Wheelchair ramp length calculator.
Every code-compliant ramp in Canada starts with the same question: how much rise are you dealing with? Measure from the ground to the top of your door threshold, type it in, and the calculator gives you the ramp length at three slopes — including the 1:12 maximum from the National Building Code.
How long a ramp do you need?
Measure the total rise — ground to door threshold — and we'll do the code math.
Quick trick: at 1:12, the rise in inches equals the ramp length in feet. A 24-inch rise needs a 24-foot ramp. Long runs also need level resting landings — roughly every 9 m (30 ft) and at every turn — which our specialists plan into your layout.
How the math works
A slope ratio like 1:12 means one unit of rise for every twelve units of horizontal run. That gives you two handy rules of thumb:
- Imperial: at 1:12, the rise in inches equals the ramp length in feet. A 30-inch rise means a 30-foot ramp.
- Metric: at 1:12, multiply the rise by 12. A 60 cm rise means 7.2 m of ramp.
- Gentler is better: 1:12 is the legal maximum, not the comfort target. If you have the space, 1:15 or 1:20 is noticeably easier — especially for manual wheelchair users.
- Landings matter too: long runs need a level resting landing roughly every 9 m (30 ft), plus one at every turn and at the top and bottom. That's part of why a long ramp is a layout problem, not just a length problem.
A worked example
Say your front door sits three steps up, and the total rise measures 21 inches. At the 1:12 code maximum, that's a 21-foot ramp. On most properties a straight 21-foot run doesn't fit, so the layout turns: maybe 12 feet along the house, a level turning platform, then 9 more feet toward the driveway. Same total length, completely different footprint — and exactly the kind of thing our modular system is designed to solve without custom fabrication.
The calculator gets you 90% of the way. The last 10% — landings, turns, door swing, where the snow piles up in January — is what the free on-site measurement is for.