IS 1200 fixes the rules that cause the most concrete/RCC billing arguments: concrete measured by net volume in place; NO deduction for embedded reinforcement or for openings below the stated small-size threshold; formwork (shuttering) measured separately by the concrete-contact area; and reinforcement measured by mass from the bar bending schedule (IS 2502), not lump-sum.
Key Requirements
•Concrete/RCC measured by net volume as placed in the finished member
•No deduction for embedded reinforcement; no deduction for openings/voids below the specified small size
•Formwork measured separately by the area in contact with the concrete (not by concrete volume)
•Reinforcement measured by mass per the bar bending schedule (IS 2502) — not by lump sum or as part of concrete
•Deductions for large openings/recesses per the IS 1200 size thresholds
Practical Notes
✓The classic disputes: deducting (wrongly) for reinforcement, and not measuring formwork separately — IS 1200 settles both.
✓Reinforcement is paid by mass off the BBS (IS 2502) — get the BBS right and the steel bill is right.
Common Mistakes
⚠Deducting concrete volume for embedded reinforcement (IS 1200 says no).
⚠Folding formwork into the concrete rate instead of measuring contact area separately.
⚠Reinforcement billed lump-sum instead of by BBS mass.