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Material Estimator

Estimate cement, bricks, paint, tiles & more in seconds — built on Indian Standard methods, with city-wise cost.

10
Calculators
8+
IS Codes Used
31
City Prices
Choose what you're estimating
Concrete Calculator
Cement, sand, aggregate & water for any nominal mix grade.
Per IS 456:2000 · IS 10262:2019 · IS 269 · IS 383
Inputs
M51:5:10
M7.51:4:8
M101:3:6
M151:2:4
M201:1.5:3
M251:1:2
Results
📦Wet volume
3 m³
🪣Dry volume (×1.54)
4.62 m³
🥫Cement
26 bags · 1270 kg
🟨Sand (fine aggregate)
46.7 cft · 1.32 m³
🪨Aggregate (20mm)
93.4 cft · 2.65 m³
💧Water
605 litres · W/C ratio 0.5
Methodology & formulas used
Wet volume
5 × 4 × 0.15
= 3
Dry volume
Wet × 1.54
= 4.62
M20 mix ratio
1 : 1.5 : 3 (sum = 5.5)
= 5.5
Cement (kg)
(1/5.5) × 4.62 × 1440
= 1,210
Cement after 5% wastage
1210 × 1.05
= 1,270
Cement bags
⌈1270 / 50⌉
= 26
Sand (m³)
(1.5/5.5) × 4.62 × 1.05
= 1.323
Aggregate (m³)
(3/5.5) × 4.62 × 1.05
= 2.646
Water (litres)
Cement kg × W/C (0.5)
= 605
Related to Concrete
📘IS 456:2000 — Plain & Reinforced Concrete📘IS 10262:2019 — Mix Proportioning📘IS 269 — OPC Cement📘IS 383 — Aggregates🛠Mix Design (IS 10262)🛠RCC Design Suite🛠Bar Bending Schedule🛠Construction Cost Calculator

Connected on InfraLens

Every calculator is grounded in Indian Standards. Drill into the source code, the handbook explanation, the rule of thumb, or a related tool.

📘 IS Codes

  • IS 456 Plain & Reinforced Concrete
  • IS 10262 Concrete Mix Proportioning
  • IS 269 Ordinary Portland Cement
  • IS 383 Coarse & Fine Aggregates
  • IS 1077 Common Burnt Clay Bricks
  • IS 2185 Concrete & AAC Blocks
  • IS 1542 Sand for Plaster
  • IS 712 Building Limes
  • IS 13630 Ceramic Tiles — Methods
  • IS 4326 Earthquake-Resistant Construction
  • IS 2645 Integral Waterproofing Compounds
  • IS 14687 Falsework / Shuttering Guidelines

📖 Handbook Topics

  • → Concrete Mix Design Step-by-Step
  • → Curing Methods & Duration
  • → Brick Masonry Best Practices
  • → AAC vs Clay Brick — Choosing Right
  • → Internal vs External Plaster
  • → Surface Prep for Paint & Putty
  • → Tile Laying — Adhesive vs Mortar
  • → Waterproofing Systems Compared
  • → Shuttering Materials & Reuse
  • → Cement Storage on Site
  • → Wastage Allowance — How Much?

⚡ Design Rules

  • → Slab thickness ≈ Span / 30
  • → 1 cement bag = 50 kg = 0.0347 m³
  • → Dry vol = Wet vol × 1.54
  • → 500 bricks per m³ of brickwork
  • → Plaster: 6 bags / 100 m² (12mm)
  • → Paint: 1 L / 10 m² per coat
  • → Steel: 1% of concrete vol (slab)
  • → AAC: 8 blocks / m² (200mm)
  • → Tile wastage: 5–10%
  • → Putty: 1 kg / 2 m² per coat
  • → W-C ratio M20: 0.50

🛠 Other Tools

  • → Concrete Mix Design (IS 10262)
  • → RCC Design Suite
  • → Bar Bending Schedule (BBS)
  • → Steel Section Table
  • → Beam Selection Helper
  • → Rebar Weight Calculator
  • → Plate / Pipe Weight
  • → Construction Cost — 60+ cities
  • → Material Prices — live
  • → QA/QC Checklists — 300 templates

All material calculators

Each tool follows the relevant Indian Standard. Switch between them above — no page reload.

Frequently asked

How many bags of cement are needed for 1 m³ of M20 concrete?

For M20 (1 : 1.5 : 3) the cement requirement is approximately 403 kg ≈ 8 bags per m³ of wet concrete, using the IS 456 dry-volume factor of 1.54. The Concrete Calculator above does this automatically for any volume, grade and wastage % you enter.

How many bricks are needed for 1 m³ of brickwork?

For standard modular bricks (190 × 90 × 90 mm), ~500 bricks per m³ is the working figure (after 10 mm mortar joints). For non-modular bricks (230 × 110 × 70 mm), it's roughly ~420 bricks per m³. The Brickwork Calculator factors in the brick size you choose plus opening deductions for doors and windows.

How is plaster quantity calculated?

Plaster volume = Wall area × thickness. Apply the 1.27 dry factor, divide by mix-ratio parts to get cement and sand. Example: 100 m² of 12 mm internal plaster (1:6) needs ~6 bags cement + ~30 cft sand. The Plaster Calculator handles internal (12 mm), external (15–20 mm) and ceiling thicknesses.

What is the dry-volume factor (1.54) and why is it used?

When you mix dry cement, sand and aggregate with water, the volume shrinks by ~54% due to packing of fine particles into voids. So to get 1 m³ of finished wet concrete, you need 1.54 m³ of dry materials. This factor is implicit in IS 456 / IS 10262 and is used in every concrete quantity calculation.

How much paint is needed per square metre?

For interior emulsion: 1 litre covers ~10 m² per coat on a primed surface. Two coats of paint plus one coat of primer is the standard system. The Paint Calculator lets you pick the surface type (smooth wall, textured, ceiling) and brand coverage rates.

How accurate are these calculators?

Quantities are based on IS code formulas and standard nominal mix proportions, so they're suitable for site estimation, BOQ preparation and material indenting. For mix-design proportions to meet a specific target strength, use the dedicated Mix Design tool (IS 10262). For structural design, use the RCC Design Suite.

Do the calculators include cost estimation?

Yes. Every calculator can show estimated cost using live unit rates from our Material Prices database, covering 60+ Indian cities and updated regularly. Costs cover materials only (no labour, formwork, transport or GST).

What is the difference between PCC and RCC?

PCC (Plain Cement Concrete) has no steel reinforcement and is used for bedding, levelling and below-foundation lean concrete (typically 1:4:8 or 1:5:10). RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete) includes steel rebar and is used for structural elements (slab, beam, column, footing). Use the PCC tab for the former, Concrete tab for the latter.

What wastage % should I use?

Typical site wastage allowances: cement 2–3%, sand & aggregate 5%, bricks 5–10%, tiles 5–10%, paint 5%. The calculators default to safe industry values but you can override per project. For controlled projects with material-balance accounting, lower these by 1–2%.

Which IS codes do these calculators reference?

Concrete & PCC — IS 456, IS 10262, IS 269, IS 383. Brickwork — IS 1077, IS 2212. Block work — IS 2185, IS 6041. Plaster — IS 1542, IS 1661. Tiles — IS 13630, IS 15622. Waterproofing — IS 2645, IS 9197. Shuttering — IS 14687.

Can I use this for tendering or BOQ preparation?

Yes — the Excel export gives a clean inputs-formulas-results sheet that's auditable for BOQ, tender estimates and material indents. For composite items (RCC + steel + shuttering combined), use multiple tabs and consolidate, or pair with the Construction Cost Calculator.

Why does the brick calculator ask for opening area?

Doors, windows and ventilators reduce actual masonry area. Subtracting them gives a realistic brick count — typically a 8–12% saving on a residential wall and up to 20% on commercial facades.

InfraLens · Material Estimator · Indian Standards · Civil engineering / searchable