Brickwork in India in 2026 costs about ₹50 to ₹65 per sq ft of 9 inch wall for labour only, and ₹35 to ₹50 for a 4.5 inch wall, going by reported contract rates. With material, a 9 inch (230 mm) wall in cement mortar 1:6 works out to ₹171 to ₹214 per sq ft on government schedules and our own 2026 rate analysis. Per cubic metre, that is ₹7,994 to ₹9,994. Every number below shows its source. To price your project, get these rates applied to your drawings.
| Item | Covers | Per cum | Per sq ft of wall | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 inch brickwork labour | Labour only | – | ₹50–65 | REPORTED: HouseYog, Apr 2026 |
| 4.5 inch brickwork labour | Labour only | – | ₹35–50 | REPORTED: HouseYog, Apr 2026 |
| Labour part, 9 inch | Labour only | ₹1,705 | ₹36 | Maharashtra PWD SSR 2022-23, item 27.05 |
| 9 inch wall with material | Material and labour | – | ₹110–200 | REPORTED: HouseYog, Apr 2026 |
| 9 inch, CM 1:6 | No GST | ₹7,994 | ₹171 | Maharashtra PWD SSR 2022-23, item 27.05 |
| 9 inch, CM 1:6 | Incl. GST | ₹9,105.95 | ₹195 | CPWD DSR 2023, item 6.4.2 |
| 9 inch, CM 1:6 | Before GST | ₹9,994 | ₹214 | Our Oct 2026 Delhi NCR analysis, CPWD DAR 2023 constants |
| 4.5 inch, CM 1:4 | Incl. GST | ₹1,123.80 per sq m | ₹104 | CPWD DSR 2023, item 6.13.2 |
| AAC block, 150–300 mm | Incl. GST; bands extra | ₹8,333.65 | ₹116 (150 mm) | CPWD DSR 2023, item 6.47 |
What a brickwork rate includes#
A brickwork rate normally covers bricks (with breakage), cement mortar, masons and coolies, water, scaffolding, raking out joints, curing, and overheads and profit. CPWD adds 1% water charges and 15% profit and overheads; DSR rates also carry GST and 1% cess.
It normally excludes plaster, RCC lintels and bands, and work above floor five (DSR item 6.5 adds ₹169.45 per cum for each four floors above floor V). For the RCC frame, see our RCC work rate guide and shuttering guide.
Schedules split scope differently. CPWD DSR 6.4.2 includes an extra coolie for lifting above floor two. Maharashtra SSR half-brick item 27.06 includes bars every third course. The Chhattisgarh PWD SOR (10.06.2026) prices brickwork up to plinth and adds ₹103 per cum for each floor above (item 7.6).
Per cum to per sq ft: the conversion#
One-brick walls are billed per cum, half-brick walls per sq m. Owners and labour contractors talk in sq ft of wall face. Thickness links the two.
Sq ft of wall per cum = 10.764 ÷ wall thickness in metres
| Wall | Sq ft of wall per cum | Cft per sq ft of wall |
|---|---|---|
| 230 mm (9 inch) | 46.80 | 0.755 |
| 115 mm (4.5 inch) | 93.60 | 0.377 |
| 200 mm (modular brick or AAC) | 53.82 | 0.656 |
| 150 mm (AAC) | 71.76 | 0.492 |
DSR 6.4.2 at ₹9,105.95 per cum is ₹194.57 per sq ft of 230 mm wall. Since 1 cum is 35.31 cft, it is also ₹258 per cft. For items priced per sq m, divide by 10.764.
Check the drawn thickness first. On a G+2 house BOQ we prepared in 2026, walls were drawn 200 and 100 mm for modular bricks. With conventional 230 × 110 × 75 mm bricks they become 230 and 115 mm, so remeasure rather than just changing the brick size.
9 inch brick wall rate per sq ft, with material#
Our rate analysis guide works CPWD DAR item 6.4.2 in full with October 2026 Delhi NCR inputs: bricks at ₹8, cement at ₹7,254 per tonne before GST, sand at ₹1,413 per cum, and central minimum wages from 1 October 2026. Per sq ft of 230 mm wall:
| Part | Per cum | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Bricks, 494 at ₹8 | ₹3,952.00 | ₹84.45 |
| Cement mortar 1:6, 0.25 cum | ₹1,028.13 | ₹21.97 |
| Labour, incl. lift above floor two | ₹3,567.59 | ₹76.23 |
| Sundries and scaffolding | ₹56.96 | ₹1.22 |
| Water 1%, profit and overheads 15% | ₹1,389.66 | ₹29.69 |
| Rate, before GST | ₹9,994.34 | ₹213.56 |
Bricks are about 46% of the base cost. Each ₹1 change in brick price moves a 9 inch wall by ₹10.56 per sq ft, or ₹12.26 after water and overheads. InfraLens listed red clay bricks in August 2026 at ₹6 in Lucknow and Patna and ₹11 in Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad.
The same wall at schedule rates:
| Schedule | Per cum | Per sq ft | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPWD DSR 2023, 6.4.2 | ₹9,105.95 | ₹194.57 | Incl. GST. Plinth (6.1.2): ₹7,132.25 |
| Maharashtra SSR 2022-23, 27.05 | ₹7,994 | ₹170.81 | No GST. Plinth (27.01): ₹7,755 |
| Chhattisgarh SOR 2026, 7.1.4 + 7.6 | ₹3,351 | ₹62 (200 mm) | Modular bricks, no GST |
DAR 2023 prices bricks at ₹4,724 per thousand; our 2026 analysis uses ₹8,000. That one input explains most of the gap. The latest SSR on the Maharashtra PWD site is still 2022-23, and the Chhattisgarh SOR keeps cement at 2015 base rates. Use schedules as references, not as your contract price. For whole-building costs, see our construction cost per sq ft guide.
4.5 inch brick wall rate per sq ft#
Half-brick walls are partitions. They are priced per sq m, laid in CM 1:4, and usually get two 6 mm bars or hoop iron every third course.
| Source | Per sq m | Per sq ft | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPWD DSR 2023, 6.13.2 | ₹1,123.80 | ₹104.40 | Incl. GST; bars extra (6.15) |
| Our Oct 2026 Delhi NCR inputs, DAR 6.13.2 | ₹1,226.21 | ₹113.92 | Before GST |
| Maharashtra SSR 2022-23, 27.06 | ₹1,119 | ₹103.96 | Bars included; labour part ₹203; no GST |
| Chhattisgarh SOR 2026, 7.9.2 + 7.12 | ₹379 | ₹35.21 | Modular 9 cm wall; bars ₹53 per sq m extra (7.20); no GST |
Our figure applies the same October 2026 inputs to DAR's 56.5 bricks and 0.028 cum of 1:4 mortar per sq m.
On DSR, a 4.5 inch wall costs about 54% of a 9 inch wall per sq ft, not half. The mortar is richer and labour per brick is higher.
Brickwork labour rate per sq ft#
REPORTED 2026 figures, not verified by us:
| Labour item | Reported rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 9 inch wall | ₹50–65 per sq ft | HouseYog, Apr 2026 |
| 4.5 inch wall | ₹35–50 per sq ft | HouseYog, Apr 2026 |
| 9 inch wall, by city | ₹70–90 Delhi, Mumbai; ₹55–75 Bengaluru, Hyderabad; ₹45–60 Kolkata, Jaipur, Indore | Comaron, Aug 2026 |
| Per cum | ₹1,000–1,600; ₹1,600–2,200 on higher floors | HouseYog, Apr 2026 |
Three cross-checks:
- HouseYog's ₹1,000–1,600 per cum is only ₹21–34 per sq ft of 230 mm wall, below its own per sq ft range. Convert before you compare.
- Maharashtra SSR 27.05 shows a labour part of ₹1,705 per cum, or ₹36 per sq ft.
- In our Delhi analysis, labour at notified minimum wages is ₹3,568 per cum (₹76 per sq ft) before overheads. Of that, ₹949 is the extra coolie for lifting above floor two. Without it, labour is ₹56 per sq ft.
Bricks, cement and sand per cubic metre#
| Brick | Actual size | Without mortar | With 10 mm joints | Schedule allowance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modular | 190 × 90 × 90 mm | 650 | 500 | Our BOQs: 500 plus 5% = 525 |
| Conventional | 225 × 111 × 70 mm | 572 | 440 | 494 (CPWD DAR); 475 (Maharashtra SSR) |
Sizes are from the Chhattisgarh SOR. Schedule allowances sit above pure geometry to allow for breakage and cut bricks, so do not add another 5%. From our own work: a 2026 villa BOQ had 88.99 cum of brickwork, counted as 46,721 modular bricks. A G+2 house came to 55,959 bricks on the same basis.
| Quantity of wall | Mortar | Cement | Sand | Bricks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cum, 9 inch, CM 1:6 | 0.25 cum | 1.25 bags | 0.27 cum (9.45 cft) | 494 |
| 100 sq ft, 9 inch, CM 1:6 | 0.53 cum | 2.67 bags | 0.57 cum (20.2 cft) | 1,056 |
| 100 sq ft, 4.5 inch, CM 1:4 | 0.26 cum | 1.98 bags | 0.28 cum (9.8 cft) | 525 |
Basis: DAR 3.11 puts 5 bags of cement and 1.07 cum of sand in 1 cum of 1:6 mortar; DAR 3.9 puts 7.6 bags in 1:4, so 1 cum of 9 inch wall in 1:4 takes 1.9 bags. The Maharashtra SSR consumption statement allows more: 1.58 bags and 0.32 cum of sand per cum in 1:6. Use the constants of the schedule you are billed against.
For a worked count on a real wall, see the compound wall BOQ example: 30 m of 230 mm brickwork, 1.35 m high, is 8.53 m³, or about 4,210 conventional bricks on the CPWD allowance above.
AAC block work rate per sq ft#
AAC blocks are laid in thin-bed polymer adhesive or in cement mortar:
| Source | Item | Per cum | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPWD DSR 2023, 6.47 | 150–300 mm, adhesive; sill and lintel bands paid separately | ₹8,333.65 | ₹116 (150 mm), ₹155 (200 mm) |
| CPWD DSR 2023, 6.38 | 100/125 mm, CM 1:4, bars every third course | ₹10,195.45 | ₹95 (100 mm) |
| Maharashtra SSR 2022-23, 27.15 | Jointing mortar; labour part ₹2,080; no GST | ₹7,340 | ₹136 (200 mm) |
| Chhattisgarh SOR 2026, 7.25 | 100/200 mm, CM 1:6; no GST | ₹3,860 | ₹72 (200 mm) |
- Block price. DAR 2023 takes ₹2,915 per cum of block plus 30 kg of adhesive. InfraLens listed a 600 × 200 × 200 mm block at ₹82 in Delhi NCR in August 2026 (₹63–100), about ₹3,400 per cum.
- Block count. A 600 × 200 mm face gives 8.33 blocks per sq m at any thickness, or 41.7 per cum at 200 mm.
- Labour. DAR 6.47 allows 0.72 mason-days per cum, against 0.94 for brickwork.
- Compare like with like. AAC looks cheap per sq ft partly because the wall is thinner. Under DSR 6.47 the sill and lintel bands are a separate RCC item. Add them first.
How IS 1200 Part 3 measures brickwork#
IS 1200 (Part 3):1976 sets these rules:
- Units. Brickwork is measured in cum (clause 4.1). Walls one brick thick and less are measured in sq m, stating thickness (4.1.1). CPWD DSR prices 230 mm walls per cum and half-brick walls per sq m, so read the item unit.
- Precision. Measured net as fixed: dimensions to 0.01 m, areas to 0.01 sq m, volumes to 0.01 cum (2.3).
- No deduction (4.1.4) for: ends of beams, lintels and other dissimilar materials up to 0.1 sq m in section; openings up to 0.1 sq m; bearings of slabs and chajjas up to 10 cm thick that do not run through the wall; holdfast blocks, wall ties and pipes up to 300 mm diameter; chases up to 50 cm in girth.
- Openings. Openings over 0.1 sq m are deducted. A separate lintel or sill counts with the opening, but the lintel's end bearings do not.
- Already in the rate. Raking out joints, building in beam ends and holdfasts, and leaving chases are part of general brickwork (3.1.1). Do not pay them as extras.
In a framed building, deduct the columns, beams, lintels and bands that run through the wall. More in our IS 1200 guide.
How to check a contractor's per sq ft brickwork quote#
- Get the scope in writing. Labour only or with material? Which brick and mortar? Scaffolding, curing, lift, bars in 4.5 inch walls?
- Get the measurement rule. One face, net of openings over 0.1 sq m, height to the underside of the beam, lengths on the centre line so corners are not counted twice.
- Convert to per cum. Multiply by 46.8 for a 230 mm wall, or 93.6 for 115 mm.
- Compare with DSR 2023, your state SOR and a current rate analysis, on the same GST basis.
- Check bricks and cement. About 10.6 bricks and 0.027 bags of cement per sq ft of 9 inch wall in 1:6.
Example. A Delhi NCR contractor quotes ₹230 per sq ft for a 9 inch wall in CM 1:6, with material, before GST. That is ₹10,764 per cum, about ₹16 per sq ft above our ₹9,994. Bricks at ₹9 instead of ₹8 explain about ₹12 of it. Then check the area: a 10 ft × 10 ft wall with a 4 ft × 7 ft door is 72 sq ft net. Billed at 100 sq ft, you pay ₹6,440 more.
Rates help only when quantities are right. Send your drawings and we measure brickwork, plaster and RCC to IS 1200, priced on DSR, your state SOR or local market rates. It starts from ₹2,500 per project, and your first project is 50% off, up to ₹5,000. See BOQ pricing or get these rates applied to your drawings.
Frequently asked questions#
What is the brickwork rate per sq ft in 2026?#
For a 9 inch wall in CM 1:6 with material: ₹171 on Maharashtra SSR 2022-23, ₹195 on CPWD DSR 2023 and ₹214 on our October 2026 Delhi NCR analysis. Reported labour is ₹50–65.
What is the brick work rate per cubic metre?#
CPWD DSR 2023 item 6.4.2 is ₹9,105.95 per cum, including GST. Maharashtra SSR 2022-23 item 27.05 is ₹7,994 without GST. At October 2026 Delhi NCR prices, the same DAR analysis gives ₹9,994 before GST.
What is the 4.5 inch brick wall rate per sq ft?#
CPWD DSR 2023 item 6.13.2 is ₹1,123.80 per sq m in CM 1:4, about ₹104 per sq ft. Reported labour is ₹35–50 per sq ft.
How many bricks are in 1 cubic metre of brickwork?#
About 500 modular bricks with 10 mm joints, or 650 without mortar. For conventional bricks, CPWD DAR allows 494 per cum and the Maharashtra SSR 475, against about 440 by pure geometry. Our brick calculator works out the count for a wall or a whole house.
How much cement and sand does 1 cum of brickwork in 1:6 need?#
On CPWD DAR 2023 constants, 1.25 bags of cement and 0.27 cum (about 9.45 cft) of sand. In 1:4 mortar, cement rises to 1.9 bags.
Is AAC block work cheaper than brickwork?#
On DSR 2023, AAC in adhesive (6.47) is ₹8,333.65 per cum against ₹9,105.95 for brickwork (6.4.2), and AAC walls are thinner. Add the separately paid sill and lintel bands before you compare.
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