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The International Building Code requires individual step risers in a residential staircase to measure between 4 and 7-3/4 inches and the maximum rise of a staircase not to exceed 12 feet between landings. Individual step treads can’t be less than 10 inches deep.

Concrete should be at least 4 inches thick for steps. This thickness boosts stability and prevents cracking and deterioration. After you’ve built your forms out of wood, fill the void with a sand or gravel base for concrete. Use an all-purpose concrete mix to form your steps. After pouring your concrete steps, be sure to screed and float the concrete. 

If you don’t put gravel under concrete, the concrete can crack, sink, bow, or crumble. Even the concrete forming process will not go as smoothly if you are working directly on the soil or bare bedrock. The lack of a proper gravel layer can also lead to drainage issues below your slab, leading to water issues throughout your lawn and around your foundation.

It’s possible to pour concrete if the temperatures are expected to dip below freezing at night, but you need to take some special precautions before you do. Most importantly, you need to make sure your concrete won’t freeze, so the best thing to do is enclose the area and heat it. You should also make sure you’re using cold-weather concrete that’s designed for pouring in cold weather. Use accelerants to help speed up the curing process and avoid cold temperatures from resulting in weak concrete.