BOQ for Painting Works: Measured Example and Excel Format

Interior painting costs about ₹12–35 per sq ft of painted surface in India in 2026 (material + labour), as reported by HouseYog, and a BOQ for painting works turns that into a bill: each preparation and coating system against its measured area, unit rate and amount. Download the painting BOQ format in Excel: it includes a room surface register, opening schedule, door/window/grill coefficients and a linked, formula-based BOQ.

For a quick purchase estimate, use the wall paint calculator for opening deductions, ceiling area, coat quantities and pack rounding.

For market bands, labour-only scope and quote comparison, use painting rates by surface and coat. The workbook's house and rates are illustrative, dated 20 October 2026.

What is included in the painting BOQ Excel download?#

The workbook has four linked sheets: BOQ, Surfaces, Openings and Joinery.

The filled example totals ₹58,534.10 for a new full-putty interior system and selected wood/metal painting. It is an arithmetic example, not a market price or a quote.

Amber cells are editable inputs; white numeric cells calculate. The workbook preserves formulas and cached example results and requests recalculation when opened. It contains no macros. Download it before replacing the examples with your own measured entries.

Painting BOQ item structure and units#

Use one row for each distinct specification and substrate. “Painting complete — 1 job” cannot explain which surface or coat was omitted.

If the selected product requires primer both before and after putty, state and price both applications. If a composite supply-and-apply item already includes preparation and primer, remove the overlapping separate lines.

The workbook's seven items are cleaning/sanding, putty, primer, wall finish, ceiling finish, wood painting and grill painting. It deliberately separates wall and ceiling finish rates. Repairs to damp plaster, crack treatment, scaffolding at unusual heights, texture finishes and exteriors need additional measured items if they are in your project.

For a whole-house budget around this trade, use the house construction cost calculator. For the structure and other trades, see the complete house BOQ sample.

Measure surfaces from drawings#

Painting is measured as surface area taken from room dimensions, not floor area. Start with a room list, finish schedule and drawing revision. Measure the wall length at each painted face, the painted height and the ceiling plan dimensions. Record the actual painted band above skirting or dado; a fully tiled kitchen has a different scope from a kitchen tiled only to 1.5 m.

The basic room calculation is:

Gross rectangular walls = 2 × (length + width) × painted height.

Net payable walls = gross walls − permitted opening deductions + permitted returns.

Flat ceiling = length × width.

Add exposed beam sides, drops, columns or other projections separately when present. Do not count a projection hidden inside the same rectangular surface twice. For a sloping ceiling, use the actual sloping area rather than the horizontal plan area.

Opening deductions: check the edition and reveal geometry#

Our IS 1200 measurement guide distinguishes Part 13 building surfaces from Part 15 joinery and metalwork. The following example expressly uses Part 13:1994, clause 3.2, from the accessible original standard. BIS issued Part 13:2024; the BIS revision bulletin confirms it. Its revised clause text has not been checked here. Match the contract edition before billing.

For the middle band, the same finish on two faces normally means one-face deduction. Different finishes require comparing reveal widths; equal reveals use half on each face. When only one face is treated, a narrower reveal on that face permits full deduction. A full-wall-width door frame permits full deduction on each treated face. The standard also has a specific one-sided-reveal case; consult it rather than extrapolating.

This is why the workbook uses a reviewed deduction-factor input, rather than pretending opening size alone determines the answer. Use 0, 0.5 or 1 after checking the relevant condition. A zero is a deliberate rule choice, not a blank missing measurement.

Payable painting area and physical paint consumption#

An opening retained by the measurement convention is not actually covered in wall paint. Conversely, small returns may receive paint without a separately payable quantity. Keep a procurement calculation based on actual surface geometry and manufacturer coverage outside the BOQ quantity column. The companion rate guide explains the two-coat litre calculation.

Original room sketch and measurement trail#

The example hall has 47.32 m² of payable walls: 54.00 m² gross, less 7.26 m² of openings, plus 0.58 m² of returns. It is a fictional room, 5.00 m × 4.00 m internally and 3.00 m high. The sketch identifies openings; it is not a construction drawing or a scale plan.

                  5.00 m internal
        +-------- W1 1.20 m --------+
        |                           |
 4.00 m |           HALL            | D1 1.00 m
        |        height 3.00 m      | entrance
        +------ O1 1.60 m ----------+
                to passage

 W1: 1.20 x 1.50 m; interior reveal narrower.
 D1: 1.00 x 2.10 m; full-wall-width frame.
 O1: 1.60 x 2.10 m; open passage connection.
 O1 wall depth 0.20 m: allocate 0.10 m returns to each room.

The hall's opening schedule is:

For O1, jambs plus soffit are 2 × 2.10 + 1.60 = 5.80 m. The hall's share is 5.80 × 0.10 = 0.58 m²; the passage carries the other 0.58 m². Together they cover the full 0.20 m depth once. There is no painted floor sill in this passage opening.

Hall walls = 54.00 − 7.26 + 0.58 = 47.32 m². Hall ceiling = 5 × 4 = 20.00 m². Two wall-finish coats remain a 47.32 m² item.

Worked surface register for the house#

The house has 145.13 m² of payable walls and 67.25 m² of ceilings, 212.38 m² in all. The two bedrooms, hall, kitchen, passage and two bathrooms form this compact 2BHK example. Kitchen and bathroom walls are assumed fully tiled to the ceiling. All ceilings are painted. There are no beam drops or suspended-ceiling features in the example.

Each bedroom deducts one 0.90 × 2.10 m door and one 1.20 × 1.50 m window: 1.89 + 1.80 = 3.69 m².

The passage deducts the hall opening, two bedroom doors, one kitchen door and two bathroom doors: 3.36 + 2 × 1.89 + 1.89 + 2 × 1.68 = 12.39 m². Door frames span the wall thickness. The kitchen and bathroom faces are tiled and excluded from the paint register.

Total wall/ceiling system area = 145.13 + 67.25 = 212.38 m². The 67.25 m² is the sum of the example rooms' internal floor areas, not a declared built-up area.

IS 1200 coefficients for doors, windows and grills#

Doors, windows and grills are billed as flat area × a coefficient: 1.20 each side for flush joinery including frame, 1.00 all over for grills. The following selected factors come from IS 1200 Part 15:1987, clause 3.5 and Table 1, checked against the original table. Measure the relevant flat area and apply the factor on its stated basis.

The frame/shutter distinction matters: do not use the frame-inclusive coefficient and then add the same frame separately. The all-over grill factor already covers the complete treatment; multiplying it by two again overstates the payable quantity.

In our example:

• Entrance flush joinery: 1 × 1.00 × 2.10 × 1.20 × 2 = 5.04 m².
• Two bedroom doors plus kitchen door: 3 × 0.90 × 2.10 × 1.20 × 2 = 13.608, rounded to 13.61 m².
• Three fully glazed wood windows: 3 × 1.20 × 1.50 × 0.80 × 2 = 8.64 m².
• Three grills: 3 × 1.20 × 1.50 × 1.00 = 5.40 m² all over.

Wood total after row rounding = 5.04 + 13.61 + 8.64 = 27.29 m². Metal total = 5.40 m². The two bathroom doors are assumed PVC and excluded. Different materials, laminates or factory finishes require an explicit painting scope.

Worked BOQ: quantities, rates and amounts#

The worked BOQ totals ₹58,534.10 for seven items. All seven rates are illustrative inputs, not a market survey or a CPWD schedule. They represent supply and application for the described work. Confirm the manufacturer's putty/primer sequence before reusing the item descriptions.

The first five items total ₹52,811.90. Wood and grills add ₹5,722.20. The resulting ₹58,534.10 includes the example's full putty system, which is why it differs from the sound-base repaint example in the rate guide.

Preparation, putty and primer each use the same 212.38 m² because this example specifies those operations over all walls and ceilings. That is three separate operations on one surface, not three times the finish quantity. If only patches need putty, replace its quantity with a separate patch measurement.

Use the painting work estimate Excel sheet#

Replace the example dimensions, openings, joinery and rates, then check the totals against your drawings.

1. Save a project copy. Record your drawing revision and agreed finish specification with the estimate.
2. Replace room dimensions. Enter metres. The wall flag is 1 for full painted walls and 0 for fully tiled walls. Partly tiled rooms need separate painted bands; the flag is not a percentage.
3. Review every opening. Enter per-face quantities, deduction factors and return dimensions. Room names must match the surface register.
4. Replace joinery inputs. Enter physical counts, the correct flat dimensions, factor and sides. Keep all-over grill sides at 1.
5. Replace rates and descriptions. Ensure the stated preparation and coating sequence matches the selected product. Keep composite and separate pricing consistent.
6. Recalculate and reconcile. The displayed example should show 145.13 m² walls, 67.25 m² ceilings, 27.29 m² wood and 5.40 m² grills before edits.
7. Check exclusions. Identify repairs, texture, exteriors and special access before requesting quotations.

Blank required dimensions or rates produce an error instead of a plausible zero. Use a count of 0 for an unused example opening while retaining its numeric dimensions. The file is sized for the shown house: when adding rows, extend the formula ranges and BOQ links. It does not infer a new building's finish schedule.

Checks before sending the BOQ for pricing#

Reconcile each opening to a drawing reference. A door between two painted rooms appears in two wall-face measurements but once in the physical joinery count. Trace one bedroom from gross area through deductions to the finish item. Check that returns at the large passage opening have been allocated once across its depth.

Then check specification overlap. A quoted “putty + primer + emulsion” package cannot be added on top of P02–P04. If ceilings use a different base treatment, separate their preparation quantities too. Keep measured surface quantities, coat count and material-purchase allowances in distinct fields.

For an estimate based on your own project, get a BOQ from your drawings. House BOQs start from ₹2,500, with the first project 50% off (up to ₹5,000), minimum ₹2,500. Painting-only and other scopes are quoted from the drawings. Include elevations and finish/door schedules so assumptions can be recorded with the quantities. For a quick litre estimate, use the paint calculator.

Frequently asked questions#

What should a BOQ for painting works contain?#

Measured locations, substrate and condition, preparation, product specification, coats, unit, quantity, rate and amount. Retain the room/opening measurements that explain the abstract quantity.

Is this painting BOQ format free to download?#

Yes. Download the prebuilt Excel template. It has fictional measurements and editable rates; a BOQ measured from your project drawings is a separate service.

Should I multiply the area by two for two coats?#

No, when the item rate covers two coats. Describe the coats in the item and measure the surface once. Coating consumption is a separate calculation.

Do I deduct every door and window from wall painting?#

No. Under the earlier Part 13 convention used here, size, finish and reveal conditions decide the deduction. The example uses specific full-width door frames and window reveal assumptions. Check your contract's edition.

What coefficient applies to a flush door and a grill?#

Part 15 Table 1 distinguishes flush joinery including frame at 1.20 each side from a flush shutter alone at 1.10 each side. Grills use 1.00 all over, not 1.00 for each face.

Can I use this workbook for exterior painting?#

Use the measurement method, but build separate elevation rows and specify the exterior system, height and access. The download's filled quantities cover this house's interiors and selected joinery only.

Are the workbook rates CPWD DSR rates?#

No. They are illustrative inputs for learning the measurement-to-BOQ chain. Use the separate painting rate guide for labelled schedule references and reported market ranges.