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Steel Calculator

How much TMT steel does your house need? Thumb-rule quantity and dated cost.

ConstructionCore● Free Formula shown Rates dated
Quick Answer

An RCC-framed house in India needs about 3–4 kg of TMT steel per sq ft of built-up area, roughly 3–4 tonnes for a 1,000 sq ft house, costing ₹1.95–3.12 lakh at ₹65–78/kg retail (as of Oct 2026). Single-storey houses on firm soil sit near the bottom of the band; long spans, more floors and higher seismic zones push toward the top. Enter your area below for the range and cost.

Rates checked Oct 2026. Source: CPWD Delhi Analysis of Rates 2023, Civil Vol. I — rate analyses & material coefficients (RCC item 4.1.2, mortar 3.11, brickwork 6.3, steel wastage item 5.22); official PDF, mirror host.

3–4 kgTMT steel per sq ft of built-up area
3–4 tfor a 1,000 sq ft house
₹65–78 / kgretail, Oct 2026
3–5%cutting wastage, already in the band

Part of the system: Plan a house construction budget, Material order for one floor, Slab casting day. Steps, checks and a free printable page.

Guides: Bar bending schedule to order, Check a TMT steel delivery, Cover blocks and chairs.

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The Formula

Steel (kg) = built-up area (sq ft) × 3–4 kg/sq ft (thumb rule, cutting wastage included)

The thumb-rule band comes from the published cost model below, not a typed constant, and already includes 3–5% cutting wastage, so do not add wastage again. Actual tonnage is fixed by the structural design; this range is for budgeting and for sanity-checking a bar bending schedule.

Weight of one metre of TMT bar, by diameter8 mm 0.395 kg/m, 10 mm 0.617, 12 mm 0.889, 16 mm 1.580, 20 mm 2.469, 25 mm 3.858.8 mm0.395 kg/m10 mm0.617 kg/m12 mm0.889 kg/m16 mm1.580 kg/m20 mm2.469 kg/m25 mm3.858 kg/m
Weight of one metre of TMT bar, by diameter. From d² ÷ 162, which is how the IS 1786 nominal mass works out in practice. Double the diameter and the bar weighs four times as much.

Assumptions

  • RCC-framed residential construction, ground to G+2, conventional slab spans
  • The 3–4 kg/sq ft band already includes 3–5% cutting and lapping wastage. Never add more on top
  • Rate is retail-delivered Fe500/Fe500D in small quantities; trade list prices run lower and brand premiums 5–8% higher
  • Rough distribution across elements for a typical house: footings 15–20%, columns 20–25%, beams 25–30%, slabs 30–35%. These are indicative only; the design governs
  • Bar weight follows the IS 1786 nominal mass, in practice the d²/162 formula
Where the steel goes in a typical houseFootings 15–20%, columns 20–25%, beams 25–30%, slabs 30–35% of total steel.Footings 15–20%Columns 20–25%Beams 25–30%Slabs 30–35%010203040% of total steel
Where the steel goes in a typical house. Indicative shares only. The structural design sets the real split.

Worked Examples

1,000 sq ft single-storey house

  1. Built-up area: 1,000 sq ft (all floors)
  2. Thumb rule: 3–4 kg TMT per sq ft, cutting wastage included
  3. Steel: 1,000 × 3–4 kg = 3,000–4,000 kg (3–4 tonnes)
  4. Cost: 3,000–4,000 kg × ₹65–78/kg = ₹1.95 L to ₹3.12 L (as of Oct 2026)

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1,500 sq ft G+1 house (750 sq ft per floor)

  1. Built-up area: 750 sq ft × 2 floors = 1,500 sq ft
  2. Steel: 1,500 × 3–4 kg = 4,500–6,000 kg (4.5–6 tonnes)
  3. Cost: 4,500–6,000 kg × ₹65–78/kg = ₹2.92 L to ₹4.68 L (as of Oct 2026)

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Rates & Model Data Used

Every number below is a range with a date — material prices in India move quickly, so always check the "as of" month before relying on a figure.

ItemRate / valueAs ofNote
Steel (TMT)3–4 kg / sq ftJul 2026Thumb rule incl. wastage
TMT steel bars (Fe500/Fe500D)₹65–78 / kgOct 2026Raised on 23 Oct 2026 from ₹55–68. Mill prices climbed after the monsoon: blast-furnace rebar went from about ₹51,000 to ₹63,000 a tonne between 1 August and 1 October 2026 (Tata nexarc), and OfBusiness listed primary Fe500D at ₹64,000/t ex-Gurugram on 23 October, against about ₹49,000 in July. Dealer counters are passing the rise on more slowly, so expect this band to move again. Per kg, retail, small quantities, GST included. October counter prices on that basis: Kolkata ₹55–63 before GST (₹65–74 with it, 7 Oct), Bangalore ₹66–75 with GST for regional, SAIL and Vizag bars (8 Oct), Chennai dealer lists ₹58–66 before GST (₹68–78 with it, 14 Oct), Indore ₹64–73 before GST (₹75–86 with it). The band covers the span most of these share; the full spread is wider. Premium brands sit above it: Tata Tiscon ₹88 and JSW ₹85 a kg with GST in Bangalore. Secondary (induction-furnace) bars run ₹5–8/kg below primary bars of the same grade, and 8 mm bars cost ₹1–3/kg more than 12–16 mm. Dealers usually bill freight and unloading on top. GST is 18% (heading 7214). Official anchor: CPWD DAR 2023 prices Fe500D at ₹55.5/kg before GST (₹65.5 with it, Delhi, Apr 2023), which is now the band floor. Confidence lowered from high to medium: the market is moving week to week, the evidence is dealer and trade-platform prices rather than a government series, and the WPI release could not be read for this check.

How to Use This Calculator

  1. Enter the built-up area. Sum the floor area of every floor. Balconies and utility areas that get RCC slabs count.
  2. Read the range, not a number. The low end fits compact single-storey plans on good soil; the high end fits long spans, cantilevers and seismic zones IV–V.
  3. Compare against the BBS. Once your engineer issues a bar bending schedule, its total should land inside this band. If it is far outside, ask why before ordering.
  4. Time the purchase. Steel is the most price-volatile major material. Monsoon months (Jul–Sep) are typically the soft season, and the rate table below shows the dated band used here.

Tips and tricks

  • Check that the ISI mark, the grade (Fe500, Fe500D) and the maker's name are rolled into every bar, and keep the test certificate from the dealer.
  • Weigh a sample bar. Length × kg/m from the table above should match the scale within a few per cent; a bar that comes in light is thinner than its label.
  • Store bars off the ground on wooden blocks and cover them. Light surface rust is normal; flaking rust isn't.
  • Ask whether the price is per kg of actual weight or theoretical weight. The two can differ.
  • Buy diameter by diameter against the engineer's bar bending schedule.

What we would do

Use the per-sq-ft range here only to budget. Once the structural drawings exist, buy against the engineer's bar list in two or three lots (foundation and columns, then each slab), so your money isn't sitting on site as rusting steel. We wouldn't cut steel to save money; quantities are the engineer's call.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much steel is required for a 1,000 sq ft house?
About 3,000–4,000 kg (3–4 tonnes) of TMT steel for a conventional RCC-framed house, including cutting wastage. At ₹65–78/kg retail (as of Oct 2026) that is ₹1.95–3.12 lakh, typically the second-largest single material cost after cement-related work.
How do I calculate the weight of one TMT bar?
Weight per metre = d²/162, where d is the diameter in mm. So an 8 mm bar weighs 0.395 kg/m, 10 mm = 0.617, 12 mm = 0.889, 16 mm = 1.580, 20 mm = 2.469 and 25 mm = 3.858 kg/m. A standard 12 m length of 12 mm bar therefore weighs about 10.7 kg.
How many 12 mm rods make one tonne?
A 12 m long 12 mm bar weighs 12²/162 × 12 ≈ 10.67 kg, so one tonne is roughly 94 rods. For 8 mm bars it is about 211 rods, for 16 mm about 53. Always cross-check a supplier's rod-count arithmetic against the d²/162 weight.
Which steel grade should I buy: Fe500, Fe500D or Fe550?
Fe500D is the sensible default for houses: same strength class as Fe500 with higher ductility, which matters in seismic zones, at a negligible price difference (₹1–3/kg). Fe550 buys little in low-rise residential work. Whatever the grade, buy ISI-marked primary-mill bars, not re-rolled stock.
Where does the steel actually go in a house?
Roughly: footings 15–20%, columns 20–25%, beams 25–30% and slabs 30–35% of the total, with the balance in staircases, lintels and chajjas. This is why steel arrives on site in phases; you do not need the full tonnage on day one.
Can I reduce the steel quantity to save money?
Only through design. Compact plans, regular column grids and shorter spans genuinely need less steel. Cutting bar sizes or spacing against the drawings is structural risk, not saving. If a quote seems steel-heavy, pay for a design review rather than negotiating the tonnage.
Why is the steel quantity a range and not exact?
Because the exact tonnage is set by the structural design: soil, spans, floors and seismic zone. The 3–4 kg/sq ft band is where the great majority of Indian low-rise houses land, so it is honest for budgeting; your bar bending schedule is the number to order against.
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Sources & Limitations

What this calculator does not model

  • Not a structural design or a bar bending schedule. The drawings govern the actual tonnage
  • Assumes conventional RCC frame; steel-structure, PT-slab or precast systems calculate differently
  • Cost excludes binding wire, cover blocks, cutting/bending labour and transport
  • High-rise construction (above roughly G+3) needs more steel per sq ft than this band