The Material Estimator computes material quantities — concrete (cement, sand, aggregate), brickwork (bricks, mortar), plastering, tiling, painting, flooring screed — for a given area or volume. Outputs are aligned to IS 1200 measurement conventions and apply standard wastage allowances per CPWD / NBO data.
Use it during quantity surveying / BOQ preparation, to verify a contractor's running bill, or to estimate material orders for a small private build.
Per IS 456 Table 9 (nominal mixes): M5 1:5:10, M7.5 1:4:8, M10 1:3:6, M15 1:2:4, M20 1:1.5:3 (cement : fine aggregate : coarse aggregate by volume). Bulk densities: cement 1,440 kg/m³, sand 1,600 kg/m³, aggregate 1,500 kg/m³. For 1 m³ wet concrete: dry volume = 1.54 × 1 = 1.54 m³ (accounts for voids). M20: cement = 1.54 / 5.5 × 1,440 = 403 kg ≈ 8.06 bags; sand = 1.54 / 5.5 × 1.5 × 1,600 = 672 kg; aggregate = 1.54 / 5.5 × 3 × 1,500 = 1,260 kg.
Brick size (nominal): 230 × 115 × 75 mm (with mortar joint). Bricks per m³ of brickwork: 1 / (0.230 × 0.115 × 0.075) = 504 ≈ 500 bricks. Mortar per m³ of brickwork: 0.30 m³ (1:6 cement-sand). For a 230 mm thick wall: bricks per m² = 60 (with 10 mm mortar joint). Wastage: 5%.
Internal plaster (12 mm thick, 1:6 mix): per m² wall = 0.012 m³ wet → 0.018 m³ dry → cement 1.86 kg / 0.04 bag, sand 0.018 m³. External (15-20 mm, 1:4 or 1:5): per m² = 0.018 m³ wet → 0.025 m³ dry. Wastage: 10%.
Distemper: 1 L covers 5-8 m² (single coat). Acrylic emulsion: 12-15 m² per L. Cement primer: 8-10 m² per L. Two-coat external + two-coat internal is the norm. Apply 10% wastage. Add a primer coat for new walls (mandatory per IS 109 for distempers).
Slab volume: 93 × 0.15 = 13.95 m³. M20 cement: 13.95 × 8.06 = 112 bags (50 kg) at ₹385/bag PPC = ₹43,120. Sand: 13.95 × 0.42 m³ = 5.86 m³ at ₹2,000/m³ = ₹11,720. Aggregate (20mm): 13.95 × 0.84 = 11.72 m³ at ₹1,800/m³ = ₹21,096. Steel @ 80 kg/m³: 1,116 kg × ₹70 = ₹78,120. Add 5% wastage on cement / sand / aggregate. Total material cost (RCC slab only): ~₹1.55 L. Labour adds another 25-30%. Total slab cost: ~₹2.0 L for a 1,000 sqft G+1 floor's RCC slab.
Aggregate and sand have voids (intergranular spaces) that fill with water + cement paste during mixing — so the dry sum of constituent volumes is higher than the final wet volume. Empirical factor: 1.54 for nominal concrete mixes (range 1.50-1.57). The 0.54 factor represents the volume of voids in dry aggregate that gets filled with cement paste + water. Without this factor, a quantity calc would underestimate cement / sand / aggregate by ~35%.
Per nominal mix 1:1.5:3, cement = 403 kg / m³ wet concrete = 8.06 bags (50 kg). Add wastage 3-5% → 8.5 bags. For 100 m³ of M20: 850 cement bags, 154 m³ sand, 308 m³ aggregate. Always cross-check with site mix-design (IS 10262) — actual content can be 380-430 kg depending on aggregate gradation, w/c, and admixture.
Cement: 3-5%. Sand / aggregate: 10% (more loss in handling / spillage). Bricks: 5-7%. Steel: 3% routine, 5% complex detailing. Tiles: 8-10% (cuts at edges). Paint: 10%. Always discuss with the contractor and tighten if their crew is experienced — younger crews can run 12-15% on bricks and aggregate.
For small jobs (< 5 m³), yes — nominal mix 1:1.5:3 by volume is acceptable per IS 456 Cl. 9.1.1 for grades up to M20. Use measuring boxes (farma), not buckets. Larger / structural / higher-grade jobs (M25+) require IS 10262 design mix verified at site by trial cubes.
Estimate cement, bricks, paint, tiles & more in seconds — built on Indian Standard methods, with city-wise cost.
5 × 4 × 0.15Wet × 1.541 : 1.5 : 3 (sum = 5.5)(1/5.5) × 4.62 × 14401210 × 1.05⌈1270 / 50⌉(1.5/5.5) × 4.62 × 1.05(3/5.5) × 4.62 × 1.05Cement kg × W/C (0.5)Every calculator is grounded in Indian Standards. Drill into the source code, the handbook explanation, the rule of thumb, or a related tool.
Each tool follows the relevant Indian Standard. Switch between them above — no page reload.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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%.
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.
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.
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.