For a 5–6 ft brick compound wall, reported 2026 budgeting ranges run from ₹1,300 to ₹2,800 per running ft, or about ₹4,265–9,186 per running metre. For a specified 230 mm wall on RCC footings, use the measured BOQ below: its 100 ft boundary with a 10 ft gate opening costs ₹3,05,226.36 on CPWD DSR 2023 rates, excluding the gate and paint.
The opening range comes from AECORD's 2026 boundary-wall guide, checked 25 October 2026. It reports excavation, foundation, columns and finishing, but does not identify a brick thickness or footing schedule. It is a broad market reference, not a confirmed quotation for our 230 mm specification. The worked example uses historical schedule rates and a fully stated foundation and frame; it is not a national average or a construction design.
Compound wall construction cost per running foot and metre#
A running foot measures length along the boundary. Wall height, thickness and foundation must accompany that rate. A 5 ft wall and a 6 ft wall are different packages even when their lengths match.
| Wall package | Reported ₹ per running ft | Converted ₹ per running metre |
|---|---|---|
| 5 ft finished brick wall | 1,300–2,300 | 4,265–7,546 |
| 6 ft finished brick wall | 1,600–2,800 | 5,249–9,186 |
Source: AECORD, 2026 guide, linked above; reported figures, not SiteSetu quotations. The guide gives the year but no publication day or month. Metre conversions use rate per ft ÷ 0.3048, rounded to the nearest rupee. Keep gates separately priced. Confirm whether a contractor's foundation is RCC, stone masonry or stepped brickwork before comparing totals.
For a typical 230 mm brick boundary wall, request the footing section, column spacing, plinth beam, plaster specification and coping detail with the quotation. A stone footing needs its own measured stonework, bedding and excavation; it cannot simply inherit the RCC quantities below.
Worked example: 100 ft boundary, 10 ft gate, roughly 6 ft high#
This is a fictional measurement example dated 25 October 2026, on level ground without retained earth. The wall is 1.80 m high, about 5 ft 11 in, including a nominal 75 mm coping. There is no wall over the gate opening.
| Input | Example assumption |
|---|---|
| Overall boundary length, outside end-column faces | 100 ft = 30.480 m |
| Gate opening, clear between columns | 10 ft = 3.048 m |
| Wall length including columns, excluding gate | 30.480 − 3.048 = 27.432 m, or 90 ft |
| Masonry and exposed column height | 1.725 m above plinth; coping adds nominal 0.075 m |
| Wall thickness | 230 mm, common burnt-clay FPS bricks, class 7.5, mortar 1:6 |
| RCC columns | 11, each 230 × 230 mm; two also flank the opening |
| Column spacing | Eight bays at 3.000 m, one at 2.972 m, gate bay at 3.278 m centre to centre |
| Foundation pits | 11 × 1.20 × 1.20 × 1.20 m deep |
| PCC pads | 11 × 1.10 × 1.10 × 0.10 m, mix 1:4:8 |
| RCC footings | 11 × 1.00 × 1.00 × 0.30 m |
| Column below plinth | 0.80 m from footing top to plinth top |
| Plinth beam | 230 × 300 mm, between columns on walled bays only |
| PCC below beam | 330 mm wide × 100 mm thick, between column faces |
| Finish | 12 mm plaster, mortar 1:4, both faces and exposed vertical ends |
| Coping | Precast plain concrete 1:1.5:3, 300 mm wide, 75 mm average thickness |
The plinth top is at finished ground level in this simplified section. Footing bottoms are 1.10 m below it, over 100 mm PCC. The beam bottom is 0.30 m below it, over 100 mm PCC. The connecting trenches are 0.50 m wide and 0.40 m deep. Actual projects may need a raised plinth, damp-proof treatment or a different drainage detail; those require revised quantities.
The centre-to-centre bays sum to 8 × 3.000 + 2.972 + 3.278 = 30.250 m. Adding the two end half-columns gives 30.250 + 0.230 = 30.480 m. The gate bay leaves 3.278 − 0.230 = 3.048 m clear. Thus the usual “about 10 ft spacing” description does not hide an extra column or an undersized opening.
These footing sizes and bar quantities are assumptions for costing. They have not been designed for a soil bearing capacity, wind load or gate load. The two opening columns are priced as ordinary wall columns; any larger gate-support pillars and foundations must replace those quantities after design.
Quantity takeoff: excavation, RCC, brickwork and plaster#
Clear masonry length = 30.480 − 3.048 − 11 × 0.230 = 24.902 m. This is also the combined clear length of the nine plinth-beam spans. Column concrete occupies the beam junctions, so beam volumes stop at column faces.
Pit excavation already includes the soil at each column. Add only the connecting trench gaps outside those pits: 8 × (3.000 − 1.200) + (2.972 − 1.200) = 16.172 m. There is no connecting trench or beam across the gate in this example.
| Item | Calculation | Unrounded quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Excavation | 11 × 1.20 × 1.20 × 1.20 + 16.172 × 0.50 × 0.40 | 22.242400 m³ |
| PCC pads and beam bedding | 11 × 1.10 × 1.10 × 0.10 + 24.902 × 0.33 × 0.10 | 2.152766 m³ |
| Footing RCC | 11 × 1.00 × 1.00 × 0.30 | 3.300000 m³ |
| Column RCC below plinth | 11 × 0.23 × 0.23 × 0.80 | 0.465520 m³ |
| Column RCC above plinth | 11 × 0.23 × 0.23 × 1.725 | 1.0037775 m³ |
| Plinth-beam RCC, clear of columns | 24.902 × 0.23 × 0.30 | 1.718238 m³ |
| Backfill with available excavated soil | 22.242400 − 2.152766 − 3.300000 − 0.465520 − 1.718238 | 14.605876 m³ |
| Brickwork, excluding gate and columns | 24.902 × 0.23 × 1.725 | 9.8798685 m³ |
| Plaster, both faces plus four exposed ends | 2 × 27.432 × 1.725 + 4 × 0.23 × 1.725 | 96.227400 m² |
| Precast coping, excluding gate | 27.432 × 0.30 × 0.075 | 0.617220 m³ |
Total RCC before rounding is 6.4875355 m³. The priced rows round separately to 3.30 + 0.47 + 1.00 + 1.72 = 6.49 m³. Backfill is calculated from unrounded below-ground volumes; it excludes the above-ground columns and coping. This is an in-place volume balance, not a loose-soil truck calculation.
Gate deductions under IS 1200#
The opening through the masonry band is 3.048 × 1.725 = 5.2578 m². Deduct its full volume, 5.2578 × 0.23 = 1.209294 m³, from gross walling. Then exclude the full-height RCC column volume of 1.0037775 m³:
30.480 × 1.725 × 0.23 − 1.209294 − 1.0037775 = 9.8798685 m³.
IS 1200 Part 3:1976, clause 4.1.4 has exceptions for small openings up to 0.1 m²; this gate is well above that. Full-height RCC columns are separate members, not small embedded beam ends. Part 3 clause 4.1.1 measures walls one brick thick or less in m² with thickness stated. The net panel area here is 24.902 × 1.725 = 42.95595 m²; multiplying by 0.23 m gives the m³ quantity needed for DSR item 6.4.2.
For plaster, the opening exceeds 3 m². Under IS 1200 Part 12:1976, clause 3.8.2, deduct it on both faces and measure the exposed returns. Here there are two gate jambs and two outer wall ends, each 0.23 × 1.725 m. There is no gate soffit or plastered floor sill. Column faces within the wall plane are already included in the two long plaster faces. Match the measurement edition and dimensional rounding to your contract; this planning example retains exact foot-to-metre conversions until the quantity rounding step.
Formwork is a separate quantity#
| Contact surface | Calculation | Quantity before rounding |
|---|---|---|
| PCC pad and strip edges | 11 × 4 × 1.10 × 0.10 + 2 × 24.902 × 0.10 | 9.8204 m² |
| Footing sides | 11 × 4 × 1.00 × 0.30 | 13.2000 m² |
| Column sides, excluding beam junctions | 11 × 4 × 0.23 × (0.80 + 1.725) − 18 × 0.23 × 0.30 | 24.3110 m² |
| Beam sides | 2 × 24.902 × 0.30 | 14.9412 m² |
The 18 junction faces are two ends for each of nine beam spans. Beam soffit shuttering is absent because the beam is cast on PCC bedding. The precast coping rate includes its required centering, so no second coping-formwork line is added. Construction sequence and contact surfaces should be checked against the actual formwork method.
Steel quantity from bar lengths, not a percentage of wall cost#
The following is an assumed developed-length schedule for the example, not a reinforcement design or a fabrication BBS. Lengths include the assumed hooks, bends and anchorage; the engineer must replace them with approved bar shapes, cover, laps and spacing before ordering steel.
IS 1786:2008, Table 1 gives nominal masses used here: 8 mm = 0.395 kg/m, 10 mm = 0.617 kg/m, 12 mm = 0.888 kg/m. Multiply developed length by the corresponding nominal mass.
| Bar group | Assumed length calculation | Diameter | Length m | Weight kg, rounded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Footing mesh, both directions combined | 11 footings × 14 bars × 0.90 m | 10 mm | 138.60 | 85.52 |
| Column main bars | 11 columns × 4 bars × 3.20 m | 12 mm | 140.80 | 125.03 |
| Column ties | 11 columns × 18 ties × 0.72 m | 8 mm | 142.56 | 56.31 |
| Beam longitudinal steel | Four lines, each 30.00 m aggregate developed length across the wall spans | 12 mm | 120.00 | 106.56 |
| Beam links | 176 links × 0.95 m | 8 mm | 167.20 | 66.04 |
| Total steel | 709.16 | 439.46 |
For example, footing steel = 138.60 × 0.617 = 85.5162 kg, rounded to 85.52 kg. Summing all unrounded group weights gives 439.4618 kg, also 439.46 kg after rounding. Aggregate beam lengths are not individual stock-bar lengths. There is no arbitrary wastage percentage in the payable steel quantity; cutting waste and stock lengths belong in the purchase plan.
Use the steel weight calculator to check diameter-to-weight conversions. The brick calculator and cement calculator help with material purchases once the wall, mortar and concrete specifications are fixed.
Priced BOQ: CPWD DSR 2023 reference rates#
Total: ₹3,05,226.36. Every rate below is from the original CPWD DSR 2023, checked on 25 October 2026: Volume I for items 2–6 and Volume II for plaster. These are dated schedule benchmarks; no 2026 escalation, city index or later correction slips have been applied. Check the CPWD correction register when choosing a contract schedule.
Quantities are rounded to two decimals first. Each amount is that displayed quantity × the displayed rate, rounded to paise; the total sums those line amounts. The RCC rates price concrete separately from reinforcement and formwork. Steel includes supply, cutting, bending, placing and binding. The coping item includes placement and mortar bedding.
| Work item | DSR item | Unit | Quantity | Rate ₹ | Amount ₹ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excavation, ordinary soil | 2.8.1 | m³ | 22.24 | 260.30 | 5,789.07 |
| Backfill | 2.25 | m³ | 14.61 | 196.00 | 2,863.56 |
| PCC 1:4:8 | 4.1.8 | m³ | 2.15 | 6,812.00 | 14,645.80 |
| Footing RCC 1:1.5:3 | 5.1.2 | m³ | 3.30 | 9,045.75 | 29,850.98 |
| Below-plinth column RCC | 5.1.2 | m³ | 0.47 | 9,045.75 | 4,251.50 |
| Above-plinth column RCC | 5.2.2 | m³ | 1.00 | 10,852.95 | 10,852.95 |
| Plinth-beam RCC | 5.1.2 | m³ | 1.72 | 9,045.75 | 15,558.69 |
| PCC edge formwork | 4.3.1 | m² | 9.82 | 392.15 | 3,850.91 |
| Footing formwork | 5.9.1 | m² | 13.20 | 392.15 | 5,176.38 |
| Column formwork | 5.9.6 | m² | 24.31 | 961.30 | 23,369.20 |
| Beam formwork | 5.9.5 | m² | 14.94 | 736.40 | 11,001.82 |
| Fe-500D reinforcement | 5.22.6 / 5.22A.6 | kg | 439.46 | 107.85 | 47,395.76 |
| Brickwork, mortar 1:6 | 6.4.2 | m³ | 9.88 | 9,105.95 | 89,966.79 |
| 12 mm plaster, mortar 1:4 | 13.4.1 | m² | 96.23 | 357.35 | 34,387.79 |
| Precast concrete coping | 4.5.1 | m³ | 0.62 | 10,105.10 | 6,265.16 |
| Total | 3,05,226.36 |
The steel rows above and below plinth are combined here because both cited schedule items have the same rate. Concrete below and above plinth remains separate because those rates differ.
This total is ₹3,052.26 per gross boundary ft, or ₹10,013.99 per gross boundary metre. Dividing by the 90 ft actually occupied by wall gives ₹3,391.40 per wall ft, or ₹11,126.65 per wall metre. Both describe the same BOQ. State the denominator when using a compound wall cost calculator or comparing quotations.
The schedule example exceeds the reported market band because it prices a specified RCC frame, eleven isolated footings, measured shuttering and finishes at Delhi schedule rates. The reported guide does not give that same design or rate basis. Neither figure establishes a local contractor's price; obtain quotes against the same item quantities.
Outside this total: gate fabrication, hinges, gate-specific strengthening, paint, fencing, survey and design fees, demolition, special soil treatment, dewatering, off-site spoil haulage, changes in ground level, retaining-wall drainage and any additional damp-proof or junction-mesh detail required by the specification. Excavation includes the schedule's local disposal scope; longer transport needs its own item.
Wall variants: what changes in the estimate?#
| Alternative | Quantity or reported price comparison | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| 230 mm / 9 inch brick with RCC supports | Worked example: 9.88 m³ brickwork | Footings, columns, beam and finish are separately measured |
| 115 mm / 4.5 inch brick with pillars | Same clear panels have 4.93993425 m³ of geometric masonry, half the 230 mm volume | Half-brick work is usually priced by m² with its own specification. Pillars, lateral restraint and reinforcement require design; the whole wall cost does not halve |
| 200 mm AAC infill | Same panel area × 0.20 m gives 8.59119 m³ | Use an external-wall specification and designed supports; obtain block, adhesive/mortar, moisture-protection and finish rates locally |
| Fly-ash brick or concrete-block infill | At the same 230 mm thickness, net volume stays 9.8798685 m³ | Verify the actual unit type and laid thickness. Fly-ash bricks, solid blocks and AAC are different products |
| Precast RCC post-and-panel wall | Reported ₹500–1,100 per running ft, AECORD's 2026 guide | Check height, panel thickness, post embedment, transport and erection scope; gate works are separate |
| Barbed wire or concertina topping | Reported ₹40–90 per running ft, AECORD's 2026 guide | Ask for wire type, strand/coil specification, brackets, fixings and corrosion protection; price the installed length |
The two reported ranges are from AECORD's 2026 article, checked 25 October 2026. They are not comparable engineered packages. No sourced, matching installed rate was verified for the 115 mm, AAC or fly-ash alternatives, so those rows give quantities and quotation requirements only.
What changes the final compound wall cost?#
- Height: masonry and plaster rise with area, but footing size, steel and support spacing may also change. Do not scale the entire BOQ by height alone.
- Soil and depth: a deeper footing changes excavation, concrete, stem height, steel and backfill together. Filled ground or expansive soil needs a project-specific foundation solution.
- One plastered face or two: measure each treated face. Removing one face changes plaster quantities; it does not remove the footing or frame.
- Gate and pillars: deduct the opening from masonry, plaster and coping, then price the gate and its designed supports. A heavy or automated gate may require different foundations.
- Boundary layout: corners, steps and short returns add supports and formwork. A closed plot boundary is not the same as the straight wall used here.
- Access and finish: restricted access, material unloading distance, finish layers and coping details must be described before requesting a lump sum.
For more detail on individual items, see house foundation cost and quantities, brickwork rates by wall thickness and plaster rates by thickness and finish.
When should a structural engineer check the wall?#
Have the foundation, wall supports and gate loads checked before construction. A wall approaching or exceeding about 6 ft deserves particular attention, as do exposed sites, weak or filled soil, long unsupported panels and heavy gates. Six feet is a budgeting flag, not a code exemption or a universal safe height.
If the wall holds back soil, disclose the level difference at the start. Earth and water pressure need a retaining-wall assessment; adding a few columns to the cost example does not establish adequacy.
IS 1905:1987 addresses structural masonry and assumes design by a qualified engineer. IS 456:2000 addresses concrete design, detailing, durability and stability. Neither makes these illustrative dimensions a standard detail for every site. Confirm local boundary-height and visibility requirements with the approving authority.
To price your own boundary, get a BOQ from your drawings. Include the boundary survey/layout, levels on both sides, wall sections, footing and column schedules, gate details and finish specification. The BOQ can then give each contractor the same measured scope.
Frequently asked questions#
How much does a 100 ft compound wall cost?#
This example costs ₹3,05,226.36 at CPWD DSR 2023 rates for a 100 ft boundary, a 10 ft clear gate opening and a roughly 6 ft high, 230 mm brick wall with an RCC frame. It excludes the gate itself and paint. Replace the quantities and rates for your design and location; a different footing or finish changes the result.
Is compound wall cost per sq ft or per running ft?#
Both are used. Running ft measures boundary length; sq ft measures one wall face, length × height. For a package genuinely priced per sq ft of one face, multiply by the specified height to obtain the running-foot rate. Do not double that area unless the quotation explicitly prices each treated face separately. Plot area is neither of these quantities.
How do I use a compound wall cost calculator?#
Enter boundary length, clear gate width, height, wall thickness and the foundation/support specification. Price each quantity separately and sum the amounts. Divide by gross boundary length or by net wall length, and label which one you used. An area-only calculator cannot infer footing size or gate reinforcement.
Do I need a footing for a compound wall?#
A permanent masonry wall needs a designed load path into suitable ground. That may use continuous masonry foundations, RCC footings and beams, or another engineered system. The depth and width depend on soil, levels and loads; the 1.20 m pits in this article are costing assumptions, not a recommended depth for every plot.
Is a 4.5 inch wall cheaper than a 9 inch wall?#
Its geometric masonry volume is half at the same panel length and height. The installed wall is not automatically half the price: its pillars, restraint, reinforcement, foundation and finishes still need pricing. Have the proposed thin-wall arrangement checked before choosing it for a freestanding boundary.
Does the estimate include the gate and painting?#
No. It includes two ordinary wall columns beside the gate opening, but not the gate, its fittings, additional gate-support strengthening, paint or fencing. Ask for those as separate measured items before agreeing the full project price.
References and Further Reading
Primary and supporting sources cited in this article.
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