| Primary value | 5.5 kg / sqft (range 5.0 – 6.0 kg/sqft of built-up area) |
| Applies to | Office buildings, retail, institutional and IT-park RCC framing · Warehouse and light industrial structures with longer spans · M25 / M30 concrete with Fe500 reinforcement |
| Exceptions | Office / IT building (G+3 to G+10) → 5.0 – 5.5 kg/sqft |
| Mall / retail (large spans, transfer floors) → 6.0 – 7.0 kg/sqft | |
| Hospital / institutional → 5.5 – 6.5 kg/sqft | |
| Warehouse (single-storey, long-span PEB-style RCC) → 3.5 – 4.5 kg/sqft | |
| Seismic zone IV / V → +10–15% for ductile detailing | |
| Measured as | Total mass of reinforcement bars ÷ total built-up area in sqft. Includes all members from foundation to roof. |
| Source | IS 456 — Clause 26.5 (volumetric ratios) 📚 Cross-referenced |
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Commercial buildings carry higher live loads (3.0–4.0 kN/m² vs 1.5–2.0 for residential) and usually have larger column-to-column spans, which together push steel quantity up by ~20% over the residential thumb rule. 5.5 kg/sqft is the median; transfer floors (column changes between floors) and large cantilevers can push it to 7+ kg/sqft.
Pre-tender estimates default to 5.5 kg/sqft for offices and 6 kg/sqft for malls. The number is reconciled with detailed BBS quantities once structural drawings are issued — variance > 10% triggers a tender re-look at item rates.