Building · measured in sqm
Measuring formwork for RA bills
Formwork is measured as the area of concrete surface in contact with the forms, member by member, where the BOQ pays it as a separate item.
Unit of measurement
Formwork (centering and shuttering) is measured in sqm. Formwork is measured as the area of concrete surface in contact with the forms, member by member, where the BOQ pays it as a separate item.
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
- Slab soffits, between the faces of beams, at the area of concrete in contact with the shuttering.
- Beam sides below the slab and beam bottoms, each as length times the contact height or width.
- Column faces, as the perimeter of the section times the height to the underside of the slab or beam.
- Height bands for props where the BOQ prices higher floors or deeper props separately.
Standard deductions
- Openings in slabs and walls above the size set by the contract's mode of measurement and the relevant part of IS 1200 are deducted; small ones are not.
- Faces against existing concrete, masonry or earth that need no form are not measured.
- Where the BOQ rate for concrete includes formwork, it is not measured at all.
Worked example
Ward office building, formwork for slab S3 and beams B7 to B10 at floor five. B is the contact width or height.
| Location | Nos | L | B | D | Qty (sqm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slab S3 soffit, clear of beams | 1 | 12.40 | 6.20 | 76.88 | |
| Beam sides below slab | 8 | 6.20 | 0.30 | 14.88 | |
| Beam bottoms | 4 | 6.20 | 0.25 | 6.20 | |
| Total | 97.96 |
Row by row: Slab S3 soffit, clear of beams, 1 x 12.4 x 6.2 = 76.88; Beam sides below slab, 8 x 6.2 x 0.3 = 14.88; Beam bottoms, 4 x 6.2 x 0.25 = 6.20.
Total: 76.88 plus 14.88 plus 6.20 = 97.96 sqm. Deductions are entered with negative nos, so they reduce the total in the same column.
Common disputes
- Formwork is billed separately when the BOQ concrete rate already includes it.
- Beam sides are measured to the top of the slab, overlapping the slab edge form.
- Faces cast against brickwork or earth are claimed as shuttered faces.
Recording it in Tatha Vastu
Formwork entries can be generated from the RCC entries for the same member, so the dimensions match and nothing is typed twice. Edit the contact faces if a face was cast against masonry.
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 formwork always a separate item?
No. Check the BOQ description of the concrete item. If it says the rate includes centering and shuttering, formwork is not measured.
How are beam sides measured?
As the length of the beam times the depth below the slab, on each side that is formed.
Are props for high floors paid extra?
Only where the BOQ has a separate item or a height band for them.