RCC work rate per sq ft and per cubic metre in India (2026)

RCC work in India in 2026 costs about ₹120 to ₹180 per sq ft of slab for labour only, going by reported labour contract rates. With concrete, steel and shuttering included, a 150 mm slab works out to about ₹250 to ₹330 per sq ft, depending on whose rates you use. Per cubic metre, M25 concrete placed (without steel and shuttering) is ₹9,860.40 in CPWD DSR 2023. Our own 2026 rate analysis for coastal Maharashtra puts it at about ₹8,650. Every number below shows its source. To get these rates applied to your own drawings, get a BOQ prepared from your drawings.

What an RCC rate includes#

An RCC rate can mean different things. Before you compare two numbers, check what is inside each.

• Concrete: cement, sand, aggregate, water and admixture (or ready-mix), plus mixing, placing or pumping, vibration and curing.
• Reinforcement: steel, cutting, bending, binding wire, fixing and wastage. Normally a separate item, paid per kg.
• Shuttering: plates or plywood, props, oil and the carpenter's labour to fix and strip. Normally a separate item, paid per sq m or sq ft.
• Overheads and profit: the contractor's margin. CPWD builds 15% into DSR rates.

Government schedules split these differently:

• CPWD DSR 2023 item 5.33 includes pumping and curing. It excludes centering, shuttering, finishing and reinforcement.
• Maharashtra PWD SSR 2022-23 item 25.72 (slabs) includes steel centering and formwork. It excludes reinforcement.
• Chhattisgarh PWD Building SOR (modified 10.06.2026) item 3.3 excludes formwork. Steel is item 3.12.

So ₹9,860 and ₹14,116 per cum are not two prices for the same thing. One has formwork inside. For shuttering rates alone, see our shuttering and formwork guide.

M20 vs M25 concrete rate per cubic metre#

In the schedules, going from M20 to M25 adds little. Cement content is the main difference.

The same April source listed Pune M25 at ₹6,400. The Pune RMC Association then raised it to ₹8,000 from 9 May 2026, citing fewer permitted working days. Ready-mix prices move this fast, so get a fresh plant quote before you fix a rate. Pune also added pumping at ₹425 per cum for pours of 40 cum or more.

Grade is usually not your choice. IS 456:2000 sets the minimum RCC grade by exposure: M20 for mild, M25 for moderate and M30 for severe. Use the grade in the structural drawing's general notes.

Slab casting labour rate per sq ft#

Labour-only RCC work is usually quoted per sq ft. These are REPORTED 2026 figures, not verified by us:

HouseYog says these cover bar bending, shuttering, placing, vibration and basic curing, and exclude cement, steel, aggregate and ready-mix.

Two cross-checks:

• Maharashtra SSR 2022-23 gives the labour part of its M25 slab item as ₹5,988 per cum, or about ₹83 per sq ft of 150 mm slab, including formwork labour.
• In our 2026 Raigad analysis, slab labour came to about ₹55 to ₹59 per sq ft before margin: concrete about ₹21, shuttering about ₹27.50 and bar bending ₹6 to ₹11. That used rural day rates (mason ₹1,000, helper ₹650, bar bender ₹950).

The gap between ₹55 and ₹180 is why you must ask what a labour rate covers. Beams and columns, or the slab only? Who supplies plates and props? Is lift to upper floors included? Compare quotes only when these answers match.

Per cum vs per sq ft: the conversion#

Concrete is billed per cum or cft. Owners and labour contractors talk in sq ft of slab. Slab thickness links the two.

Sq ft of slab per cum = 10.764 ÷ thickness in metres

Divide a per cum rate by 86.11 (125 mm) or 71.76 (150 mm). DSR 2023 item 5.33.2.1 at ₹9,860.40 per cum is ₹114.50 per sq ft of 125 mm slab, or ₹137.40 per sq ft of 150 mm slab. That is concrete only. Also, 1 cum = 35.31 cft, which matters where contractors bill concrete per cft.

For the whole frame rather than one slab, our RCC construction cost calculator gives the cost per sq ft of built-up area, with the concrete, steel and shuttering of the footings, columns, beams and slabs, on your city's prices and these same rates.

Worked example: building up a per sq ft slab rate#

This is an example, not a quote. It uses the rate analysis from a 2026 bungalow BOQ we prepared in Raigad, Maharashtra: best-effort September 2026 market estimates, without GST. Slab 150 mm, M25, Fe500. Beams are left out on purpose.

Step 1: concrete, ₹244.90 per cft (site-mixed M25)

Step 2: steel, ₹84.51 per kg blended. Landed steel ₹66 per kg for 12 to 20 mm bars, plus a size extra for 8 and 10 mm. Add 3% cutting wastage, binding wire, bending and fixing labour, and 10% overheads and profit. That gives ₹80.74 per kg for 20 mm up to ₹90.85 per kg for 8 mm.

Step 3: shuttering, ₹47.73 per sq ft. Plates, props, oil and nails ₹14, carpenter ₹16.67 (60 sq ft a day), helper ₹10.83, plus 15%. The method is in our rate analysis guide.

Step 4: per sq ft of slab. Slab steel came to 71 kg per cum, taken from the project's bar bending schedule.

The same slab at schedule rates (150 mm, 71 kg steel per cum):

Now add the beams. On this roof, the beams, nibs and edge mouldings added 44% more concrete than the slab and 1.63 times the slab's steel. A per sq ft RCC rate for a whole roof is far above the slab-only figure. Always ask whether a per sq ft price includes beams.

How RCC is measured (IS 1200 Part 2)#

IS 1200 (Part 2):1974 sets the rules for measuring concrete work:

• Concrete is measured in cubic metres. Dimensions go to the nearest 0.01 m, slab thickness to the nearest 0.005 m.
• Formwork (Part 5) and reinforcement (Part 8) are measured separately unless the item says otherwise.
• Columns run from the top of the column base to the underside of the first floor slab, then from the top of each slab to the underside of the next.
• Beams run face to face of columns, including haunches. Depth is from the bottom of the slab to the bottom of the beam.
• No deduction for: ends of dissimilar materials up to 500 sq cm in section; openings up to 0.1 sq m; the volume of reinforcement; pipes and conduits up to 100 sq cm each; small voids up to 40 sq cm.

If a contractor's volume is higher than yours, check these first. Common causes are beams measured through columns, columns measured through slabs, or large openings not deducted.

Regional differences#

What this means:

1. Schedules lag the market. The latest SSR on the Maharashtra PWD site is still 2022-23, and the Chhattisgarh SOR prices steel and cement at 2015 base rates. Use them as references, not as your contract price. Our CPWD DSR guide explains how the DSR is built.
2. Steel moves the total most. BigMint reported blast-furnace rebar at ₹50,000 per tonne in early July 2026, down from ₹56,000 at May-end and ₹60,000 in April (Daily Excelsior, 4 July 2026). Mysteel reported June 2026 list prices of ₹55,250–57,700 per tonne ex-Mumbai. InfraLens listed August 2026 dealer-to-retail prices from ₹58–64 per kg in Hyderabad to ₹66–78 per kg in Bengaluru.

For whole-building costs by city, see our construction cost per sq ft guide.

How to check a contractor's RCC quote#

1. Get the unit in writing: per cum, per cft, per sq ft of slab or per sq ft of built-up area.
2. List what is inside: concrete, steel, shuttering material and labour, pumping, curing, lift.
3. Ask for grade and cement content. DSR 5.33 sets a 330 kg per cum minimum for M25.
4. Convert to per cum using slab thickness, then compare with the DSR or your state SOR, with and without formwork.
5. Check steel against a bar bending schedule, not a thumb rule. On our Raigad project the slab took 71 kg per cum, but the whole frame averaged 108 kg per cum.
6. Check measurement: beams below the slab only, openings over 0.1 sq m deducted.
7. Confirm GST. Our Raigad rates and both state SORs above exclude it.

Rates help only once quantities are right. Send your drawings and we measure RCC, steel and shuttering to IS 1200, priced at your local rates. It starts from ₹2,500 per project, and your first project is 50% off, up to ₹5,000. See BOQ pricing or send your drawings.

Frequently asked questions#

What is the RCC work rate per sq ft in 2026?#

Labour only, reported contract rates are ₹120–180 per sq ft of slab (HouseYog and Comaron, 2026). With material, a 150 mm slab with steel and shuttering works out to ₹252–330 per sq ft on our Raigad analysis, Maharashtra SSR 2022-23 and CPWD DSR 2023 rates. Beams are extra.

What is the M25 RCC rate per cubic metre?#

CPWD DSR 2023 item 5.33.2.1 is ₹9,860.40 per cum above plinth, without steel and shuttering. Maharashtra SSR 2022-23 item 25.72 is ₹14,116 per cum for slabs with formwork, without steel or GST. Ready-mix M25 alone was reported at ₹6,100–8,000 per cum in 2026.

How many sq ft of slab does 1 cubic metre of concrete cover?#

About 86 sq ft at 125 mm and about 72 sq ft at 150 mm. Divide 10.764 by the thickness in metres.

Is shuttering included in the RCC rate?#

It depends. CPWD DSR 5.33 excludes it; Maharashtra SSR 25.72 includes it. Per sq ft labour contracts usually include shuttering labour, but check who supplies the plates and props.

How much steel goes into one cubic metre of RCC slab?#

Take it from the bar bending schedule. On the bungalow we measured in Raigad, the roof slab took 71 kg per cum and the full frame averaged 108 kg per cum.

What is the RCC labour rate per cubic metre in government schedules?#

Maharashtra SSR 2022-23 shows a labour part of ₹5,988 per cum for its M25 slab item (25.72) and ₹5,085 per cum for beams and lintels (25.52), both including formwork labour.