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Important Thumb Rules used in Construction by Civil Engineers
Important Thumb Rules used in Construction by Civil Engineers
Krishna December 14, 2018 27 Comments
Thumb rules play a most crucial role while taking quick decisions on site. Thumb
rules enable you to calculate the solution using a simple mathematical formula and
make smart decisions whenever needed. Remember, thumb rules never give the accurate
results, but you can use them for approximate results. There are many thumb rules
which we apply in construction. Here I am discussing the most frequently used Thumb
rules on site.
Thumb rule is an approximate & comparing method. In thumb rules, The units are not
the same when we compare to get the results. So never consider units while
performing thumb rule.
Thumb Rule
Contents [show]
Thumb rule to calculate the Concrete Volume with respect to area:
The Concrete Volume of 0.038m3 of concrete is used for each Square Feet of Plan
area
Example:-
The plan area is 800SFT then the total volume of concrete required = 800 x 0.038m3
= 30.4m3
For more accurate results you can also use BN Datta recommendations:
As per B N Datta, the Steel quantity used in different members of the building can
be calculated easily using the following recommendations.
Structural Member Percentage of Steel
Slab 1% of total volume of concrete
Beam 2% of of total volume of concrete
Column 2.5% of total volume of concrete
Footings 0.8% of total volume of concrete
Example:
How to calculate the steel quantity of slab having the Length, width, and depth of
the slab is 5m x 4m x 0.15m
As per the above table, the steel quantity of slab is 1% of the total volume of
concrete utilized.
Suppose, the concrete quantity is 0.5m3 then the shuttering area required is 0.5 x
6 = 3m2
Components of Shuttering:-
The shuttering Ply has a length, width & depth of 2.44 x 1.22 x 0.012
if the construction requires 25 Ply sheets, the total quantity of Battens are 19.82
x 25 = 495 Battens
Example :
For Accurate Shuttering Area Calculation, You can check here Shuttering area
required for slabs, columns, Beams, Footings
Thumb rule for Cement, Sand, Coarse Aggregate Quantity in Different grades of
Concrete :
Concrete Mix Cement Quantity Coarse Aggregate Quantity Fine Aggregate
Quantity
M5 (1:5:10) 2.82 Bags 0.98m3 0.49m3
M7.5(1:4:8) 3.48 Bags 0.97m3 0.48m3
M10(1:3:6) 4.50 Bags 0.90m3 0.45m3
M15(1:2:4) 6.60 Bags 0.88m3 0.44m3
M20(1:1.5:3) 8.40 Bags 0.84m3 0.42m3
For Accurate calculation refer to Concrete Mix design for Different grades of
concrete
Thumb rule for Cement quantity in Brickwork, Cement Masonry & Plastering work in
construction:
Brickwork Thumb rule:
Brickwork for 1m3 Cement Qty
in m3 Cement Qty
in Bags
230 mm Brickwork 0.876bags/m3 43.80kgs
115 mm Brickwork 0.218bags/m3 10.90kgs
Cement Masonry Quantity Thumb Rule:
Cement Masonry Type & Mix Cement Qty in Bags Cement Qty in Kgs
200mm in Cement Masonry work of ratio 1:6 0.124Bags/m2 6.2Kgs/m2
150mm in Cement Masonry work of ratio 1:6 0.093Bags/m2 4.65Kgs/m2
200mm in Cement Masonry work of ratio 1:4 0.206Bags/m2 10.3Kgs/m2
150mm in Cement Masonry work of ratio 1:4 0.144Bags/m2 7.2Kgs/m2
100mm in Cement Masonry work of ratio 1:4 0.103Bags/m2 5.15Kgs/m2
Plastering Quantity Thumb Rule:
Type of Plastering Cement Qty in Bags Cement Qty in Kgs
Rough Plastering 0.09Bags/m2 4.5Kgs/m2
Internal Wall Plastering 0.09Bags/m2 4.5Kgs/m2
Duct Plastering 0.09Bags/m2 4.5Kgs/m2
External Wall plastering 0.175Bags/m2 8.75Kgs/m2
Stucco Plastering 0.175Bags/m2 8.75Kgs/m2
Lathen Plastering 0.55Bags/m2 27.5Kgs/m2
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