Thumb Rules for house construction 2024
1. Thumb Rule for Concrete Volume
The volume of concrete required = 0.038 m3/square feet area
Example:- If Plan Area = 40 x 20 = 800 Sq. m.
So, for the plan area of 800 Sq. m. the area the total volume of concrete required.
= 800 x 0.038m3 = 30.4m3
2. Thumb Rule for Steel Quantity for Slab, Beams, Footings & Columns
Following are some important thumb rules for steel calculation for slab, beam, column, and footings.
Steel required in residential buildings = 4.5 Kgs – 4.75 Kgs / sq. Ft.
Steel required For Commercial buildings = 5.0 Kgs-5.50 Kgs/Sq. Ft.
3. Percentage of Steel in Structural Members
Following are thumb rules for reinforcement in concrete members,
1) Slab – 1% of the total volume of concrete (Slab steel calculation thumb rule)
2) Beam – 2% of the total volume of concrete
3) Column – 2.5% of total volume of concrete
4) Footings – 0.8% of the total volume of concrete
Example:
How to calculate the steel quantity of slab having the Length, width, and depth of the slab is 5m x 4m x 0.15m
Step 1: Calculate the Volume of Concrete:
The Total Volume of Concrete for the given Slab = 5 x 4 x 0.15
= 3m3
Step 2: Calculate The Steel Quantity Using the Formula:
As per the guidelines given in the BN Dutta reference book the steel quantity of the slab is 1% of the total volume of concrete utilized.
A thumb rule to estimate the Steel quantity of the above slab = Volume of Concrete x Density of Steel x % of Steel of the Member
Steel weight required for above slab = 3 x 7850 x 0.01 = 235Kgs
4. Thumb Rules For Shuttering Work
Shuttering costs are taken as 15-18% of the total construction of the building. Shuttering work is done to bring the concrete into Shape. The Thumb rule to estimate the shuttering required is 6 times the quantity of concrete or 2.4 times the Plinth area.
For example, if the concrete quantity is 0.5m3, then
Area of Shuttering is 0.5 x 6 = 3m2
Components of Shuttering
Shuttering Ply Quantity estimation
The Shuttering plate Ply, Battens, and Nails are components of Shuttering.
Suppose, The Shuttering Ply has a length, width & depth of 2.44 x 1.22 x 0.012
The No. of Shuttering Ply Sheets = 0.22 times of Shuttering
Suppose, the Shuttering Area = 3m
Then Ply required for shuttering = 0.22 x 3 = 0.66m2
5. Battens Quantity Calculation
Shuttering Batten usually has a length & width of 75mm x 40mm.
Batten Quantity = 19.82 x No. of Ply Sheets
If work requires 25 Ply sheets, the total quantity of Battens is 19.82 x 25 = 495 Battens
Nails & Binding Wire Quantity in Shuttering:
Approximately, 75 grams of Nails were used in the shuttering of the 1m2 area.
75gms of Binding wire is used for every 1m2 of Shuttering.
The thumb rule for Shuttering oil estimation :
Shuttering oil is applied on the shuttering plate surface used to de-frame or de-assemble from the concrete easily.
Total required Shuttering oil = 0.065 x Total Area of Shuttering
(or)
For every 15m2 of shuttering 1 liter of shuttering oil is consumed.
Example :
If, total area of shuttering is 15 m2, then Shuttering oil Consumption = 0.065 x 15 = 0.975.
6. Thumb Rule for Cement, Sand, Coarse Aggregate Quantity Calculations
Note: 1 bag of cement = 50Kgs
Thumb rule for Cement required in Brickwork, Cement Masonry & Plastering work in construction
7. Thumb Rules For Civil Engineers for Brickwork
The following are Thumb Rules for civil engineering for brickwork and cement quantity calculations.
| Brickwork for 1m3 | Cement Qty in m3 | Cement Qty in Bags |
| 230 mm Brickwork | 0.876m3 | 25.4 Bags |
| 115 mm Brickwork | 0.218m3 | 6.32 Bags |
8. Thumb Rules For Cement Masonry Quantity
| Cement Masonry Type & Mix | Cement Qty in Bags | Cement Qty in Kgs |
| 200mm in Cement Masonry work of Ratio 1:6 | 0.124Bags/m2 | 6.2Kgs/m2 |
| 150mm in Cement Masonry work of Ratio 1:6 | 0.093Bags/m2 | 4.65Kgs/m2 |
| 200mm in Cement Masonry work of Ratio 1:4 | 0.206Bags/m2 | 10.3Kgs/m2 |
| 150mm in Cement Masonry work of Ratio 1:4 | 0.144Bags/m2 | 7.2Kgs/m2 |
| 100mm in Cement Masonry work of Ratio 1:4 | 0.103Bags/m2 | 5.15Kgs/m2 |
8. Thumb Rules Plastering Quantity
| 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 |
9. Thumb Rules In Building Construction Cost
The thumb rule for house construction cost is a rough estimation of the total cost of construction based on the built-up area of the house. Typically, thumb rules are quick and easy to use but are not precise and may not take into account specific factors that affect the actual cost of construction.
As an approximate guide, a common thumb rule for house construction cost is between Rs. 1500 to Rs. 2500 per square foot, depending on factors such as the quality of materials used, location, design, and labour costs. This would mean that a 1000 square feet house may cost between Rs. 15 lakhs to Rs. 25 lakhs.
Below is a general thumb rule that can be used to estimate the building materials and work required for a given unit area of construction.
| Sr. No. | Material/ Work | Thumb Rule |
| 1. | Cement (bags) | 0.43 bags / sq ft |
| 2. | Sand (cu.ft) | 2.5 kg / sq ft |
| 3. | Aggregate (cu.ft) | 1.20 cu ft / sq ft |
| 4. | Steel (kg) | 1.34 cu ft / sq ft |
| 5. | Bricks (Nos.) | 7.3 no / sq ft |
| 6. | Tiles (Nos.) | 0.7 nos / sq ft |
| 7. | Colour (Liters) | 0.12 lit / sq ft |
| 8. | Finishing Works | ₹ 470/sq ft |
| 9. | Electrical Cost | ₹ 250 /sq ft |
| 10. | Plumbing Cost | ₹ 150 /sq ft |
| 11. | Fire Fighting Cost | ₹ 45 /sq ft |
| 12. | Exterior Cost | ₹ 94.5 / sq ft |
Thumb Rule according to materials percentages,
| Description | Thumb rule (% of Total Cost) |
| Cement | 14.4% |
| Sand | 12.3% |
| Aggregate | 7.4% |
| Steel | 20.6% |
| Painting material | 5.1% |
| Tiles | 8% |
| Bricks | 5.4% |
| Window | 3% |
| Doors | 4.4% |
| Plumbing | 7.5% |
| Electrical | 6.8% |
| Sanitary | 4.1% |
Thumb Rules For Construction Cost
The cost of construction can vary depending on the quality of materials and workmanship used. Below is an overview of the average construction costs based on the quality of construction. This information can serve as a useful reference point for estimating the costs of a building project.
| Sr. No. | Construction based on Quality | Thumb Rule |
| 1. | Basic Quality Construction | 1000 Rs./Sqft |
| 2. | Medium Quality Construction | 1300 Rs./Sqft |
| 3. | High Quality Construction | 1700 Rs./Sqft |
1000 Sqft House Average Cost Of Construction Thumb Rule
| Sr. No. | Description of Work | 1000 sq ft House Average Cost |
| 1. | Architectural Cost | Rs. 12,500 Onwards |
| 2. | Brick wall Construction without RCC | Rs. 700 per sqft |
| 3. | Brick wall Construction With RCC | Rs. 850 per sqft |
| 4. | Civil Construction Work | Rs. 1400 per sqft |
| 5. | Electric and Plumbing Work | Rs. 2400 per sqft |
| 6. | Raw Material Cost In Construction | Rs. 8 Lakh Onwards |
A common approach to estimating building costs is to use a thumb rule based on the percentage of the total project cost. This method provides a rough estimate of the building cost and is often used as a starting point for budgeting purposes.
| Sr. No. | Work | Cost |
| 1. | Excavation and Filling Earthwork | 0.6% |
| 2. | Foundation Work | 4.9% |
| 3. | DPC | 1.2% |
| 4. | Brick work | 32% |
| 5. | Roofing | 22% |
| 6. | Flooring | 5% |
| 7. | Doors and window | 17% |
| 8. | Plastering | 9% |
| 9. | White Washing | 3% |
| 10. | Miscellaneous | 5.5% |