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Table of Content

1. Thumb Rules for Construction Cost ................................................................................................... 4

2. Cost of Building General % thumb rules .......................................................................................... 6
3. Cost Per Sqft on Construction Area for High Rise Building ...................................................... 7
4. Cost of construction per sq ft for a 1000 sq ft house ................................................................. 8
5. Thumb rule for Depth of Foundation ................................................................................................ 8
6. Thumb rule for Steel Reinforcement .................................................................................................. 9
7. Binding Wire ............................................................................................................................................ 11
8. Thumb rule for Excavation .................................................................................................................. 12
9. Thumb rule for Concrete ..................................................................................................................... 13
10. Thumb rule for Concrete Mix Design ............................................................................................. 14
11. Thumb rule for Shuttering work ....................................................................................................... 15
12. Thumb rule for Cement ....................................................................................................................... 17
13. Thumb rule for Foundation ................................................................................................................ 18
14. Thumb rule for Column ....................................................................................................................... 18
15. Thumb rule for Beam ............................................................................................................................ 19
16. Thumb rule for Slab............................................................................................................................... 19
17. Thumb rule for Brick Work ................................................................................................................. 20
18. Thumb Rules For Civil Engineers for Cement Masonry Quantity:........................................ 21
19. Thumb rule for Plaster Work .............................................................................................................. 22
20. Thumb rule for Flooring Work .......................................................................................................... 23
21. Thumb rule for Waterproofing Work .............................................................................................. 24

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Course Title: Thumb Rules in Building Construction

Course Overview:
• Practical formulas and methods to estimate materials, labor, and costs in construction
projects. Designed for architects, engineers, and contractors, it simplifies planning
and decision-making by offering approximate guidelines without the need for
detailed analysis or advanced tools.

Key Learning Points:

• Material Estimation: Rules for concrete, steel, bricks, and other materials.
• Structural Dimensions: Quick sizing for beams, columns, slabs, and foundations.
• Cost Estimation: Guidelines for calculating construction costs and budgeting.
• Application: Real-world examples for residential, commercial, and industrial projects..

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Thumb Rules for Construction Cost

• Thumb Rule of Civil Engineering or the thumb rule for construction helps you in finding
out the solution using a simple mathematical formula and make smart decisions
whenever needed.
• But, while using these thumb rules, you must remember that the thumb rule never
gives the exact or accurate results, you just have used them for approximate results
• There is a number Of Thumb Rule for Civil Engineers that we used in construction work.
So, the following are some most frequently used Thumb rules on the Construction site

The Average cost of construction based on the quality of construction per

sqft is shown below

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• Various Costs Associated with Construction Costs.

Cost of Land

Various Cost Associated

with Construction Cost
Cost of Layout,
Design & Planning

Labour Costs

Raw Materials
Cost
Cost of Regulatory
and Laws

Cost of Civil Work

Cost of Finishing

Cost of Construction = Area of Land or Plot x Construction Rate per Sqft

Type of Construction Basic Quality Good Quality Best Quality

Average Area 1000 Sq ft 1000 Sqft 1000 Sqft

Estimate for Construction Rs. 17,00,000 Rs. 18,50,000 Rs. 25,00,000

Construction Cost Per Sq ft Rs 1,700 Rs.1,850 Rs. 2,500

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Cost of Building General % thumb rules

In % of Total
Type Remark
Cost
Material Cost ( In % of
60-70
total cost) Residential
Labour Cost ( In % of total Building
25-35
Cost of Material & cost)
Labour Material Cost ( In % of
65-75
total cost) Commercial
Labour Cost ( In % of total Building
20-30
cost)
Direct Cost 85
Direct & Overhead
Cost
Overhead Cost 15

Cost of Substructure 15
Foundation &
Superstructure
Cost of Superstructure 85

Plumbing & Sanitary Work 8

Electrical & Sanitary
Work
Cost of Electrical Work 8

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Cost Per Sqft on Construction Area for High Rise Building

Cost / Sqft on
Sr. No. Particulars Construction % Cost
Area
1 Preliminary works 6.49 0.23%
2 Piling 43.41 1.54%
3 Core & Shell 1,146.72 40.79%
3.1 Earth work 22.61 0.80%
3.2 RCC work 1,122.58 39.93%
3.3 Cement in Masonry/Blockwork 1.24 0.04%
3.4 Internal Plaster 0.15 0.05%
3.5 External Plaster 0.15 0.05%
4 Alluform shuttering 62.86 2.24%
5 Waterproofing work 74.62 2.65%
5.1 Waterproofing works-Labour+Material 61.89 2.20%
5.2 Membrane waterproofing for STP & UGWT 8.36 0.30%
5.3 Expansion & Construction joints 4.37 0.16%
6 Finishing Work 632.39 22.49%
6.1 Internal Wall Finish 88.59 3.15%
6.2 Painting - External 63.74 2.27%
6.3 False Ceiling 10.47 0.37%
6.4 Tiling work 209.01 7.43%
6.5 Carpentry work 97.09 3.43%
6.6 Aluminium Work 95.60 3.40%
6.7 Fabrication works 67.90 2.42%
7 Services 603.26 21.46%
7.1 Plumbing 206.59 7.35%
7.2 Electrical work 196.78 7.00%
7.3 Lifts / Elevators 72.27 2.57%
7.4 Fire Fighting 102.43 3.64%
7.5 Solar system 8.86 0.32%
7.6 OWD,STP and UGT Work 16.33 0.58%
8 Consultancy Cost 43.63 1.55%
9 Entrance Lobby 22.46 0.80%
10 Elevation 11.46 0.41%
11 Infra works 90.88 3.23%
12 Miscellaneous 73.22 2.60%
TOTAL PROJECT COST Rs. 2,811 per Sqft 100%

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Cost of construction per sq ft for a 1000 sq ft house

Total Average
Component Cost per unit / sq. ft.
Cost
Cement Rs 420 per bag Rs 2,35,200
TMT Steel Bars Rs 80 per kg Rs 3,36,000
M-Sand Rs 45 per sq ft Rs 63,000
P-Sand Rs 45 per sq ft Rs 63,000
20mm Aggregate Rs 50 per sq ft Rs 70,000
40mm Aggregate Rs 50 per sq ft Rs 70,000
Gravel Rs 40 per sq ft Rs 56,000
Bricks Rs 6 per brick Rs 1,40,000
Wood Works + Furnishing Rs 150 per sq ft Rs 2,10,000
Electrical (Material + Labour) Rs 120 per sq ft Rs 1,68,000
Plumbing (Materials + Labour) Rs 100 per sq ft Rs 1,40,000
Painting (Materials + Labour) Rs 75 per sq ft Rs 1,05,000
Flooring Rs 100 per sq ft Rs 1,40,000
Wall Tiles (Kitchen & Bathrooms) Rs 150 per sq ft Rs 2,10,000
Granite Rs 200 per sq ft Rs 2,80,000
Extras (Building Approval, Design Fees,
Rs 6,00,000 - Rs 7,00,000 Rs 6,50,000
etc.)
Total Estimate Rs 27,26,000

Thumb rule for Depth of Foundation

As per IS Code – 1080 – 1982

Depth of foundation for multistorey building = 5 to 10 % of the height of the building

Example:

No. of floors = 20 Floors and OHT = 5 m

Ground floor to 1st floor height = 4 m

Floor to floor height = 3 m

Total Height of Building = 4 + (20x3) + 5 = 69 meter

Total height of building = 5 to 10 %

= 69* 0.05 to 69 * 0.1

= 3.45 to 6.9 meter

It depends on type of soil condition

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Thumb rule for Steel Reinforcement

• Lapping is not allowed for the bars more than 32mm dia
• Minimum steel required in column = 0.8 % of gross area of concrete & Maximum
steel required in column = 6% of the gross area of concrete
• At least 4 bars should be used in square column and 6 bars used in circular column

Weight of steel bar per meter length

• Weight of steel bar per meter = ("d²" /𝟏𝟔𝟐) kg/m

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Table: Unit weight of Steel Bars

Diameter of Bar in mm Unit weight of bar in Kg/m

8mm 0.395

10mm 0.617

12mm 0.89

16mm 1.58

20mm 2.47

25mm 3.86

32mm 6.32

40mm 9.87

Steel thumb rule as per type of structure

Steel Reinforcement as per

Description Remark
Builtup Area for RCC Work

Residential Building 4.5 -4.75 Kg / Sqft

Commercial Building 5 -5.5 Kg / Sqft

Heavy Structure 6 -8 Kg / Sqft

• Steel = 80 to 150 kg / M3 of concrete

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Percentage of steel in Structural member

% Total Volume of
Structural Member Remark
Concrete

Slab 1%

Beam 2%

Column 2.5 %

Footing 0.8 %

Example:

Slab = Length x width x height = 5 x 4 x 0.15

Calculate the total concrete volume = 5 x 4 x 0. 15 = 3 m3

Calculate steel quantity of slab = Volume of concrete x density of steel x % of steel member

= 3 x 7850 x 0.01

= 235.5 kg

Binding Wire

• Requirement of binding wires for 1 ton (1000 kg) of steel reinforcement = 9 to 13 kg

• 18 gauge of binding wire is used for tying the bars

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Thumb rule for Excavation

Excavation Quantity = 3 x Concrete quantity of footing

Example:

Size of Footing = Length x width x depth

=2x1x3

Concrete quantity of footing = 2 x 1 x 3 = 6 M3

Excavation quantity = 3 x 6 = 18 M3

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Thumb rule for Concrete

RCC work based on total Built up area – 0.03 to 0.04 M3 / Sqft

Example : Total Bultup area – 10000 Sqft

Consider Coefficient – 0.035

Total concrete volume required – 0.035 x 10000 = 350 M3

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• Thumb rule for quantity of cement/sand/Coarse aggregates and fine

aggregates in different grades for 1 m3.

Coarse Aggregate Fine Aggregate

Concrete Mix Cement Quantity
Quantity Quantity
M5 (1:5:10) 2.82 Bags 0.98m3 0.49m3
M7.5(1:4:8) 3.48 Bags 0.97m3 0.48m3
M10(1:3:6) 4.50 Bags 0.90m3 0.45m3
M15(1:2:4) 6.60 Bags 0.88m3 0.44m3
M20(1:1.5:3) 8.40 Bags 0.84m3 0.42m3
M25(1:1:2) 11.09 Bags 0.77m3 0.39m3

Thumb rule for Concrete Mix Design

For adding 4 liters of water in 1 cu.m freshly mixed concrete

1. The slump value will be increased by 25 mm.

2. The compressive strength of concrete will be decreased by 1.5 to 2.0 N/mm2

3. The shrinkage potential will be increased by 10%.

4. 1/4 bag of cement will be wasted.

If the temperature of freshly mixed concrete is increased by 1%, then

1. 4 liters of water per cu.m will give equal slump.

2. The air content will be decreased by 1%.

3. The compressive strength of concrete will be decreased by 1.0 to 1.5 N/mm2.

If the air content of freshly mixed concrete

1. Increased by 1% then the compressive strength will be decreased by 5 %.

2. Decreased by 1%, yield will be decreased by 0.03 cu.m per 1 cu.m.

3. Decreased by 1%, then the slump value will be decreased about 12.5 mm.

4. Decreased by 1%, then the durability of the concrete will be reduced by 10%.

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Thumb rule for Shuttering work

• Shuttering quantity – 0.2-0.25 Sqm / Sqft of the total builtup area

• Shuttering quantity – 6 x quantity of concrete
• Shuttering costs are taken as 15-18% of the total construction of the building.

Example:

Concrete Quantity – 5 M3

Shuttering Quantity – 6 x Quantity of Concrete

- 6x5
- 30 Sqm

1. Shuttering Ply Quantity

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Standard size of 12mm ply : 8 ft x 4 ft

Size of ply in m : 2.44 x 1.22 x 0.012

No. of shuttering ply sheets = 0.22 x Shuttering area in sqm

No. of Shuttering ply sheets = 0.22 x 30 = 6.6 Sqm

2. Battens Quantity ( 75 mm x 25mm )

Battens quantity = 19.82 x No. of ply sheets

If work requires 30 Ply sheets, the total quantity of Battens are 19.82 x 25 = 595 Battens

3. Nails Quantity

• 1 sqm shuttering area – 75 gram of nails

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4. Binding wire Quantity

• 1 sqm shuttering area – 75 gram of binding wire

5. Shuttering Oil Quantity

• Total required Shuttering oil = 0.065 x Total Area of Shuttering

• 1 litre shuttering oil is required for 15 sqm of shuttering

Thumb rule for Cement

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• Cement =0.5 bags/ sqft

• 1 bag of cement = 50 kg of cement
• Volume of one cement bag = 0.0347 m³ = 0.034722 x 10³ = 34.4722 litres
• cement bag density = 1440 kg/ m3

Thumb rule for Foundation

• Steel required in footing – 0.8 % of the total volume of concrete
• Minimum 10 mm dia of bars should be used for footings
• Length, Width and Depth of foundation should not be less than 1 meter
• Pile foundation should be used if soil bearing capacity is less than 24 Kn /M3

Thumb rule for Column

• Steel required in Column – 2.5% of the total volume of concrete

• Minimum steel required in column = 0.8 % of gross area of concrete & Maximum
steel required in column = 6% of the gross area of concrete
• Spacing between longitudinal bar should not be more than 300 mm
• Minimum 40 mm clear cover should be provided in column, 25mm clear cover provided
if column is less than 200 mm
• Minimum 12 mm dia of bars in 4 Nos should be used in column
• Maximum spacing of stirrups is 16 S or 300mm whichever is less
• Minimum size of column should not be less than 9’’ x 9’’
• For G+1 Structure 9’’ x 12 ‘’ column size should be used
• Maximum space between two column 9’’ x9’’ should not be more than 4 meter

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Thumb rule for Beam

• Steel required in Beam – 2 % of the total volume of concrete

• Minimum 40 mm clear cover should be provided in beam

Thumb rule for Slab

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• Steel required in Slab – 1% of the total volume of concrete

• M15 or above grade of concrete used in slab
• Minimum thickness of slab = 125 mm
• Minimum diameter of used in slab = 8 mm
• Fe500 or Fe500D should be used in the slab
1
• Maximum diameter of bars used in slab is ( 8 )𝑡ℎ times of the slab thickness

Thumb rule for Brick Work

• No of bricks = 500 nos per M3

• Standard size of bricks = 19 cm x 9 cm x 4 cm

Mortar
Mix Ratio and brickwork Cement in Sand in
Thickness in
thickness Bags m3
mm

1:6 200mm Thk 10 1.4 / m3 0.30

1:5 200mm Thk 10 1.7 / m3 0.25

1:4 100mm Thk 10 0.15 / m2 0.035

1:5 200mm Thk Block 10 0.15 / m3 0.02

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Quantity of cement required in 1 M3 of brick work for different size of brick

work varies

Below is a thumb rule for brick work cement required

Brickwork for 1 cum Cement Qty in cum Cement Qty in Bags

230 mm Brickwork 0.876 cum 25.4 Bags
115 mm Brickwork 0.218 cum 6.32 Bags

Thumb Rules For Civil Engineers for Cement Masonry

Quantity:

Cement Masonry Type & Cement Qty in Bags Cement Qty in Kgs
Mix
200mm in Cement Masonry 0.124 Bags/m2 6.2 Kgs/m2
work of Ratio1:6
150mm in Cement Masonry 0.093 Bags/m2 4.65 Kgs/m2
work of Ratio1:6
200mm in Cement Masonry 0.206 Bags/m2 10.3 Kgs/m2
work of Ratio1:4
150mm in Cement Masonry 0.144 Bags/m2 7.2 Kgs/m2
work of Ratio1:4
100mm in Cement Masonry 0.103 Bags/m2 5.15 Kgs/m2
work of Ratio1:4

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Thumb rule for Plaster Work

Mix Thickness Cement

Type of Plastering Sand m3/Sqm
ratio in mm Bags/Sqm

Inner Plastering 1:3 15 0.16 0.017

External Plastering 1:4 20 0.17 0.024

Rough Plastering 1:5 16 0.11 0.020

Ceiling Plastering 1:2 12 0.17 0.012

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Cement quantity thumb rules for different plaster

Type of Plastering Cement Qty in Bags Cement Qty in Kgs

Rough Plastering 0.09 Bags/m2 4. 5Kgs/m2
Internal Wall Plastering 0.09 Bags/m2 4.5 Kgs/m2
Duct Plastering 0.09 Bags/m2 4.5 Kgs/m2
External Wall plastering 0.175 Bags/m2 8.75 Kgs/m2
Stucco Plastering 0.175 Bags/m2 8.75 Kgs/m2
Lathen Plastering 0.55 Bags/m2 27.5 Kgs/m2

Thumb rule for Flooring Work

• Marble flooring = 0.3 bags/sqm

• Marble skirting = 0.025 bags/rmt
• Marble glading =0.27 bags/sqm
• Terraace flooring =0.3 bags/sqm
• Mangalore tile =0.35 bags/sqm
• Granolithic flooring =40 mm 0.3 bags/sqm
• Granolithic flooring =20 mm 0.25 bags/sqm

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Thumb rule for Waterproofing Work

• Water proofing for sunk slab = 0.25 bags/sqm

• Water proofing for walls = 0.25 bags/ sqm
• Water proofing for toilets = 0.63 bags/sqm
• Ceramic =0.3 bags/sqm
• Vertified tile flooring =0.28 bags/sqm
• Vertified tile dado & ceramic dado =0.25 bags/sqm

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