🇨🇲 Cameroon · DQE / DPGF · Work section
Walling & superstructure in a Cameroon bill of quantities
In Cameroon, the walling section of a Bill of Quantities (Devis Quantitatif Estimatif) (Devis Quantitatif Estimatif (DQE) / DPGF) is measured to DQE / DPGF (French practice). It covers 6 principal groups of work — external walls below and above damp-proof course through to damp-proof course, wall ties and movement joints — and is headed in the bill as "LOT 3 — WALLING & SUPERSTRUCTURE".
Walling & superstructure is one of the sections every Bill of Quantities (Devis Quantitatif Estimatif) (Devis Quantitatif Estimatif (DQE) / DPGF) in Cameroon is built from. This page sets out what belongs in it, the unit each item is measured in under DQE / DPGF (French practice), the local conventions that change the quantities here, and a worked example for a 150 m² house — plus the errors in this section that actually cost money on site.
What this section covers
- External walls below and above damp-proof course
- Internal loadbearing walls and partitions
- Lintels over all openings
- Ring beam or wall plate at eaves level
- Reinforced concrete columns, beams and any suspended slab
- Damp-proof course, wall ties and movement joints
How each item is measured
| Item | Unit | Measurement rule |
|---|---|---|
| Walling | m² | Measured on the mean face area, stating thickness and bond. Openings over about 0.5 m² are deducted. |
| Lintels | m or no. | Measured as the clear opening width plus bearing each side, stating the section. |
| Ring beam | m³ or m | Measured along the wall it caps, with reinforcement given separately. |
| Reinforcement | kg or tonne | Measured to the bar bending schedule. Laps and spacers are deemed included in the rate. |
| Formwork | m² | Measured on the surface of concrete requiring support — a separate and substantial item people forget entirely. |
| Damp-proof course | m | Measured on the wall length, stating the width. |
Local conventions in Cameroon
- —External walls here are conventionally 225 mm at about 110 units per m²; internal partitions 115 mm at 55 units per m².
- —Mortar is normally a 1:5 mix, and storey height is taken as 2.7 m.
- —Structural concrete is a 1:1.5:3 mix, with slabs reinforced at about 80 kg/m³ and columns at 180 kg/m³.
Worked example — 150 m² house in Cameroon
Quantities for this section on a representative single-storey house, computed from Cameroon construction conventions. Rates are deliberately not shown: they move constantly and are priced against your own drawings.
| Description | Qty | Unit |
|---|---|---|
External walling units (bricks/blocks) 115 m² face × 110/m² × 1.05 wastage | 13,254 | no. |
Internal walling units 174 m² face × 55/m² × 1.05 wastage | 10,042 | no. |
Mortar cement 5 m³ mortar at 1:5 | 32 | bags (50 kg) |
Mortar sand 1:5 mix, dry factor 1.33 | 5.6 | m³ |
Cement — general concrete Footings and blinding, 12 m³ | 76 | bags (50 kg) |
Cement — structural concrete Slabs, 15 m³ at 1:1.5:3 | 121 | bags (50 kg) |
River / pit sand Combined concrete sand requirement | 11.6 | m³ |
Coarse aggregate (stone) Combined concrete stone requirement | 23.2 | m³ |
Reinforcement steel Slab 80 kg/m³, ring beam 110 kg/m³ | 1,420 | kg |
What goes wrong in this section
- —Formwork is frequently omitted from owner-prepared bills and it can rival the cost of the concrete it shapes.
- —Deducting every small opening wastes measurement time for no commercial benefit; most standards set a threshold precisely so you do not.
- —Reinforcement quantities from rules of thumb are for budgeting only. A structural engineer's schedule governs — this is not a section to guess on.
Get every section measured, not just this one
Upload your dimensioned drawings and get a complete bill of quantities (devis quantitatif estimatif) in the DQE / DPGF format, priced in XAF (FCFA), with every rate source-cited.
Generate my Cameroon BoQWalling & superstructure — frequently asked
What goes into the walling section of a bill of quantities in Cameroon?
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External walls below and above damp-proof course; Internal loadbearing walls and partitions; Lintels over all openings; Ring beam or wall plate at eaves level; and 2 further groups of work. Under DQE / DPGF each is described, measured in its own unit, and priced separately so the total is auditable line by line.
What units is walling & superstructure measured in?
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Walling in m², Lintels in m or no., Ring beam in m³ or m, Reinforcement in kg or tonne. Getting the unit right matters more than getting the quantity precisely right — a contractor can adjust a quantity, but cannot price an item measured in the wrong unit at all.
How is walling & superstructure different in Cameroon from elsewhere?
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External walls here are conventionally 225 mm at about 110 units per m²; internal partitions 115 mm at 55 units per m².
What is the most common costly mistake in this section?
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Formwork is frequently omitted from owner-prepared bills and it can rival the cost of the concrete it shapes.
How do I get this section measured for my own project?
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Upload your dimensioned drawings to Enormous Buildings. The bill is produced in the DQE / DPGF format, grouped by section with walling & superstructure priced in XAF (FCFA), and every unit rate carries a source so a Cameroon quantity surveyor can check it.