Materials for a 1000, 1500 or 2000 sq ft House: Cement, Sand, Jalli, Steel and Bricks

Quantities for 1,000, 1,500 and 2,000 sq ft

Typical estimate for an RCC-framed house, ground plus one floor, with 5-inch slabs, 9-inch outer and 4.5-inch inner brick walls and M20 concrete. Built-up area means the total of all floors.

Typical estimates, not a bill of quantities. Add 5–10% for wastage when you order.

Next question: Why might my numbers differ? Footing depth, slab thickness and wall layout move the totals most. Read

Where the numbers come from

Concrete: the per-cubic-metre rule

Each cubic metre of M20 nominal-mix concrete takes about 8 bags of cement, 0.7 MT of M-Sand and 1.3 MT of 20mm jalli. This house uses roughly 27 m³ of RCC and 5 m³ of PCC per 1,000 sq ft, which gives the jalli and much of the sand.

Cement: about 0.4 bags per sq ft

Concrete alone takes about 235 bags per 1,000 sq ft. Brick mortar, plaster and floor bedding bring the total to roughly 350–400 bags, which is where the common 0.4-bag-per-sq-ft rule comes from.

Steel: 3.5–4.5 kg per sq ft

That is the common rule for RCC-framed houses. The bar-bending schedule from your structural engineer gives the real weight by diameter.

Bricks: the wall layout decides

Our layout has about 28 m³ of brickwork per 1,000 sq ft. At roughly 410–445 bricks per m³ with 10 mm joints, that is 11,500–12,500 bricks. Rules of thumb that quote fewer bricks assume more 4.5-inch walls; count your own walls from the plan.

• Deeper footings or a low plot: substructure concrete and filling can double.
• Single storey: footings and PCC take a bigger share per sq ft than in a G+1.
• Ready-mix for slabs: take the slab jalli and sand off your order; the plant supplies them.
• Block walls instead of bricks: about 108–116 blocks per 100 sq ft of wall replace the bricks.

Next question: How do I order all this without crowding the plot? In stages, one or two loads at a time; the 1,500 sq ft stage plan shows the sequence. Read

Work out your own house

Multiplies the per-1,000 sq ft figures above. It does not know your footing depth or wall layout.

Enter the total built-up area of all floors. A single-storey house carries more footing and PCC per sq ft than a G+1, so expect its real jalli and M-Sand figures to come out higher than the calculator shows.

Next question: What will the jalli and sand cost? See the cost table for your area below. Read

What our part costs, delivered

We supply the jalli and sand from the Perindesam works, and TMT bars and bricks from our stock yards. The table prices the jalli and sand for 1,000 sq ft at today's rates.

• TMT bars, 12 mm: ₹56.85 per kg
• Fly ash bricks, per 1,000: ₹7,850 per 1,000 bricks
• Red clay bricks, per 1,000: ₹10,350 per 1,000 bricks
• Cement: arranged through partner suppliers; we do not price it.

Next question: What is the delivered price in my area? Every area page lists delivered prices per tonne. Read