🇬🇧 United Kingdom · NRM2 · Work section
Walling & superstructure in a the United Kingdom bill of quantities
In the United Kingdom, the walling section of a Bill of Quantities (BoQ) is measured to NRM2 — RICS New Rules of Measurement (UK). 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 "WORK SECTION 3: WALLING & SUPERSTRUCTURE".
Walling & superstructure is one of the sections every Bill of Quantities (BoQ) in the United Kingdom is built from. This page sets out what belongs in it, the unit each item is measured in under NRM2 — RICS New Rules of Measurement (UK), 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 United Kingdom
- —External walls here are conventionally 300 mm at about 60 units per m²; internal partitions 115 mm at 60 units per m².
- —Mortar is normally a 1:4 mix, and storey height is taken as 2.4 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 United Kingdom
Quantities for this section on a representative single-storey house, computed from United Kingdom 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) 102 m² face × 60/m² × 1.05 wastage | 6,426 | no. |
Internal walling units 155 m² face × 60/m² × 1.05 wastage | 9,737 | no. |
Mortar cement 5.3 m³ mortar at 1:4 | 41 | bags (50 kg) |
Mortar sand 1:4 mix, dry factor 1.33 | 5.7 | 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 (boq) in the NRM2 format, priced in GBP (£), with every rate source-cited.
Generate my United Kingdom BoQWalling & superstructure — frequently asked
What goes into the walling section of a bill of quantities in the United Kingdom?
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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 NRM2 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 the United Kingdom from elsewhere?
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External walls here are conventionally 300 mm at about 60 units per m²; internal partitions 115 mm at 60 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 NRM2 format, grouped by section with walling & superstructure priced in GBP (£), and every unit rate carries a source so a the United Kingdom quantity surveyor can check it.