Thumb Rules in Civil Construction

1. Concrete Quantity = 0.036 x Built up Area

2. Shuttering Quantity = Concr ete Quantity x 6
3. Shuttering Quantity = 2.4 to 2.5 of slab area (Including Column, Beam and Slab sides)
4. No of Plywood = Shuttering Quantity x 0.22
5. Battens (Nos) = No of Plywood x 19.62
6. Nails = 0.075 x Shuttering Qty (m2)
7. Binding Wire = 0.075 x Shuttering Qty (m2)
8. Shuttering Oil = 0.065 x Shuttering Qty (m2)
9. Shuttering Oil = 1 lit for 15 m2
10. Steel = 4.425 Kg / Sft (Blg Ht 1 st to 3 rd Slab)
11. Steel = 6.625 Kg/Sft (Blg Ht above 3 rd Slab)

12. Steel in various concrete component of structure:

Component Percentage
1. Slab 1% of Concrete Volume
2. Beam 2% of Concrete Volume
3. Column 3% of Concrete Volume
4. Footing 0.8% of Concrete Volume
13. Quantity of different components in concrete

Concrete Mix Cement Quantity Coarse Aggregate Fine Aggregate Qty

(Bags) Qty (M3) (M3)
M5 (1:5:10) 2.82 0.98 0.49
M7.5 (1:4:8) 3.48 0.97 0.48
M10(1:3:6) 4.5 0.9 0.45
M15(1:2:4) 6.6 0.88 0.44
M20 (1:1.5:3) 8.4 0.84 0.42
14. Cement and Sand Quantity in Masonry

Brick Work for 1m3 Cement Quantity

Bags

230mm Brick work 0.876

115mm Brick work 0.218
15. Cement Mortar Component Quantity

Cement Masonry Cement Qty in Bags Cement Qty (Kg)

Type and Mix
200mm thick (1:6) 0.12 Bags/m2 6.2Kgs/m2
150mm thick (1:6) 0.093 Bags/m2 4.65Kgs/m2
200mm thick (1:4) 0.206 Bags/m2 10.3Kgs/m2
150mm thick (1:4) 0.144 Bags/m2 7.2 Kgs/m2
100mm thick (1:4) 0.103 Bags/m2 5.15Kgs/m2
16. Brick Work = 0.015 Cum/Sft of Plan area
17. 1 Cum Brick work = 500 Nos of Bricks + 0.25Cum mortar
VERY USEFUL INFORMATION-

HIGH RISE BUILDING :-

Thumb rule requirement of standard materials and standard calculation in high raised building
(Vinay)

Steel =3 to 5 kg / sft

Cement =.5bags/ sft

RMC =.05 m3/sft

Block =12.5 nos /sqm

Electrical cast = Rs 133/sft

Plumbing cost = Rs 126/sft

Firefighting cost = Rs 40/sft

External development = Rs 94.5/sft

Civil works-Structure = RS 751.25/sft

Finishing works = RS 467.50/sft

200 mm in cm 1:6 =0.124Bags /sqm

200 mm in cm 1:4 =0.206 bags/sqm

150 mm in cm 1:6 =0.093 bags/sqm

150mm in cm 1:4 =0.144 bags/sqm

100 mm in cm 1:4 =0.103 bags/sqm

Ceiling plastering =0.11 bags/sqm

Wall plastering =0.09 bags/sqm

Rough plastering =0.09 bags/sqm

Duct plastering =0.09 bags/sqm

External plastering =0.175 bags/sqm

lathen plastering =0.55 bags/sqm

stucco plaster =0.175 bags/sqm

100 mm plaster band =0.012 bags/rmt

pcc 1: 4: 8 =3.4 bags/cum

pcc 1:5:10 =2.52 bags/cum

pcc 1:3:6 =4.2 bags/cum

pcc 1:2:4 =6.02 bags/cum

230 mm brick =0.876 bags/cum

115 mm brick work =0.218 bags/cum

vdf 100 mm thick =0.82 bags/sqm

granolithic flooring =40 mm 0.35 bags/sqm

granolithic flooring =20 mm 0.28 bags/sqm

anti-skid =0.28 bags/sqm

ceramic =0.28 bags/sqm

vertified tile flooring =0.28 bags/sqm

vertified tile dado =0.27 bags/sqm

cerami dado =0.27 bags/sqm

marble flooring =0.3 bags/sqm

100 mm ht marble skerting =0.027 bags/rmt

marble glading =0.27 bags/sqm

terracota tle flooring =0.3 bags/sqm

mangalore tile =0.3 bags/sqm

Door frame fixing =0.17 bags/sqm

water proofing for sunken slab =0.23 bags/sqm

water proofing for walls =0.23 bags/sqm

water proofing for balcony/toilets =0.65 bags/sqm

Anti terminate treatment chemical Name is chloropyrifoc 20% .

Diluting5 Lit of Chemical with 95 Lit of water and usage is 7.5 Sqm Per liter {Diluted}.

To Provide 1” Dia hole And Deep1Foot

Labour Productivity thump rule :-

Brick work
1 mason 1 Men mazdoor 1.25 sqm

1 Women Mazdoor

Wall Plastering

1 mason

1 Men mazdoor 10 sqm

1 Women Mazdoor

Ceiling Plastering

1 mason

1 Men mazdoor 8 sqm

1 Women Mazdoor

External Plastering

1 mason

1 Men mazdoor 8 sqm

1 Women Mazdoor

Block work 8”

1 mason

1 Men mazdoor 10 sqm

1 Women Mazdoor

Block work 6”

1 mason

1 Men mazdoor 8 sqm

1 Women Mazdoor

Block work 4”

1 mason

1 Men mazdoor 8 sqm

1 Women Mazdoor

Carpenter

1 Skilled

1 Un skilled 4 Sqm

Bar bender

1 Skilled

1 UN skilled 200Kg

Tile work

1 Mason

1M Mazdoor 10 Sqm

Paint

Painter skilled OBD 600 Sft

Emulsion 800 Sft

Putty 600 Sft

Primer 800 Sft

External Painting

Ace-Low quality

Apex-Medium Quality

Apex ultima –High Quality

Miscellaneous thumb rule in construction :-

One Sqm = 10.763Sft

One Cum = 35.314 Cft

One Acres = 4046.873

Sqm = 43560.17

Sft = 4840.019Yards

One Cubic meter = 1000 litere

One Meter = 3.280Feet

One Mile = 1609.344 meter

One Acre = 100 cent

One ground = 2400

Sft = 5.51 cent

½ ground = 2.75 cent

One Mile = 8 Furlong

One cement bag = 1.25 Cft

One Forma box = 1*1*1.25 feet

THUMB RULES FOR CONCRETE MIX DESIGN

FOR ADDING 4 LITERS OF WATER IN 1 CU.M FRESHLY MIXED CONCRETE

1. The slump value will be increased by 25 mm.

2. The compressive strength of concrete will be decreased by 1.5 to 2.0 N/mm2

3. The shrinkage potential will be increased by 10%.

4. 1/4 bag of cement will be wasted.

IF THE TEMPERATURE OF FRESHLY MIXED CONCRETE IS INCREASED BY 1%, THEN

1. 4 liters of water per cu.m will give equal slump.

2. The air content will be decreased by 1%.

3. The compressive strength of concrete will be decreased by 1.0 to 1.5 N/mm2.

IF THE AIR CONTENT OF FRESHLY MIXED CONCRETE IS

1. Increased by 1% then the compressive strength will be decreased by 5 %.

2. Decreased by 1%, yield will be decreased by 0.03 cu.m per 1 cu.m.

3. Decreased by 1%, then the slump value will be decreased about 12.5 mm.

4. Decreased by 1%, then the durability of the concrete will be reduced by 10%.

The following are some of the rules of thumb which will be useful to achieve economy:

Minimize floor-to-floor height:

By minimizing the floor-to-floor height, the cost associated with mechanical services, stairs, exterior
building cladding can be significantly reduced.

Use repetitive formwork

The cost of formwork may be very high and is not given due consideration by the designers. The cost
can be reduced when the framing system is used repetitively (10 or more times) on a structure.

Use standard column size

This can be achieved by varying the amount of reinforcing steel and the concrete strength within the
column. This will allow for a single column form and will minimize the number of variations to meet
beam or slab forms.

Adopt uniform column layout

Uniform column layout results in simple formwork, which can be used repetitively from floor-to-
floor. Similarly, regular shaped buildings will be more economical than irregularly shaped buildings
with L- or T-shaped columns.
As far as possible, use the same depth for beams

The saving in formwork and shoring costs will exceed any additional costs for concrete and
reinforcing steel. This will also provide a uniform ceiling elevation and minimize mechanical service
installation difficulties.

Use high strength concrete in columns

The high strength may reduce the column size or the amount of reinforcing steel required for the
column.

Use high early strength concrete

This will allow for earlier form stripping and will reduce total construction time.

Specify self-consolidating concrete

Heavily reinforced columns and beams can be very congested with rebar, which prevents the proper
placement of the concrete. SSC maximizes concrete flowability without harmful segregation and
dramatically minimize honeycombing and air pockets.

Specify locally available materials

The use of local aggregates and recycled materials in concrete makes it a 'green' product, which is
requested by environmentally responsible owners.

Use commonly available size of bars and spirals

For a single structural member, the number of different sizes of bars should be kept to a minimum.

Use the largest bar size that satisfies the design considerations
Use larger size bars in columns and smaller size bars in slabs. Larger diameter bars reduce the
number of bars that must be placed and minimize installation costs.

Eliminate bent bars where possible

Bent bars increase fabrication costs and require greater storage area and sorting time on the job
site.

Avoid congestion of steel

Congestion of bars should be avoided, especially at beam-column joints, so that all reinforcements
can be properly placed.