How to make an interior BOQ, step by step
Make an interior BOQ in 7 steps: read the drawings and finish schedule, split the work room by room and trade, pick each item and its unit, measure and state how, name the material, size, finish and hardware, list exclusions, then price it. A line two contractors would read differently is the line that causes the dispute.
Pujan Motiwala · Standards checked against the BIS catalogue on
1. Start from the drawings and the finish schedule
A BOQ is only as complete as the drawings behind it: plans, ceiling plans, elevations of every joinery unit, the electrical layout and a finish schedule naming each material. Anything not drawn is either missing from the BOQ or priced as a guess.
2. Split the work by room, then by trade
Group lines room by room (kitchen, master bedroom, bathroom 1) and within each room by trade: civil, false ceiling, flooring, carpentry, painting, electrical, plumbing. The client reads it by room; contractors price it by trade; a site supervisor checks it against both.
3. Pick each item and its unit
Use the unit the trade prices in: sq ft for ceilings, floors, panelling and wardrobes; running ft for kitchen cabinets, skirting and coves; number for doors, fittings and drawers; point for wiring. A wardrobe in running ft and another in sq ft can't be compared. The item library gives the usual unit for 41 items.
4. Measure, and say how
For civil-type work, IS 1200 sets the method (measurement rules has each part's rules): Part 10 for ceilings and linings, Part 11 for floor finishes, dado and skirting, Part 13 for painting building surfaces, Part 21 for woodwork, which is measured net as fixed with nothing added for shape or joints. Modular work has no such standard, so the line must say it: "measured by front elevation, loft excluded".
5. Name what it's made of
Every joinery line names the board and its grade (for example IS 303 BWP plywood), the thickness, the finish inside and out, the edge band and the hardware make. Leave one out and the cheapest version of it is what gets priced. See material specifications.
6. List what's excluded and what the client supplies
Countertops, appliances, light fittings, sanitaryware and loose furniture are often bought by the client or priced separately. Write them down as excluded or as their own lines; an unlisted exclusion becomes an argument at the final bill.
7. Price it, then issue it
Rates come last: from your own rate analysis or from contractors pricing the same lines. GST is added at the quotation, not in the rates. Changes after this point are variations, priced as new lines rather than by editing old ones.
A sample
| No | Description | Unit | Qty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kitchen base cabinets in 18 mm IS 303 BWP plywood carcass, acrylic shutters, 2 mm PVC edge band, soft-close hinges and channels of [make]; measured by running length, excluding countertop | running ft | 14 |
| 2 | Kitchen wall cabinets 700 mm high in 18 mm IS 303 BWP plywood, laminate shutters, 2 mm PVC edge band, [make] hinges; measured by running length | running ft | 12 |
| 3 | 20 mm granite countertop 625 mm deep, edge moulded, including sink and hob cut-outs | running ft | 14 |
| 4 | Hinged wardrobe in 18 mm IS 303 BWP plywood, 1 mm laminate outside, 0.8 mm inside, 2 mm PVC edge band, [make] soft-close hinges; measured by front elevation, excluding loft | sq ft | 64 |
| 5 | Gypsum board false ceiling 12.5 mm on GI framing, joints taped; measured by plan area of the flat field, excluding coves | sq ft | 180 |
Paste your own into the checker to see what each line leaves open, or start from the Excel template.
Boundary
The steps and units are common practice for interior work in India; IS 1200 governs only the trades it covers. Quantities, rates and the GST treatment of your contract are yours, and your CA's, to settle.
Paste a BOQ from Excel and see what each line leaves open, then print it as a quotation.
Designer Ops keeps your own BOQ library and every quote, turns an accepted quote's payment stages into invoices, then runs the project: orders, site visits and the workshop. Try the live demo · system for interior designers · what to require from one
Official sources
- Indian Standards catalogue (Know Your Standards). Bureau of Indian Standards, October 23, 2026.
What this page is not
A guide written by Ahrom Labs; not legal, tax or engineering advice. Indian Standards are cited by number and title from the BIS catalogue, not quoted; the standard governs wherever this page differs from it. No rates are given: they change with city and month. Last updated .
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