How much cement, steel and sand a house needs
Design IRL Editorial · Figures checked 7 November 2026 · For owners building a low-rise house who want to check material quantities and bills · How we make our guides
Cement and steel are the two biggest material bills in the structure of a house. A few per sq ft rules tell you roughly how much you need, so you can spot an estimate that is far off.
The rules of thumb
These figures are per sq ft of built-up area (BUA) for a low-rise RCC frame house on normal soil. They are for planning only. Your structural engineer's drawings and bar bending schedule give the real quantities.
| Material | Published figure | Our calculator uses |
|---|---|---|
| Cement (50 kg bags) | 0.40–0.45 bags | 0.4 bags |
| Steel (TMT bars) | 3.5–4.5 kg single storey; 4.5–5.5 kg G+1 or G+2 | 4 kg ground only; 4.75 kg G+1; 5.25 kg G+2 or more |
| Sand | 0.04–0.05 tonnes, about 0.9–1.1 cft | 1.2 cft |
| Coarse aggregate (20 mm) | 0.06–0.07 tonnes, about 1.3–1.6 cft | 1.35 cft |
| Bricks or blocks | 6–8 | 5.25 bricks |
Steel goes up with floors
Pick the number of floors in the calculator. It uses 4 kg of steel per sq ft for a ground-only house, 4.75 kg for G+1 and 5.25 kg for G+2 or more, in line with the published figures. Our brick count is on the low side of the published figures, so a real count may come out a little higher.
Why your numbers will differ
- Floors. Each added floor puts more load on the columns and footings below, so steel per sq ft rises with height.
- Seismic zone. Delhi NCR, much of north India, the Himalaya and the north-east are in the higher seismic zones. The design code asks for more ductile detailing there, which means more steel at joints.
- Soil. Black cotton soil, filled land and soft coastal or alluvial soil can need deeper footings, a raft or piles. That adds concrete and steel below ground.
- Design. Long spans, cantilevered balconies, large openings and a basement all add steel. A plain, column-on-grid plan uses the least.
- Walls. AAC or fly ash blocks in place of red bricks cut mortar and the weight the frame carries.
So treat the table as a range to ask questions about, not a target. If a quantity is 30% away from it, ask the engineer or contractor why.
What to buy: grades and brands
| Material | What it is | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| OPC 53 grade cement | Ordinary Portland cement. Gains strength fast. | RCC: footings, columns, beams, slabs, where early strength matters |
| PPC cement | Portland pozzolana cement, made with fly ash. Gains strength slowly, cracks less. | Brickwork and plaster; suits hot climates and long-term durability |
| Fe 500 TMT | The common grade for houses | Columns, beams, slabs and footings |
| Fe 500D TMT | Fe 500 with more ductility (the D) | G+1 and G+2 houses and earthquake-prone areas |
| Fe 550 / Fe 550D TMT | Higher strength, slightly costlier | Heavier structures; only if your engineer specifies it |
Established cement brands include UltraTech, ACC, Ambuja, Ramco and Dalmia. Common TMT brands include Tata Tiscon, JSW Neosteel and SAIL. A branded bar costs a little more than secondary steel, but its grade is more reliable. Whatever you buy, check for the BIS mark: IS 1786 for TMT bars, IS 269 for OPC and IS 1489 for PPC.
What these materials cost
| Material | Unit | Rough price, Nov 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Cement | 50 kg bag | ₹340–460, by brand and type |
| TMT steel | kg | ₹58–76 (metros about ₹60–75, tier-2 about ₹58–72) |
| Sand (river or M-sand) | cft | ₹45–95 |
| Coarse aggregate | cft | ₹38–65 |
| Red clay bricks | each | ₹7–12 |
| Fly ash bricks | each | ₹6–9 |
| AAC blocks | each | ₹60–90 |
Sand is often sold by the ton or by the truckload, not by the cft. One tonne of sand is roughly 22 cft. River sand at ₹1,200–2,000 a tonne is about ₹55–90 per cft. M-sand at ₹900–1,500 a tonne is about ₹40–70.
Worked example: a 2,000 sq ft G+1 house
Take a ground plus first floor house with 2,000 sq ft of built-up area. Using the calculator's rules, with wastage added, the quantities and costs come out like this.
| Material | Quantity | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|
| Cement | 2,000 × 0.4 + 3% = 824 bags | ₹3.0–3.8 lakh |
| Steel | 2,000 × 4.75 kg + 4% = 9,880 kg | ₹5.7–7.5 lakh |
| Sand | 2,000 × 1.2 + 10% = 2,640 cft | ₹1.2–2.5 lakh |
| Aggregate | 2,000 × 1.35 + 10% = 2,970 cft | ₹1.1–1.9 lakh |
| Bricks | 2,000 × 5.25 + 5% = 11,025 | ₹77,000–1.3 lakh |
| Total | ₹11.9–17.1 lakh, typically about ₹14.1 lakh |
Add a floor and the steel goes up. As a G+2 house of the same area, at 5.25 kg per sq ft, the steel is 10,920 kg with wastage, or ₹6.3–8.3 lakh. The total rises to about ₹12.5–17.9 lakh.
For scale, our rate table puts a standard house at about ₹1,800–2,450 per sq ft in most cities, so ₹36–49 lakh for this house. The five materials above are about a third of that. Labour, finishes, doors, windows, wiring and plumbing make up the rest.
Buying and checking
- Ask the contractor for a bill of quantities (BOQ) that names the grade and brand of cement and steel, not just the quantity.
- Buy steel against the engineer's bar bending schedule, not a lump-sum tonnage.
- Weigh a sample bundle of steel at delivery, and check the brand and grade rolled onto the bars.
- Check the manufacturing date on cement bags. Use cement within about three months, and store it off the floor, away from damp.
- Check whether dealer rates include GST, cartage and unloading. They often don't.
- Don't skimp on curing. Cheaper cement used well beats good cement cured badly.
Where not to save
Steel and cement in the frame can't be fixed later. Save on finishes if you must, not on the grade of steel or the number of bars.
Who to hire
A structural engineer designs the frame and gives the bar bending schedule. That is where the real steel and concrete quantities come from. Your contractor then buys against it, and a local dealer supplies the cement, steel and aggregates. On a turnkey contract, ask to see the dealer bills for steel and cement.
Find the people
Sources
Most published cost figures come from firms that sell the work. We give ranges and you should get 2–3 quotes.