How to prepare a rate analysis for a BOQ item

Every rate in a BOQ is a summary of something. Behind the single figure against "RCC 1:1.5:3 in slabs — ₹7,400 per cum" sits a calculation of how much cement, sand, aggregate, steel, labour and plant go into one cubic metre, each priced and added up.

That calculation is the rate analysis. Knowing how to build one is what separates an estimator who can defend a number from one who can only quote it.

Why it matters even when you are using a published schedule

If you price from a schedule of rates, the analysis has already been done for you. So why learn it?

Because schedules go stale, and markets move underneath them. When a client asks why your figure differs from a contractor's quote, or why last year's schedule no longer matches reality, the answer is always in the analysis — usually in one or two component prices that have moved. Without it, you can only say the rate is what the schedule says.

It also lets you build a rate for anything the schedule does not cover. Non-standard items are where estimates most often fail.

The five components of any rate

Material. The quantity of each material consumed per unit of finished work, at current rates. This needs the coefficient — how much cement goes into a cubic metre of a given mix — not a guess.

Labour. The number of mason-days, mazdoor-days and skilled-labour-days per unit, at local wage rates. Labour coefficients vary regionally and with productivity assumptions.

Plant and machinery. Mixer, vibrator, pump, scaffolding, hoist. Often expressed as a percentage of the labour cost on smaller work, priced explicitly on larger.

Overhead. Site establishment, supervision, water, power, temporary works. Conventionally taken as a percentage — commonly 10 to 15 percent of the material-plus-labour subtotal.

Contractor's profit. Typically 10 percent, though this varies with competition and risk.

The total of the five is the rate. Some schedules include GST in the published figure and some do not — check before comparing, because it is a 12 to 18 percent difference depending on the item.

Worked example 1 — RCC 1:1.5:3 per cubic metre

A 1:1.5:3 mix means one part cement, one and a half parts sand, three parts coarse aggregate by volume. The dry volume is taken as 1.54 times the wet volume to account for voids.

Total parts = 1 + 1.5 + 3 = 5.5

Cement: (1 ÷ 5.5) × 1.54 = 0.28 cum. At 1440 kg/cum, that is 403 kg, or roughly 8.06 bags of 50 kg.
Sand: (1.5 ÷ 5.5) × 1.54 = 0.42 cum.
Coarse aggregate: (3 ÷ 5.5) × 1.54 = 0.84 cum.

Now price it. Using indicative Kanpur figures:

Note what this excludes: reinforcement steel and shuttering are separate BOQ items and are never inside the concrete rate. Including them by accident is a common double-count.

Worked example 2 — brickwork in CM 1:6 per cubic metre

One cubic metre of brickwork with standard modular bricks takes approximately 500 bricks, with 0.3 cum of mortar filling the joints.

For 0.3 cum of 1:6 mortar, dry volume 0.3 × 1.33 = 0.4 cum:
Cement: (1 ÷ 7) × 0.4 = 0.057 cum = 82 kg = 1.64 bags
Sand: (6 ÷ 7) × 0.4 = 0.343 cum

The brick rate dominates here — it is 63 percent of the total. In a market where brick prices move, or where fly ash brick substitutes for clay, this rate moves more than any other masonry item.

Worked example 3 — 12mm cement plaster 1:6 per square metre

For 1 sqm at 12mm thickness, wet mortar volume = 0.012 cum. With 1.33 for dry volume and 20 percent added for uneven surface and wastage: 0.012 × 1.33 × 1.2 = 0.019 cum.

Cement: (1 ÷ 7) × 0.019 = 0.0027 cum = 3.9 kg
Sand: (6 ÷ 7) × 0.019 = 0.0163 cum

Plaster is labour-dominated — 59 percent here — which is why plaster rates vary between regions more than concrete rates do.

What moves a rate, and by how much

Reading the three examples together tells you where to focus when a rate needs updating.

Concrete is material-led: cement alone is 47 percent of the RCC rate. A ₹40 move in cement price shifts the rate by roughly ₹320 per cum.

Brickwork is single-item-led: the brick itself is 63 percent. Nothing else in the analysis matters as much.

Plaster is labour-led: wages are the majority. Material price movements barely register.

An estimator who knows this can update a rate library intelligently instead of applying a flat percentage across everything.

Where these numbers come from

The coefficients — 1.54 for dry volume, 500 bricks per cum, labour days per unit — are conventional and appear consistently across standard analyses. The prices are not. Cement, sand, aggregate and brick rates vary by city and move through the year, and labour rates vary more than that.

Current indicative material rates by city are on the material rates page. Use them as a starting point and confirm locally before a rate goes into a bill you are bound by.

For how the priced items assemble into a finished document, see how to make a BOQ from architectural drawings and the BOQ format for house construction. Where a rate has to be built for a non-standard item, the units it is measured in are set out in units of measurement in an Indian construction BOQ.

Frequently asked questions

What is rate analysis in civil engineering?

The calculation that builds up the rate for one unit of finished work from its components — material quantities at current prices, labour days at current wages, plant, overhead and profit. It is what sits behind every figure in a schedule of rates.

How much cement is in one cubic metre of 1:1.5:3 concrete?

Approximately 0.28 cubic metres, or about 403 kg, which is roughly 8 bags of 50 kg. This comes from taking the cement fraction of the mix, 1 part in 5.5, and multiplying by the dry volume factor of 1.54.

How many bricks are in one cubic metre of brickwork?

Approximately 500 standard modular bricks, with about 0.3 cubic metres of mortar filling the joints. The count varies slightly with brick size and joint thickness.

What percentage is added for contractor profit and overhead?

Conventionally 10 to 15 percent for overhead and 10 percent for profit, applied to the material-and-labour subtotal. The figures vary with project size, competition and risk, and some schedules build them in rather than showing them separately.

Does the concrete rate include steel and shuttering?

No. Reinforcement steel and shuttering are separate items in a BOQ, measured in different units — kilograms and square metres against the concrete’s cubic metres. Including them inside the concrete rate double-counts them.