Published by Build Hub Company Limited · Updated
Work from area, not from a block count
Counting blocks directly off a drawing is slow and error-prone. Measuring wall area is fast, checkable by someone else, and converts cleanly into a quantity once you know the blocks-per-square-metre figure for the size and coursing you are using.
The method
- Measure each wall's length and height, and multiply for gross area in square metres
- Group the walls by block size — 4, 6 and 8 inch are separate quantities
- Deduct openings: doors, windows and any large void
- Multiply the net area by the blocks per square metre for that size and coursing
- Add a waste allowance for cutting, breakage and handling
- Round to whole delivery units and set the dates each batch is needed
Do not forget these
- Boundary and perimeter walls, which are often omitted from the building take-off
- Internal partitions and service walls in bathrooms and utility areas
- Gable ends and parapets above the main wall height
- Cutting waste around openings, radii and setting-out points
Turning the quantity into a delivery plan
The total quantity is only half the job. Split it by stage — substructure, ground floor walls, upper floor, partitions, boundary — and give each stage a required date. That is what lets a supplier schedule production and deliver in sequence instead of dropping everything on site at once.
Send us the wall areas by block size, the site location and the stage dates with your quote request, and we will convert them into a quantity, a price and a delivery schedule.