Material Specifications

LEENA JAIN
ASSO. PROF.
SCOA
CEMENT (As per IS 269-1969)
Cement shall be of Indian manufactured from approved sources and
shall confirm to the latest Indian standard specification.
Classification of Cement:
i. Ordinary Portland cement
ii. Rapid hardening cement
iii. Low heat cement
If it is not mentioned which cement is to be used, then ordinary Portland cement
is used.

1. Weight of cement
Weight of Ordinary Portland cement shall be 144 kg/mᶾ. Measurement and
proportion of cement should normally be on the basis of weight and bags. Any
undisturbed or scaled bag of cement weighs 50 kg i.e. 1 ton contains 20 bags of
cement.

2. Mixing of cement
It is done by volumetric box. 1 bag of cement occupies 0.35 mᶾ or 1.2 ftᶾ of volume.

CEMENT
3. Storage of cement
It shall be stored in weather proof and damp proof shades away from the walls.
The floor of the shades shall be of planks supported clear of the ground 150 mm
to 300 mm above on wooden joists or ballies and 300 mm away from walls.
Cement is stored in piles. One pile of cement should not contain more than 15
bags vertically and width of pile should be max 3m. The cement shall be stored in
such a movement that each consignment can be cleared for use in strict rotation
i.e. first come first use basis. Cement should be used as fresh as possible from the
factory. Deteriorated or damp cement should not be used for construction.
Ordinary cement stored in store for more than two months should be tested and
used only if it found satisfactory.
Effect of strength of concrete by using stored cement-
i. Fresh cement- strength 100%
ii. 3 months old cement- strength 80%
iii. 6 months old cement- strength 70%
iv. 1 year old cement- strength 60%
v. 2 year old cement- strength 50 %

4. Unit of Measurement: It shall be measured by weight with tonne as unit.

CEMENT
Aggregate shall be stored on platforms or otherwise as to avoid the inclusion of foreign
materials. It shall be thoroughly wetted before being charged into the hopper of the mixer.
Fine aggregate (As per IS 383-1983)
1. Sand used in concrete works shall be natural sand (river sand) or crushed stone
screening, clear well graded or other inert materials with similar characteristics or a
combination thereof.
2. Sand should be clean, hard, strong, durable uncoated grains and free from injurious
amount of dust, lumps, soft or flaky particles shale, alkali, organic matter, loam or other
deleterious substances.
3. Maximum size of particle is 5 mm. If fine aggregate contains more than 4% of clay, dust
or silt, it should be washed.
4. When quality of sand is doubtful, it shall be treated for clay, organic impurities or other
deleterious substances.
5. Sea and salty sand should not be used.

Storage
 Shall be stacked carefully on a clean hard surface so it will not get mixed with deleterious
foreign material.
 Sand shall not be stacked in high conical heaps so that segregation of heavier particles by
sliding down may be prevented.
 It shall be placed in layers not thicker than those resulting from lorry loads dumped on
the same plain.

FINE AGGREGATE
Grading:
Grading of sand should confirm as per tables 3 and 4 of IS 383. The
aggregate shall range in size from fine to coarse, preferably within the
following limits, to prevent harshness in the resulting concrete,
Passing through 3/16" sieve- 100%
Passing though no. 4 sieve- not less than 95%
Passing through no. 50 sieve- not less than 30 %
Passing through no. 1000 sieve- not more than 5%
Weight removed by decantation- not more than 3%

Fine aggregate to be washed, if so directed by the engineers. If the

proportion of dust passing through no. 1000 sieve is over 5% , the aggregate
shall be screened to remove the same. Fine aggregates shall be thoroughly
wetted before being charged into hopper of mixer.

Measurement: Measurement shall be by volume with cubic metre as the

unit. No deductions to be made for voids.

FINE AGGREGATE
Coarse Aggregate:
1. Coarse aggregate shall consist of crushed stone gravel or other approved materials
or obtained by hand broken.
2. It should have similar characteristics or combination thereof having, clean, hard,
durable uncoated particles free from injurious amount of soft, elongated or
laminated pieces alkali, organic or other deleterious matter. Lime stone aggregate
will not be permitted on building work.
3. It should be cubical in shape and should have sharp edges.
4. It should be crystalline or granular.
5. It should be glossy and long, flat particles should be avoided.
6. There should not have coating on the metal. It shall be washed if so directed by
the engineers.
7. Unless special stone of particular quarry is mentioned in special provisions,
aggregate shall be broken from the best trap, granite, natural stone in that order
available in that region and also approved by engineers.
8. Maximum size of aggregate may be up to 80 mm and well graded between sizes
50 to 80 mm in such proportions so as to give more density to the concrete. In
case of general concrete work, more size of 40 mm is used and for RCC work 20
mm or 12 mm is found satisfactory.
9. Coarse aggregate of porous nature, where the absorption of water after 24 hrs of
immersion in water is more than 5% by weight shall be rejected.

COARSE AGGREGATE
Unless otherwise specified coarse aggregate for all reinforced concrete work
shall be graded from 1' down to 3/16".
All materials passing the upper limit may be 1 1/2" or even 3" depending upon
the class of work. Grading shall confirm to the following as far as possible,

Storage: Aggregate of different sizes shall be stored separately in such a

manner so as to prevent mixing of different sizes of aggregate. No foreign
matter or admixtures of vegetables shall be allowed to mix up with it.

Measurement:
Measured by volume with cu. m. as unit.

COARSE AGGREGATE
Water
Water shall be sweet, fresh and free from all chemicals and deleterious matters. It
should be clean and clear from objectionable qualities like salt, traces or oil, acid
and injurious alkali, salts, organic matter and impurities which will weaken the
mortar or cause efflorescence or attack steel in RCC. If it is from sources other
than town protected water supply, such sources shall be approved by the
engineer. Containers for transport, storage and handling of water should be clean.
If required, water should be tested for in comparison with distilled water.
Comparison shall be made with standard cement test. Any indication of
unsoundness, change in time of setting by 30 min or more, decrease of more than
10% in strength of mortar prepared with the water sample then it shall be
rejected. Sea water should not be used but potable water should be used. Water
used for curing lime/cement mortar, concrete shall,
i. Not be acidic or alkaline with pH between 4.5 to 8.5 near about 7.
ii. Be free from elements which significantly affect hydration, reduction or
interference with hardening of mortar or concrete during those which produce
objectionable stains or unsightly deposits on concrete/mortar surface.
iii. Hard and bitter water with more than 100 ppm (parts per million) of sulphate
shall not be used.
iv. Sea water containing more than 3% of chloride shall not be used for curing of
RCC work.

WATER
Bricks
Broken brick for concrete shall be from hard, well burnt bricks. They shall be broken
to ISS 11/2" gauge for ordinary concrete and ISS 1" gauge for terrace grading. They
shall be free from dust, clay, loam or organic matter and shall if so directed, should be
screened and washed.
First class bricks: Bricks shall be table moulded of uniform size, shape and colour
and must be well burnt so as to give a clear ringing sound when struck. They shall be
clean and free from flaws, holes, cracks, stone or lumps of any kind, especially lime.
This shall have sharp edges, angles and even surfaces and shall be sound and hard to
resist compression. They shall be from a source to be approved by the engineers. They
shall give clear metallic ringing sound when struck. They shall show fine grained
uniform homogeneous and dense texture and shall be free from lumps of lime,
laminated cracks, air holes, soluble salts, causing efflorescence or other defects which
may affect the strength, durability, appearance, usefulness for the purpose intended.
They shall not have any parts unburnt, they shall not break when dropped from a
height of 60 cm. The size of conventional bricks may vary from
(22.23cmx10.64cmx6.67cm) to (22.86cmx10.8cmx7.62cm). Bricks of only one
standard size should be used in one work unless specially permitted or advised by the
architect.
Following tolerances are permitted in standard conventional size adopted on site-
Length-±3mm, depth/breadth-±1.5mm
Absorption No brick after immersion in water for 24 hours shall absorb more than
15% of its weight.
BRICKS
Crushing strength The load to crush bricks when dry, shall not be less than 43.7
kg/cm² and when thoroughly soaked shall not be less than 32.8 kg/cm². When
bricks are to be used in high load bearing walls where the load coming on the wall
in 43.7 kg/cm² or more, engineer may order compression test. The test shall be
done at the cost of contractor.

Second class bricks

They shall be similar to first class bricks except that they may be slightly over
burnt and may not have sharp edges. Tolerance in depth shall be about ±3mm.
Crushing strength may be 10% less than prescribed for first class bricks.
Absorption: Absorption of water when immersed in water shall not exceed 22%.

Third class bricks

May be slightly burnt or unburnt. Need not be uniform size and may be distorted.
When struck against each other it produces dull sound.
Absorption: On being soaked in water for 24 hours absorption shall not exceed
24%.

Storage: Bricks shall not be dumped at site. They shall be stacked on level ground
in regular tiers directly as they are unloaded to minimize breakages and facilitate
counting of bricks. It is preferable to limit the height of stacks to 1.5m.
Mode of measurement: By number with 1000 unit/no.

BRICKS
Building Stone Stone to be used in masonry should be of good quality and may
be of trap granite, quartzite, gneiss, laterite or any other type of good stone may be
used as specified in item. If not specified as particular type of stone, then the one
available in that region shall be used.
It should stand in all weather conditions and when immersed in water for 24 hrs
shall not absorb water more than 5% of its dry weight. The stone of approved
quality should be obtained from the quarries approved by engineers.
Laterite shall be compact in nature, texture. Those types, in which there is white
clay, should not be used as a building stone.
Laterite exposed to weather to harden for sometime should be preferred. It should
not be used where it is subjected to great pressure and liable to be soaked with
water.
Broken stone shall consists of hard pieces broken to gauge defined below. It must
be free from all dust and dirt and washed if necessary stone chips or flaky or
decayed stone will be permitted, the size shall be as follows
Plain concrete: 11/2" ISS gauge
Surface layer 11/2" ISS gauge
Road work: Under layer 21/2" ISS gauge
Quality of face stone: The stones to be used as face stones shall be tough, hard,
dense, sound, durable, resistant to weathering to action, reasonably fine grained,
uniform in colour and texture and free from cracks or other defects. It shall also be
free from any type of discolouration.

BUILDING STONES
Quality of Rubble stone: Stone for rubble masonry shall be sound, dense, hard,
durable, sharp and angular and free from segregation, cracks and decay and other
structural defects or imperfections, tending to affect their soundness and strength.
Stones shall be fresh from the quarries, approved by the engineers. No earthy or
discoloured, weathered or water worn stone shall be permitted. No stone shall be
less than one cubic foot volume. Rubble for hard core shall be sound, sharp and
angular and of hard durable and tough quality of specified size. Stones should be
free from rounded, worn or weathered surfaces or skin or coating which may
prevent the adhesion of each item. Stone for cut stone work shall be the best of its
kind sound durable, free from flaws, cracks, veins, crystals, mineral, salts, cavities
and other defects and of a uniform texture and colour.

Quality of other stones: Stones shall be used as headers, pin headers, quoins,
copings etc and shall complete the requirements of facing and hearting as may be
relevant and further comply with the requirements of size and shape stipulated
under each item. Sample of stones to be used in work shall be first approved by the
engineer before the work is started.

Measurement: Measurement shall be by volume.

In case of rubble, measurement shall be by volume of stacks without deduction of
voids. In case of khandki, measurement shall be length.

BUILDING STONES
Lime: Lime shall be hydraulic lime properly burnt and from approved sources. It shall
be slaked on the site and fresh sweet water should be used for the same. The lime shall
be free from unburnt kankar, ashes and other impurities. Lime leaving a residue of over
10% by weight on testing with hydrochloric acid shall be rejected.

Sand: Sand shall be sharp, course, clean and gritty and from approved sources. It shall
be well graded and shall be free from salt, earth, loam, dust or other impurities. It shall
be washed with fresh water on the site if so directed by the engineers.
Measurement: Available in Brass

Murum: Murum shall be sound, hard of a quality not affected by weather. It shall be
of approved quarries. All Murum shall be screened at the quarry to pass through a 2"
ring. It shall be free from earth and other impurities.

Neeru: Neeru shall be prepared from the best available hydraulic lime slakes with
fresh water and sifted. The lime shall be ground fine in a mortar mill and kept moist
until used. No more than can be used up in 15 days shall be prepared at a time.

Surkhi: Surkhi or jhama shall be prepared from slightly under burnt brickbats but
never from over burnt bricks. The material shall be ground to a fine dust and shall pass
through a sieve of 225 meshes per square inch. It shall be kept dry and stored properly
after manufacture.

BUILDING MATERIALS
MATERIAL
SPECIFICATIONS
PART 2

24th July, 2021

Reinforcement
Material: Mild steel bar reinforcement for RCC work shall be of the tested quality of not
less than Grade I. It shall also comply with Indian Standard Specification.
All reinforcement shall be clean, free from dirt, oil, grease, mill scale or loose or thick
rust at the time of placing. It should be free from harmful coatings.
Test contractor should produce a test certificate for the manufacturer. If independent
tests are considered necessary, the cost of such tests shall be done by the contractor if
the results are unsatisfactory and by the department if the results are satisfactory.
Measurement: When required to be measured, measurement shall be by weight with
quintal or tonnes as units. The bars may be weighed. The weights shall be calculated
according to the standard weight mentioned in IS handbook correct up to 0.10 kg. High
tensile steel bars/wires have similar specification. The strength of this steel shall be
specified in the item.
Welded joints in reinforcement may be used but in all cases of important connections,
tests shall be made to prove that the joints are of full strength of bars connected.
Welding of reinforcement shall be done in accordance with the recommendations of
relevant Indian Standards for welding of mild steel bars used in reinforced concrete
contraction.
Storage: Steel reinforcement shall be stored in a way as to prevent distortion and
corrosion. Bars of different classification, sizes and lengths shall be stored separately to
facilitate issues. In case of long storage or in coastal area, reinforcement bars shall be
stacked above ground level by at least 15 cm to prevent scaling and rusting.

REINFORCEMENT
Plain Cement Concrete
Material: It is mixture of sand, cement, aggregate and water. Bed concrete shall be
M15, size of aggregate shall be 35-40mm. Floor concrete M100, size of aggregate
shall be 35 to 40 mm. Coping bands, etc aggregate size shall be 12-20 mm. Type of
aggregate required should be specified i.e. hard/machine crushed.
Preparation of concrete:
Mixing : Hand/machine mixed. If hand mixing is done, 5% additional cement is to
be added to components of lesser strength.
Water cement ratio: Measured quantity of water should be added to have workable
consistency.
Actual mixing: Surface should be free from earth, non absorbent, clean and dry. In
dry sand, cement is added and mixed properly and to this mixture water is added
and thoroughly mixed. Add only necessary quantity of water which will be mixed in
such a way that it doesn't run with cement slurry. Proper colour will indicate
thorough mixing. Suitable formwork is used.

Placing of concrete Concrete is to be placed from a distance not more than 1.5 m.
No segregation of materials should take place while pouring the concrete. Trenches
shall be cleaned and levelled before construction. Proper thickness of concrete shall
be maintained.

PLAIN CEMENT CONCRETE (PCC)

Plain Cement Concrete…cont

Compacting:
It shall be done during deposition, to get dense core with steel rod, bamboo stick
and properly levelled with wooden floats. Edges and corners shall be initially
protected. The formwork is removed by using tools like spades, rods, without
damaging concrete work. For important building works, a mechanical vibrator is to
be used.
Curing :
Curing shall be done by placing gunny bags, wet cloth or making water bay.
Concrete shall initially be protected from damage due to impact. Undue pressure,
heat of sun, rain, and wind shall not affect the concrete after the final set of 14 days.
Concrete is to be kept wet.
Filling in plinth: It is to be done in layers each not exceeding 300mm. Murum can
be used for refilling. Debris can also be used if black cotton soil is present.
Cushioning of 600-700 mm is provided all around the building. Filling shall be
done in the form of impervious material such as Shahabad stone. Soil for filling
shall be of selected type. Watering is done and hammer is used for consolidation.
DPC is done to prevent water from coming up. Gaps should be filled with stone
chips.
Measurement: Payment made in mᶾ measurement.

PLAIN CEMENT CONCRETE (PCC)

Reinforced cement concrete (RCC)
Introduction
The items refer to cement concrete required for RCC footing of column, steel
stanchions, grillage, raft, strip foundation in building construction. The concrete
should confirm to the following specification-
Material
Cement When not specified, Ordinary Portland Cement should be used.
Fine aggregate Size 15 to 30 mm should be used.
Coarse aggregate Coarse aggregate shall confirm to specifications and shall be
crushed from sound stones, obtained from approved quarries. The maximum size
of course aggregate shall be 40 mm or 6mm less than the cover whichever is
smaller. Quantity of water should be just sufficient to make concrete workability
plastic.

Construction
1. Mixing- Cement, sand and course aggregate shall be mixed in concrete mixer in
proportion of 1:2:4 with a water cement ratio as described by engineers.
2. Placing- The foundation shall be passed by engineers only after the lean concrete
bedding has been placed compacted and cured. The concrete for RCC foundation
shall be placed only after the engineer has inspected and passed the placement of
steel and forms, measured the steel reinforcement.

REINFORCED CEMENT CONCRETE (RCC)

Reinforced cement concrete (RCC)

The concrete shall be placed only after the engineer in charge has inspected the
centring, shuttering, reinforcement as placed and passed the same. Shuttering shall
be free from saw dust, pieces of wood and other foreign materials. Reinforcement,
structural steel, formwork and lean concrete shall be measured separately. As far as
possible concreting of footing item complete. The engineer may permit a
construction joint at suitable section to be completed afterwards.
3. Compaction- It is done by mechanical vibrator and also rods to get dense
concrete mix to prevent honey combing.
4. Dewatering- If the area to be concreted is under water, water shall be removed
as specified. Unless dewatering is separately provided for in the tenders. Cost of
dewatering is separately covered in rate of concrete. The item shall also include
embedding of anchor bars and leaving holes for anchors and grouting of holes with
RCC 1:2:4 or cement, sand, aggregate grout 1:2 anchors will be paid separately.

After concrete has begun to harden it shall be protected from quick drying with
moist gunny bags. After 24 hours of laying of concrete the surface shall be cured by
flooding with water.

REINFORCED CEMENT CONCRETE (RCC)

Reinforced cement concrete (RCC)
5. Mode of measurement
1) For tapering portion of RCC footing quantity shall be calculated by primordial formula up
to 3 decimals.
2) No deduction for reinforcement steel bars and anchors.
3) No deduction for structural steel if combined sectional area <500
4) Holes for grouting shall not be deducted and no payment shall be made.

REINFORCED CEMENT CONCRETE (RCC)

Cement concrete
Materials: This shall be prepared by mixing cement, sand and aggregate in specified
proportions.
Proportioning: The unit of measurement for cement for a bag of cement weighing
50 kg and this shall be taken as 0.35 cu m. Sand in specified proportion shall measure
in boxes of suitable size. It shall be measured on the basis of its dry volume. In case of
damp sand its quantity can be increased suitably to allow for bulkage.
Mixing: Mixing of mortar shall be done in mechanical mixture or by hand mixing as
specified.
a) Mixing in mechanical mixture: Cement and sand in specified proportion shall
be mixed dry thoroughly in a mixer. Water shall then be added gradually and wet
mixing contained for at least 1 min care shall be taken not to add more water than that
which shall bring the mortar to consistency of a stiff paste. Only the quantity of mortar
which can be used within 30 min of its mixing shall be prepared at a time. Mixer shall
be cleaned with water each time before mixing.

CEMENT CONCRETE
Cement concrete
Laying of cement concrete: Concrete shall be laid in layers not exceeding 15 cm thickness and
thoroughly rodded with iron rods and compacted with wooden rammers till a dense concrete is
obtained. The layers of concrete shall be so placed that the bottom layer does not finally set before
the top layer is placed. When so specified, compacting shall be done by mechanical vibrators as per
detailed specifications. Compaction shall be completed before the initial setting starts i.e. within
30 min of addition of water in dry mixture. During cold weather, concreting shall not be done
when the temperature falls below 40 deg F. The concrete placed shall be protected against frost by
suitable covering. Concrete damaged by frost shall be removed and the work is redone.
Transportation: Transporting of concrete from mixer to the final position as quickly as possible
should be in clean container and by methods which prevent segregation or loss of ingredients.
Maintain workability and afford protection from contamination and adverse weather.
Curing: After concrete began to harden, i.e. about 1 to 2 hours after its laying, it shall be protected
from quick drying with moist gunny bags or any other material approved by the architect or
engineer in charge. After 24 hours of laying of concrete, the surface shall be cured by flooding with
water of 2.5 cm depth or by covering with wet absorbent materials.
Formwork: If centering and shuttering are required to be done for this work, it shall be done in
accordance with the specification for formwork under RCC work and shall be paid for separately
unless otherwise specified.
Measurements: A consolidated cubic content of cement concrete shall be measured. Concrete
laid in excess of the section shown in drawings shall not be measured. The length and breadth shall
be measured correct to 1 cm and depth correct to 0.5 cm.
Rate: Rate is inclusive of the cost of labour and materials involved in the operations described
above except formwork which will be paid separately unless otherwise specified.

CEMENT CONCRETE
Damp Proof Course:
This shall consist of cement concrete of specified proportion and thickness. Edges
of the DPC shall be straight, even and vertical. Side shuttering consists of wooden
forms and shall be strong and properly fixed so that it does not get disturbed during
compaction and mortar does not get leak through. Concrete mix shall be of
workable consistency and shall be tamped to make a dense mass. When sides are
the removed surface should come out smooth without any honey combing.
Curing: DPC shall be cured for at least 7 days after which it shall be allowed to dry.
Application of hot bitumen: hot bitumen is specified quantity shall be applied over
dried up surface of cement concrete properly cleaned with brushes and finally with
a piece of cloth soaked in kerosene oil. Bitumen shall be applied uniformly along so
that no blank spaces are left anywhere.
Water proofing material: specified water proofing material poodle, water locked
shall be added in the concrete mixture in accordance with the manufacturer's
specification.
Measurements: DPC of cement concrete of specified mix and thickness shall be
measured for its superficial area. The length shall be measured correct to 1 cm and
depth shall not be less than specified thickness at any section.
Rate: It is inclusive of cost of material and labours involved in all the operations
described above except for application of coat of hot bitumen and addition of water
proofing material which shall be paid for separately unless otherwise specified.

DAMP PROOF COURSE

Cement mortar:
Shall be in exact proportion of the mix as being specified for that particular item of work. In the
schedule of quantities and rates cement sand to be used shall be engaged in suitably sized
boxes, thoroughly mixed in dry state on a clean wooden platform or masonry platform, specially
constructed for the purpose by contractor, as instructed by the architect and mixed after addition
of requisite quantity of fresh water. It shall be prepared in such quantity as can readily be used
up and mortar which has partially set shall under no circumstances be retempered by being
mixed with additional material or water.

Cement Pointing:
Materials Cement mortar for pointing shall be of specified mix.
Construction details:
 Unless otherwise specified the pointing shall be of grooved type.
 The joints in the masonry shall be raked out to the depth not less than width of the joint when
mortar is green.
 The joints are to be brushed clean of dust and loose particles with a stiff brush.
 The area shall be washed and joints thoroughly wetted before pointing is commenced.
 The raking out joints shall be filled with mortar of specified mix and required consistency, well
pressed and smoothed.
 A semicircular depression of 3 mm Ø shall be made in the joint by pressing a clean with trowel
keeping the string exactly horizontal. The vertical joint shall be similarly marked.

Watering The pointing face shall be kept wet continuously for 14 days after initial set.
Mode of measurement The contract rate shall be for a unit of 1 m² of cement pointing.
Deduction for doors windows shall be made for actual square opening in the masonry.
No deduction for embedded portions of items like cornices, corbel etc.

CEMENT MORTAR AND POINTING

Neeru finish

Materials Pure fat lime (class C) as mentioned in 712-1962.

Surface preparation The plaster surface should be combed neatly with wire
brushes or nails before it is completely set to form keys for Neeru. The undercoat
shall be thoroughly damped evenly but not soaked before Neeru application.
Neeru shall be applied to be plastered surface which is partially set and done with
steel trowel to a thick slightly exceeding 1.5mm and rubbed down to 1.5 mm and
polished to the perfectly smooth and even finish, working from top to bottom.
Soap stone powder in the bag shall be commenced as soon as the moist plaster
work has hardened sufficiently and is not susceptible to injury. Soaking of walls
shall be avoided and only as much water as can be readily absorbed be used. The
surface shall be kept wet with water for 14 days.

Items to include
i. Scaffolding including erection and shuttering.
ii. Providing and dusting soap powder as specified.
iii. Watering the surface for 14 days.

Mode of measurement When included in a plaster item as a finish it will not be

measured and paid separately but will be included in inclusive items.
NEERU FINISH
Mild steel
M S bars for RCC work shall confirm to IS 432-1966 and shall be of tested quality
of not less than Grade
1. Physical requirement
1. All reinforcement shall be clean and free from dirt, oil paint, grease, mill scale
or lose or thick rust at the time of placing.
2. The contractor shall produce a test certificate of manufacturer. If independent
test are considered necessary, they shall be carried out according to IS 1521 and
IS 1608-1972. The cost of such test shall be borne by the contractor.
3. In case of untested steel, the cost of test invariably borne by the contractor.
Bars/rods rerolled from scrap steel shall not be used.

Storage: Reinforcement steel shall be stored above ground surface, above

platform, skids or supports to avoid distortion, sags of long length and shall be
protected as far as practical from surface deterioration by direct contact with
undesirable elements or by exposure to conditions producing rust and
corrosion. All bars of same designation shall be stacked separately in sacks and
distinctly marked.
Measurement: When required to be measured, measurement shall be by weight
with quintal/ton as a unit. The bars maybe directly weighed or weights shall be
calculated according to the standard weights mentioned in ISI hand book up to
0.1 kg.
MILD STEEL BARS
MS binding bars
1. The mild steel wire shall be of 1.63 mm or 1.22 mm (16 or 18 gauge) IS 288
1951.
2. The use of black or galvanize wire will be permitted for binding reinforcement
bars. It shall be free from rust oil, paint, grease, loose mill scale or from any other
undesirable coating which will prevent adhesion of cement mortar.
3. Storage: the wire coil shall be stored above ground on a platform or other
supports and protected from the surface deterioration by direct contact with
harmful elements or by explosive to condition producing rust and corrosion.
4. Measurement: No measurement will be taken of wire used for tying
reinforcement bars. The rate of reinforcement shall include rate of binding wire.
When required to be measured measurement shall be by weight in quintal to
tonnes as a unit. The wire shall be weighed correctly up to 0.10 kg.

M.S.BINDING WIRES
Wrought iron

All wrought iron shall be of the best fibrous quality and shall stand for such forge
tests as shall prove its quality and fitness for the service required. It shall be free
from scales, blisters, cracked edges, laminations and defects of any sort.

Cast iron

All cast iron used on the work shall be of the best tough and closed grained gray
metal clean and sound without admixture of deleterious matter, true in section
with an even thickness of metal throughout, combining to the design, free from
air holes, sand holes, flaws or defects of any kind and with clean and sharp edges,
where so shown in plan and with an even surfaces. It shall be sufficiently soft to
admit of being easily cut by either chisel or drill.

WROUGHT IRON, CAST IRON