Design Rules📦 Material Estimation

Bricks per Cubic Metre — Brick Masonry

Modular and conventional brick count per cubic metre of brickwork
See also📖 IS 1077🔗 IS 1077🔗 IS 2212🔗 IS 2250🧮 RCC Design📒 Handbook Topic
500
nos / m³
Indian conventional brick (190 × 90 × 90 mm) with 10 mm joint
1 m1 m1 m1 m³=500NOSOF BRICKS190 × 90 × 90 mm with 10 mm mortar joint · +5% wastage on siteBRICKS PER M³ — PER CUBIC METRE
Primary value500 nos / m³ (Indian conventional brick (190 × 90 × 90 mm) with 10 mm joint)
Applies toBurnt-clay brickwork in cement mortar · 9-inch (230 mm) and 4.5-inch (115 mm) brick walls · Tender estimation per cubic metre of finished masonry
ExceptionsConventional brick (190 × 90 × 90)500 nos / m³
Modular brick (190 × 90 × 90 nominal)500 – 510 nos / m³
Old / non-modular brick (200 × 100 × 100)≈ 410 nos / m³
Wastage allowance (site)+5% for damaged / broken bricks
Mortar volume in 1 m³ brickwork≈ 0.30 m³
Measured asNumber of whole bricks (190 × 90 × 90 mm body) plus 10 mm cement-mortar joints on all sides per cubic metre of finished masonry. Half / closer bricks at corners are counted as wholes.
SourceIS 1077Clause 4 (size)
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Why this matters

500 bricks/m³ is the BIS modular-brick number that every Indian tender uses. With 5% wastage, estimators order ~525/m³ for 230 mm walls and ~540/m³ for 115 mm walls (more cuts at openings). Off-by-10% on brick orders is common when contractors mix conventional and modular bricks on the same job — both look the same on paper but yield different counts per m³.

Typical practice

Material managers procure bricks by truck-load (~2500 nos per truck) and reconcile against the m³ of brickwork executed. Any > 10% slip vs theoretical triggers a check on either wall thickness drift or theft. Modular bricks are increasingly preferred for the cleaner site count.

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