steepness and its length. Approved Document M's Table 1 allows a flight 10 m (about 33 ft) long at 1:20, 5 m (about 16 ft) at 1:15 and only 2 m (about 6 ft 7 in) at 1:12, and says the gradients in between may be interpolated — 1:14 for a 4 m going, 1:19 for 9 m. Every flight in every case rises 500 mm (about 20 in) at most.
What landings does the ramp need?
One at the foot and one at the head, each at least 1.2 m (about 3 ft 11 in) long and clear of door swings, and one between each pair of flights at least 1.5 m (about 4 ft 11 in) long. Where one end of the ramp cannot be seen from the other, or there are three flights or more, some landings must be at least 1800 mm (about 5 ft 11 in) square so that two wheelchairs can pass.
When are steps needed as well as a ramp?
When the rise is over 300 mm (about 12 in) — two steps' worth. Some people who can walk find a ramp harder than steps, and a wet ramp is a slip risk, so Approved Document M asks for clearly signed steps beside a ramp of that height. Over 2 m (about 6 ft 7 in) of total rise a ramp alone is too tiring, and an alternative such as a lift is needed for wheelchair users.
How does this differ from the ADA's ramp rule?
The ADA allows 1:12 as its steepest running slope for any length of run and asks for a landing at least 60 in (1525 mm) long after every 30 in (760 mm) of rise. Approved Document M ties the gradient to the going instead, so a 1:12 ramp in England may only run 2 m between landings. The same building therefore gets a longer approach in England than in the United States, and the two rules are on separate pages here.
Preliminary estimate, not certified engineering. This tool produces an indicative quantity calculation for planning purposes only — it is not a certified structural analysis, a guaranteed material takeoff, or a substitute for building department approval. Always verify measurements on-site and have a licensed contractor or structural engineer review any load-bearing, code-sensitive, or safety-critical work before purchasing materials or starting construction. Spotted an arithmetic or standards error? Report it to contact@craftquantities.com with your inputs — a confirmed fix gets a permanent check of its own, so the same mistake cannot come back.