Finishes · measured in sqm
Measuring flooring for RA bills
Flooring is measured as the finished area laid, room by room, between the faces of walls or skirting, with large openings in the floor deducted.
Unit of measurement
Flooring (tiles and stone) is measured in sqm. Flooring is measured as the finished area laid, room by room, between the faces of walls or skirting, with large openings in the floor deducted.
The BOQ item description decides the unit and what the rate includes. Where the BOQ and this guide differ, the BOQ and the contract's mode of measurement win.
What is measured
- Length and breadth of each room or area between the finished wall faces.
- Flooring in door openings, where the contract pays it under the same item.
- Type and size of tile or stone, and bedding, where the BOQ prices them separately.
- Skirting and dado separately, in rmt or sqm as the BOQ states.
Standard deductions
- Shafts, columns and openings above the size set by the contract's mode of measurement and the relevant part of IS 1200 are deducted.
- Small columns and pipes passing through the floor are commonly not deducted.
- Cut tiles and wastage are part of the rate.
Worked example
Ward office building, vitrified tile flooring at floor three. B is the room breadth.
| Location | Nos | L | B | D | Qty (sqm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Room 3.01 | 1 | 4.20 | 3.60 | 15.12 | |
| Corridor, floor three | 1 | 18.50 | 1.80 | 33.30 | |
| Less service shaft | -1 | 0.90 | 0.60 | -0.54 | |
| Total | 47.88 |
Row by row: Room 3.01, 1 x 4.2 x 3.6 = 15.12; Corridor, floor three, 1 x 18.5 x 1.8 = 33.30; Less service shaft, 1 x 0.9 x 0.6 = 0.54.
Total: 15.12 plus 33.30 minus 0.54 = 47.88 sqm. Deductions are entered with negative nos, so they reduce the total in the same column.
Common disputes
- Flooring is measured to the wall centre line instead of the finished face.
- Skirting is included in the floor area when it is a separate item.
- A change of tile specification is billed at the BOQ rate without an approved substituted item.
Recording it in Tatha Vastu
Rooms can be imported once from the drawing schedule and reused for flooring, plaster and painting. A changed tile becomes a substituted item in the extra item register, linked to the original item.
Approved entries are locked, and a correction becomes a new version with its reason. See the measurement book, or use the measurement sheet template if you still keep the register in Excel.
Is flooring in door openings measured?
Usually, yes, under the same item, unless the contract measures thresholds separately.
Is skirting part of the floor area?
No. Skirting is normally a separate item in rmt or sqm.
Are columns inside the room deducted?
Large ones are. Small ones below the contract's size limit usually are not.