Detailed specifications

Detailed Specifications of Civil Engineering Materials

Detailed specification for first class brick
The earth used for molding the bricks shall be free from organic matters salts and
chemicals. The size, weight and colour of the burnt bricks should be uniform. The
adjacent faces of the bricks are to be right angles to each other. The bricks shall be free
from cracks, flaws and lumps. They should not break where dropped, from 1 meter
height, on the ground. They should not absorb water by more 15 % of their self-weight
when immersed in water for one hour. The average compressive strength of the bricks
shall be not less than 7.5 N/mm2. The dry weight of one brick shall not be less than 3 kg.

Detailed Specification for cement

Ordinary Portland cement or rapid hardening Portland cement confirming to IS: 269 –
1989 and IS:8041 – 1990 shall be used. The initial setting time of the cement shall not be
less than 30 minutes and the final setting time shall not be greater than 10 hours. The
average compressive strength, after 7 days curing, of 1:3 cement mortar cubes shall be
not less than 33 N/mm2.
Detailed Specification for sand for mortar

 The sand used for mortar shall be clean, sharp, heavy and gritty. It should be free
from clay, salt, mica and organic impurities. It shall not contain harmful chemicals in
any form. Medium and fine sand are to be used in mortars. Coarse sand shall be
sieved through 600 micron sieve and used in mortars for plastering works.
 Detailed Specification for coarse aggregate
 The aggregate to be used in reinforced cement concrete shall be of blue granite
stone, machine crushed and well graded with a nominal size of 20 mm. It shall be
hard, dense, durable strong and free from flakes. The aggregate shall not contain
harmful materials such as coal, mica clay, shells, organic impurities etc. The
compressive strength, crushing value etc. of the aggregate shall be in accordance
with the requirements of IS: 383 – 1970.
 Detailed Specification for water for concrete;
 Water used for mixing and curing concrete shall be clean and free from injurious
amounts of oils, acids, alkalis, salts, sugar, organic materials or other substances that
may be deleterious to concrete or steel. Potable water may be used for mixing
concrete. The suspended organic solid matter in the water shall not exceed 200 mg/l
and inorganic solid matter shall not exceed 3000 kg/l, the pH value of water shall be
not less than 6. Water sued for curing should not produce any objectionable stain or
unsightly deposit on the concrete surface. The presence of tannic acid or iron
compounds in the water is objectionable.
 Detailed Specification for reinforcement
 The reinforcement shall be of high strength deformed steel bars confirming to IS:
1786 – 1985. It should be bendable, weldable and have the modulus of elasticity not
less than 200 kN/mm2. The yield strength of the steel used shall not be less than 415
N/mm2. All reinforcement bars shall be free from loose mill scales, loose rust and
coats of paints, oil, mud or other coatings which may destroy or reduce bond.
Detailed Specification for wood for doors and windows

 The wood shall be teak, well-seasoned and dry. It should be free from cracks, knots,
defects and disease. It should be sawn in the direction of grains so that the edges are
perfectly straight and square. The dimensions of the frames/scantlings/planks shall be
as prescribed in the drawings. Patching or plugging of any kind is not permitted.
 Detailed Specifications of Common Construction Works
 Detailed specification of for earth work excavation for foundation
[Sequence: Leveling the surface; Dimensions; Shoring; Fencing; Dumping the
soil; Water in foundation; Treatment of the bottom; Trench filling; Measurement]
a) Leveling the surface
The whole area of construction is to be cleared of tees, grass, roots of trees etc.,
complete and leveled horizontally to enable easy marking of center line of the
building.
b) Dimensions
The excavation shall be done in accordance with dimensions of trenches shown in
the working drawings.
c) Shoring
The sides of the trenches should be vertical and the bottom of the trenches should
be flat. In the case of loose soils the sides of the trenches should be shored with
steel sheets.
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d) Fencing
Suitable temporary fencing is to be provided around the site of excavation to avoid
any accidental fall into the trenches
e) Dumping the soil
The excavated soil is to be dumped and heaped at a minimum distance of 1.5 meter
away from the trenches so that it does not slide again into the trenches
f) Water in Foundation
Water, if any accumulated in the trench, should be pumped out without any extra
payment and necessary precaution shall be taken to prevent surface water to enter into
the trench.
g) Treatment of the bottom
The bottom of the trench shall be watered and compacted by ramming before the
foundation concrete is laid. Excessive excavations should not be adjusted by filling
with loose excavated soils. Sand or plain concrete may be used for the adjustment of
levels, that too with proper compaction.
h) Trench filling
After the concrete has been laid and masonry has been constructed the remaining
portion of the trench shall be filled up with earth free from rubbish and refuse
materials, in layers of 15 cm and watered and well rammed.
i)Measurement
The measurement of the excavation shall be taken in cu. m. as for rectangular trench
bottom width of the concrete multiplied by the vertical depth of the foundation from
the ground level and multiplied by the length of trench even though the contractor
might have excavated with slopping side for his convenience. The rate shall be for
complete work for 30 m lead and 1.5 m lift, including all tools and plants required for
completion of the works.
 Detailed specification for 1st class brickwork in super structure
[Sequence: Materials; preparation of mortar; soaking of bricks; method of laying; curing;
scaffolding; measurement]
a) Materials
[Include detail specification for first class brick, cement, and sand]
b) Preparation of mortar
For cement mortar cement shall be fresh Portland cement of standard specifications. sand
shall be sharp, clean and free from organic and foreign matters. for rich mortar coarse or
medium and should be used and for weak mortar local fine sand may be used. Proportion of
cement sand mortar may be of(1:3 to 1:6 as specified).materials of mortar shall be
measured to have the required proportion with measuring box and first mixed dry to have a
uniform color in a clean masonry platform and then mixed by adding clean water slowly
and gradually to have workable consistency and mixed thoroughly By turning at least 3
times. fresh mixed mortar shall be used ,old and stale mortar shall not be used and mortar
for one hours work only shall be mixed with water so that the mortar may be used before
setting starts.

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c) Soaking of bricks
 Bricks shall be well soaked in water for at least 12 hours before their use, preferably
in a tank provided at site of work
d) Method of laying
 Bricks shall be well bonded and laid in English bond unless specified. Every course
shall be truly horizontal and shall be truly in plumb. Broken bricks shall not be used
except as closers. All corners shall be truly in plumb. Mortar joints shall break for
bonding and shall not exceed 10 mm in thickness. Only skilled masons shall be
employed on the work. Brick shall be laid with frogs upward except in the top
course. Brickwork shall be carried out not more than 1 m height at a time. When one
part of the wall has to be delayed, stepping shall be left at an angle of 45degree. All
joints shall be racked and faces of the wall cleaned at the end of each days‟ work.
e) Curing
The work shall be kept well watered for at least 15 days.
f) Scaffolding
Necessary and suitable scaffolding shall be provided to facilitate the construction of
brickwork. It shall be sound and strong enough to sustain all loads likely to come
upon them.
g)Measurement
The measurement shall be taken in cu. m. The rate shall be for the complete work
inclusive of scaffolding and all tools and plants.
[Similar items: Detailed specifications of 1st class brick work in foundation and
plinth, 2nd and 3rd class brick work, brickwork in mud mortar and Reinforced Brick
(R.B.) work.]
 Detailed specification for Reinforced Cement Concrete
[Sequence: Materials; form work; proportioning; mixing of concrete; laying of
concrete; curing; formwork; measurement]
a) Materials
[Include detail specification for cement, sand, coarse aggregate, water and
reinforcement]
 Reinforcement shall be hooked and bent (cold) and placed in position as per
design and drawing and bound together tight with 20 S.W.G(std wire gauge-
0.914mm) binding steel wire.
b) Centering and shuttering
 Centering and shuttering shall be made of timber and tight with necessary
wedges and sufficiently strong and sable not to yield under laying of concrete.
A coat of oil washing or a thin layer of paper shall be spread to have a smooth
finished surface preventing adherence of concrete.
 c) Proportioning
 Proportions of cement, sand and coarse aggregate shall be 1:1.5:3 for slab, beam
and lintels and columns unless otherwise specified. The sand and coarse aggregate
shall be measured by volume with boxed and cement by number of bags.
d) Mixing of concrete
 Concrete shall be mixed by concrete mixture. Cement, sand and coarse aggregate
shall be put into the as per the required proportions for one batch. The total quantity
shall not exceed the manufactures rated capacity. The machine shall be revolved to
mix materials dry and then water shall be added up to the required quantity. After 2
minutes rotation for through mixing, the mixed concrete shall be discharged on a
masonry platform or iron sheet.
e) Laying of concrete
 Concrete shall be laid gently in layers not exceeding 150 mm and compacted by
wooden thapi or some mechanical vibrator until a dense concrete is obtained.
 While concreting, steel bars shall be given side band bottom covers of concrete by
pacing the precast concrete blocks of 1:2 cement mortar 25x25 mm in section and
thickness of specified cover Concreting shall be laid continuously. If laying is
suspended for rest or the following day, the end shall be slopped at an angle of
30degree and made rough for future jointing. When the work is resumed, the
previous slopped surface shall be roughened, cleaned and a coat of neat cement paste
shall be applied and then the fresh concrete shall be laid.
f) Curing of concrete
 Freshly laid concrete shall be protected from rain by suitable covering. After 24 hrs
of laying of concrete the surface shall be cured by flowing with water of above
25mm depth or with covering by wet gunny bags. The curing shall be for a minimum
period of 14 days or otherwise specified.
g) Removal of form work
 The centering and shuttering shall be removed after 14 days of casting. It shall be
removed slowly and carefully so that no part is disturbed.
h) Measurement
 The measurement shall be taken in cu. m. The rate shall be for the complete work
inclusive of form work and all tools and plants but excluding steel.
 Detailed specification for damp proof course (D.P.C.)
 [Sequence: Materials; preparation of mortar; Application of DPC; measurement]
a) Materials
 Damp Poof Course shall be of plain cement concrete of 1:2:4 mix and 30 mm thickness.
12 mm size hard and dense stone chips shall be used as coarse aggregate and river sand of
5 mm nominal size shall be used as fine aggregate. The aggregate shall be clean and free
from dust, dirt, mud, organic matter etc. The coarse aggregate is to be washed well before
mixing. Fresh port land cement of I.S.I. approved brand of 43 grades is to be used as the
binding material. Potable water, free from harmful salts, shall be only used for mixing the
concrete.
b) Preparation of mortar
 The coarse aggregate and sand are to be measured separately by volume and mixed dry in
a clean and stable platform to get a mixture of uniform colour. This mixture is stacked to a
uniform height and the cement of required quantity is spread over the stack, turned over in
dry state first, and with water twice to get a workable and uniform concrete.
c) Application of DPC
 The brickwork in basement is stopped at plinth level, cured will for 7 days, top surface
cleaned well for dust by wire brushes. Form work is provided along the two sides of
wall by wooden planks, to the required height. Gauge plates are to be provided at one
metre interval, connecting the two side planks by nails, keeping at a clear distance
equal to the width of wall at plinth level. The concrete, mixed as mentioned above,
shall be placed and compacted well by tamping rods to have a net thickness of 30 mm.
Damp proof course shall not have any joints, the whole concreting be completed
without any break, and it need not be provided over door openings. The top surface of
concrete, when starts to dry, shall be roughened to provide bondage with the super
structure. The side planks shall be removed on the next day and the concrete shall be
cured for 7 days by keeping the surface constantly wet.
d) Measurement
 The measurement shall be taken in sq. m. The rate shall be for the complete work
inclusive of all tools and plants.
 Detailed specification of for plastering with cement mortar
[Sequence: Materials; preparation of mortar; preparation of surface; application of
mortar; curing; measurement]
 a) Materials
[Included detail specification for cement and sand]
b) Preparation of mortar
For cement mortar cement shall be fresh Portland cement of standard specifications.
sand shall be sharp, clean and free from organic and foreign matters. for rich mortar
coarse or medium and should be used and for weak mortar local fine sand may be used.
Proportion of cement sand mortar may be of(1:3 to 1:6 as specified).materials of mortar
shall be measured to have the required proportion with measuring box and first mixed
dry to have a uniform color in a clean masonry platform and then mixed by adding
clean water slowly and gradually to have workable consistency and mixed thoroughly
By turning at least 3 times
[ the ratio of cement to sand is 1:4 for inner wall and 1: 6 for outer wall or as specified.]
 Mortar for plastering shall be prepared at a time of such amount which can be used
within the initial setting of cement.
 c) Preparation of surface
 The joints of brick work shall be racked out a depth of 18 mm and the surface shall be
brushed, cleaned, watered and kept wet for two days before plastering. In case of
cement concrete surface, the face shall lightly roughen, cleaned, washed and wetted.
d) Application of mortar
 Plastering shall be started from the top and proceed towards the bottom. The plastered
surface shall be made level and flush with wooden straight edges and rubbed
thoroughly with wooden floats to ensure smooth and even surface.
e) Curing :The work shall be kept well watered for at least 15 days.
f) Measurement
The measurement shall be taken in sq. m. The rate shall be for the complete work
inclusive of all tools and plants.
 Detailed specification for distempering
 The distemper shall be of the approved colour and quality. Water shall be added as
prescribed by the manufacture, stirred well often during use, to maintain uniform
colour and consistency.
 The plastered surface of the wall is scraped and cleaned with wire brushes and
rubbed smooth with sand papers. Distemper shall not be applied in wet weather. It
shall be applied with good brushes, first horizontally and then immediately crossed
off vertically which together shall constitute one coat. The second coat will be also
applied in the same manner after the first coat has dried.
 The finished surface shall be even and uniform and shall show no brush marks. The
measurement shall be taken in sq. m. The rate shall be for the complete work
inclusive of all tools and plants.
 Detailed specification for painting new wood work
• Steps for painting
• The steps for painting on wood are: Clean the surface
• Repair imperfections
• Sand the surface
• Prime
• Paint

 a) Paint
Ready mixed paint of approved quality and colour shall be used
 b) Preparation of surface
The surface to be painted shall be rubbed down smooth with medium and fine sand papers
and cleaned off any dust. Knots, cracks holes etc., shall be filled with putty made of
whiting. part of white lead mixed together in linseed oil and leveled to the surface. A
primer coat is applied to the surface with ready mixed wood primer of best quality.
Application
 Painting shall be carried out at the driest season of the year. Paint shall be applied
with brushes, smoothly spread without any visible brush mark. The second coat shall
be applied when the first coat is perfectly dried. The paint shall be stirred often with
stick so that it does not settle down
 Specifications for aluminum and wooden partitions
 Material
Aluminum partitions can be made of aluminum, wood, or other materials such as
plasterboard, metal, or fiberboard.
 Thickness
Aluminum partitions are usually between 3–5 mm thick.
Size
An aluminum and wooden board partition can be 3m high and 1m wide. .
 Cleaning
 The type of cleaning method used for aluminum partitions depends on the finish,
how dirty it is, and the surface's size, shape, and location. For anodized aluminum,
the mildest method should be used, as grime and moisture can damage the surface
 FALSE CEILING
A false ceiling is a secondary ceiling that is made of different materials. It is
constructed to add a layer below the actual ceiling and has functional and aesthetic
benefits. Types of false ceiling materials are PVC, gypsum ceilings, POP (Plaster of
Paris), wood and more.
 false Ceiling: Providing, fabrication and fixing in position of false ceiling at a height of 2.4
to 3.0m from floor (or the height will be decided on the spot as per site conditions) by fixing
12 mm Thick. Gypsum Board sheets on frame work of GI sheet section. The main runners
of 22 (0.646mm)gauge GI sheet and cross runners of 24gauge (0.511) GI sheet must be
framed to form a mesh of 0.6x0.6m c/c.
 The Gypsum Board must be fixed to the GI frame and joint to be properly filled in with
POP paste and paper tape to get a levelled smooth ceiling. Recessing of the Gypsum Board
for light fixtures must be done along with extra frame work of GI sheet section to hold the
concealed light fixtures etc. including cost of two or more coats to give an even shade of
plastic paint on ceiling with putty work complete with designer ceiling (with part ply,
laminate and cover) as required.
 ALUMINIUM AND FIBER DOORS AND WINDOWS.
• Material: High-quality aluminum doors and windows are usually made from
titanium-magnesium-aluminum alloys.
• Thickness: High-quality aluminum is typically 1 mm or thicker. Aluminum window
profiles should be at least 1.2 mm thick.
• Glass: Tempered or laminated glass is better than float glass.
• Strength: Aluminum doors and windows should meet the tensile strength (157
Newtons per square millimeter) and yield strength (108 Newtons per square
millimeter).
• Appearance: The aluminum alloy profile should have a constant colour, and there
should be no bulges or depressions on the surface. It should also be free of open air
bubbles (white spots), ash residue (black spots), cracks, burrs, and peeling.
• Oxidation: The oxide film thickness should be 10 microns.
• Maintenance: Aluminum doors and windows require little maintenance, unlike
wooden and steel items that need regular painting and polishing
 CLADDING
 Cladding refers to the additional layer on buildings that protects them from
external damage and keeps the property’s integral structure intact.
Types of cladding in building
1. Aluminium cladding
2. Glass cladding
3. UPVC cladding
4. Wooden cladding
5. Tiles cladding
6. External foam cladding
7. Porcelain tile cladding
8. Weatherboard cladding
9. Stone cladding
Granite stone cladding:

Providing and fixing 18 mm thick gang saw cut granite of any color and
shade, mirror polished, premoulded and prepolished, machine cut for
kitchen platforms, vanity counters, window sills, facias and similar locations
of required size, approved shade, colour and texture laid over 20 mm
thick base cement mortar 1:4 (1 cement : 4 coarse sand), joints treated
with white cement, mixed with matching pigment, epoxy touch up,
including rubbing, curing, moulding and polishing to edges to give high
gloss finish etc. complete at all levels.
Ceramic tile cladding

Providing and fixing 1st quality ceramic glazed wall tiles conforming to IS:
15622 (thickness to be specified by the manufacturer), of approved make,
in all colours, shades except burgundy, bottle green, black of any size as
approved by Engineer- in-Charge, in skirting, risers of steps and dados,
over 12 mm thick bed of cement mortar 1:3 (1 cement : 3 coarse sand) and
jointing with grey cement slurry @ 3.3kg/m2, including pointing in white
cement mixed with pigment of matching shade complete.
 Aluminum composite cladding:

Providing and fixing of Aluminium composite panel of approved make and colour for
wall cladding for Brick/Rcc/stone walls & coloumns/beams with necessary aluminum
frame works at required level made out of 50x25x4mm C section or equivalent. The panel
should consist of 3mm thick non-halogenated FR grade mineral based polymer ( 2 hrs fire
resistance as per ASTM E119-12 and clause B, S1, do as per ENT 13501-1sandwiched
between 0.50 skins thick aluminium sheet making a total panel thickness of 4mm. The
surfaces will be finished with PVDF based coating on topsides and service coating on
reverse sides would be in polyester paint. The system shall be fixed using GI brackets,
aluminium L cleats and stainless steel bolts and nuts complete with spring washer and cap
nuts and all other necessary accessories, sealing shall be done with necessary rods etc.,
complete