Painting Rate per Sq Ft in India: Surface, Coats and Labour

Interior painting costs about ₹12–35 per sq ft in India in 2026 (material + labour), as reported by HouseYog in March 2026: ₹12–20 for basic interiors and ₹22–35 for premium. Labour alone is reported at ₹6–10 per sq ft. These are rates per sq ft of painted surface, not floor area, so agree preparation, coats and access before comparing quotes.

Use the paint calculator to turn room dimensions and openings into putty, primer, finish-paint quantities and a reported cost range.

For quantities and an editable download, use the painting BOQ format in Excel. To have the quantities measured for your project, get a BOQ from your drawings.

Painting rate by surface and finish#

Reported rates run from ₹8–16 per sq ft for a repaint without putty to ₹25–40 for premium exterior work. The bands below are reported by HouseYog, updated 26 March 2026 and were checked on 20 October 2026. They do not fix coat count, putty thickness or access.

Use these bands to frame a quotation request. Do not add the labour band to a supply-and-apply rate. Do not assume the lowest interior figure buys a complete new-wall premium finish.

What “per sq ft” means in a painting quotation#

Amount = measured surface area × rate for the specified coat system.

A 5 m × 4 m room with 3 m high walls has 2 × (5 + 4) × 3 = 54 m² of gross walls and 20 m² of ceiling. Its 20 m² floor area is not the painting quantity. Openings and returns then change the billable wall area. If the room has a false ceiling, its board and frame are a separate item: see false ceiling cost per sq ft.

• One square foot is exactly 0.09290304 m².
• Rate per sq ft = rate per m² × 0.09290304.
• Rate per m² = rate per sq ft ÷ 0.09290304.

For example, ₹160/m² is ₹14.86/sq ft, rounded. Two coats described in that item do not turn 100 m² into 200 m² of payable work.

A contractor may instead quote a lump sum using carpet area for an initial budget. Ask for the actual wall/ceiling quantities before treating that figure as comparable to a surface-area quote. For a whole-build budget, start with the house construction cost calculator, then replace the painting allowance with the measured trade estimate.

New work versus repainting: preparation, putty and primer#

The substrate condition decides the work. Record it room by room before selecting a rate.

Follow the selected manufacturer's system. For example, the Tractor Emulsion information sheet shows primer, acrylic putty, primer again and two finish coats for its specified preparation sequence. A different putty or substrate may call for a different sequence. A universal “one primer everywhere” package is not a specification.

Putty is a separate levelling layer. “Two coats of putty” and “1 mm average white cement putty” are not automatically equivalent. Agree the thickness and finish requirement. Where plaster replacement is needed, use plastering rates before painting to price that substrate work separately.

CPWD DSR 2023 items: compare the actual description#

CPWD DSR 2023 painting items run from ₹102.80 to ₹185.65 per sq m (about ₹9.55–17.25 per sq ft), as reproduced in the government tender schedules linked below. They are schedule references, not October 2026 quotes; confirm the contract's edition, correction slips and local rate basis before tendering.

Sources: ESIC special-repair BOQ and ESIC annual-maintenance schedule.

Primer already included in a composite item must not appear again as an extra. Conversely, an old-work finish item does not establish the cost of stripping, full putty or repairing a failed substrate. Item 13.98.1 says one or more coats: do not treat its reference figure as proof of a separately specified two-coat repaint contract.

For a primer-only line, DSR 13.43.1 identifies water-thinnable cement primer on walls; this item reference appears in the Central Water Commission quotation schedule. Select the full item description and price it on the agreed basis. Our CPWD DSR guide explains how schedule items and analysed local rates differ.

Distemper, emulsion, enamel and texture: quote different systems separately#

Quote each coating system as its own line; the rates are not interchangeable.

Distemper: distinguish acrylic, oil-bound and dry distemper. The 13.41.1 reference above is oil-bound washable distemper on new work. It is not a generic rate for every economy coating.

Interior emulsion: state product, sheen, shade, coats and preparation. A washable premium finish and an economy matt finish belong on separate quotation lines even if the measured area is identical.

Exterior paint: state the exterior product and primer, wall height, access, washing and crack-treatment scope. Elevations, balcony soffits, parapets and boundary walls need their own quantities. Do not substitute an interior product's coverage when costing an exterior coating.

Enamel: separate wood and metal, identify old/new work, preparation and the suitable primer. Doors and grills have measurement coefficients; an enamel rate per equivalent m² cannot be compared directly with a wall-emulsion rate per plain m².

Texture: specify the actual texture, base coat, topcoat, sample-panel acceptance and application method. We have not verified a like-for-like nationwide texture rate, so no universal band is claimed here. Price the selected system against its own product sheet and a written local quote.

Coverage per litre: read the coat basis before calculating#

Asian Paints publishes 130–150 sq ft per litre for Tractor Emulsion and 55–65 for Apex Ultima, both for two coats. Coverage is a consumption input, not a labour productivity rate.

Sources: Tractor Emulsion product sheet and Apex Ultima product sheet. Both qualify actual coverage by application conditions and surface roughness/porosity.

For a separately measured 2,600 sq ft of actual coating surface, using Tractor's lower two-coat coverage gives 2,600 ÷ 130 = 20 litres before a job-specific allowance. An explicitly assumed 5% handling allowance makes 20 × 1.05 = 21 litres. Do not multiply by two again: the coverage already represents two coats. Buy by available pack sizes and shade, not by rounding all colours into one combined tin.

For 600 sq ft of exterior surface, using an assumed 60 sq ft/litre within Apex Ultima's published range gives 600 ÷ 60 = 10 litres for two coats before allowances. This is topcoat only; calculate primer separately.

The area used for consumption must reflect the actual coating surface. IS measurement allowances can include an opening in the payable area while compensating for returns, and joinery coefficients produce equivalent areas. Neither is a universal paint-purchase factor.

Painting labour rate per sq ft versus supply and apply#

The reported ₹6–10/sq ft labour band is a starting point for asking what is included. Record:

• Preparation labour, sanding between stages, putty and primer application.
• Number of finish coats and the agreed colour-change scope.
• Masking, floor protection, moving furniture and final cleanup.
• Ladders/scaffolding, height, restricted access and whether rooms remain occupied.
• Who supplies paint, putty, primer, consumables and tools.

For owner-supplied materials, compare labour + separately costed materials + agreed extras with a supply-and-apply offer. A litre price alone does not tell you how much material the job uses. Keep purchase invoices and the selected product sheets with the quotation.

Worked 2BHK repaint estimate: exact wall and ceiling arithmetic#

Repainting this example 2BHK costs ₹34,924.10 for 212.38 m² of walls and ceilings. It is a fictional compact 2BHK, not an average price for all two-bedroom homes. Internal dimensions are in metres, wall height is 3 m, and kitchen/bathroom walls are fully tiled. Their ceilings are included. Door frames span the wall thickness; windows have narrower interior reveals than the untreated exterior. The detailed opening assumptions and original room sketch are in the painting BOQ example.

Walls: 171.00 − 27.03 + 1.16 = 145.13 m². Walls plus ceilings: 145.13 + 67.25 = 212.38 m².

The following rates are illustrative inputs chosen for this example, not DSR values or observed quotations. The repaint composite covers cleaning/sanding, one compatible primer coat and two emulsion coats on a sound base; full-surface putty is excluded.

The 14.51 m² patch quantity is an explicit example allowance, approximately 10% of walls rounded to 0.01 m². Replace it with assessed patch areas. Doors/windows/grills, exterior work, furniture moves, moisture treatment and plaster repairs are outside this repaint estimate. The companion workbook instead demonstrates a new full-putty system plus joinery, so its total is deliberately different.

Compare two specification-equivalent quotes#

A lower wall rate can still give a higher total, so compare totals on the same scope. Use the same 212.38 m², products, coat count, patch area and exclusions; the two quotes below are hypothetical.

Quote B's wall rate is lower, but its total is ₹21.20 higher. Ask for a scope correction if one offer omits a stage; do not fix it by comparing headline rates alone. Put the agreed quantities, item descriptions, additions and payment stages into a work order format for civil work.

How IS 1200 Parts 13 and 15 affect the quantity#

Part 13 covers building surfaces; Part 15 covers joinery/metal painting and related finishes. Our IS 1200 measurement guide explains the distinction and edition changes.

The example expressly uses the accessible Part 13:1994, clause 3.2 opening convention. Openings up to 0.5 m² are normally retained without adding returns; the 0.5–3 m² band depends on finishes and reveal geometry; over 3 m², deduct openings and add measured returns. The full-width-frame assumption matters in our example. Do not deduct every door twice merely because two rooms meet it.

Part 13 has a 2024 revision, confirmed by the BIS bulletin. We have not verified the revised clause text. Confirm the edition named by your contract. The BOQ article gives the Part 15:1987 coefficient examples and the opening register used here.

Get measured quantities before negotiating the rate#

Send the plans, elevations, door/window schedule and finish specification for a BOQ from your drawings. House BOQs start from ₹2,500; the first project is 50% off (up to ₹5,000), minimum ₹2,500. Painting-only and other scopes are quoted from the drawings. For repainting, add condition notes and photographs so the repair assumptions can be identified. To estimate litres and a cost range first, use the paint calculator.

Frequently asked questions#

What is the painting rate per sq ft in India?#

The reported bands above are ₹12–20 for basic interiors and ₹22–35 for premium interiors. They refer to surface area. Confirm preparation, coats and access with the contractor; they are not a universal price list.

What is the painting labour rate per sq ft?#

HouseYog reports ₹6–10 per sq ft without materials. A labour contract should still identify putty, primer, sanding, coats, masking and access. Full scraping or occupied-room work can change the scope.

What is the paint cost per square foot if I buy the material?#

Divide the purchased paint's price per litre by its stated coverage for the required coats. Add primer, putty and consumables separately. Do not divide by a one-coat coverage when costing two coats.

Is exterior painting more expensive than interior painting?#

It can be, particularly with height, access and surface repairs. Compare the actual exterior coating system and elevation quantities. A plain accessible wall and a tall weathered facade are different jobs.

Do I pay twice the area for two coats?#

Not when the item rate already covers two coats. Measure the surface once and describe the coat system in the item. Only a contract explicitly priced per coat uses a per-coat calculation.

How much does it cost to repaint a 2BHK?#

Our stated example totals ₹34,924.10 for 145.13 m² of walls, 67.25 m² of ceilings, local patches and masking. It excludes joinery and exteriors. Measure your own rooms and assess their condition before adopting the total.