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Block masonry calculator
Cement blocks of 6 x 8 x 12 in cost Rs 69 each on average across 17 cities in August 2026. Work out the blocks, cement and sand for a 4, 6 or 8 in wall, less doors and windows, and what it costs.
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Calculator
Count your blocks
Give the wall's length and height, or its area, and pick the block. The answer is in whole blocks and bags, with the sand for the mortar and the cost.
What to buy
- Wall
- 279 sq ft300 sq ft less 21 of doors and windows
- Blocks a sq ft
- 1.0516 x 8 in face, 3/8 in joints
- Cement
- 2 bags100 kg, for 1:6 mortar
- Sand
- 10.9 cft0.11 of a 100 cft trolley
How it adds up
- Blocks293 for the wall, plus 4% for breakage, in whole blocks
- 305
- MortarIn the joints, through the block: 12.1 cft of dry cement and sand
- 9.3 cft
- Cement1.38 bags, plus 2%, in whole bags
- 2 bags
- Sand10.4 cft, plus 5%
- 10.9 cft
Cost at these prices: Rs 100 a sq ft of wall
- Blocks305 blocks at Rs 79
- Rs 24,095
- Cement2 bags at Rs 1,470
- Rs 2,940
- Sand10.88 cft at Rs 8,233 a trolley
- Rs 896
- Materials
- Rs 27,931
Buy the whole wall from one factory: blocks from two makers can differ in size by enough to show in the joints. Keep the wall wet for about a week after it is laid.
Prices
Cement block price in Pakistan, August 2026
Of the 35 cities in the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics' survey for August 2026, 17 had a price for a 6 x 8 x 12 in cement block; Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and Quetta were among those without one. In those 17 a block cost Rs 69 on average (Rs 6,934 for 100), from Rs 48 in Khuzdar to Rs 120 in Rahim Yar Khan.
| City | Per 100 | Per block |
|---|---|---|
| Karachi | Rs 5,902 | Rs 59.02 |
| Islamabad | Rs 9,847 | Rs 98.47 |
| Rawalpindi | Rs 9,879 | Rs 98.79 |
| Peshawar | Rs 5,000 | Rs 50.00 |
| Attock | Rs 7,400 | Rs 74.00 |
| Jhang | Rs 9,600 | Rs 96.00 |
| Rahim Yar Khan | Rs 12,000 | Rs 120.00 |
| Nawabshah | Rs 7,267 | Rs 72.67 |
| Abbottabad | Rs 6,900 | Rs 69.00 |
| Bannu | Rs 5,000 | Rs 50.00 |
| Dera Ismail Khan | Rs 4,832 | Rs 48.32 |
| Mingora | Rs 7,000 | Rs 70.00 |
| Turbat | Rs 6,000 | Rs 60.00 |
| Gwadar | Rs 6,000 | Rs 60.00 |
| Loralai | Rs 5,499 | Rs 54.99 |
| Khuzdar | Rs 4,827 | Rs 48.27 |
| Dera Murad Jamali | Rs 4,932 | Rs 49.32 |
| Average of 17 cities surveyed | Rs 6,934 | Rs 69.34 |
Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Urban Inter-City Consumer Prices of Construction and Energy Items, August 2026, published September 2026. These are the prices the survey found in each city's markets; a supplier's price varies with the brand, the quantity and delivery.
Reference
Blocks and mortar per 100 sq ft
What 100 sq ft of wall takes in each block size, laid in 1:6 mortar with 3/8 in joints.
| Block | Blocks a sq ft | Blocks, 100 sq ft | To buy, 100 sq ft | Wet mortar (cft) | Cement (bags) | Sand (cft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 x 8 x 16 in | 1.05 | 105 | 110 | 2.22 | 0.33 | 2.5 |
| 6 x 8 x 16 in | 1.05 | 105 | 110 | 3.33 | 0.5 | 3.7 |
| 8 x 8 x 16 in | 1.05 | 105 | 110 | 4.44 | 0.66 | 5 |
| Block | Blocks a sq ft | Blocks, 100 sq ft | To buy, 100 sq ft | Wet mortar (cft) | Cement (bags) | Sand (cft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 x 8 x 12 in | 1.39 | 139 | 145 | 2.46 | 0.37 | 2.7 |
| 6 x 8 x 12 in | 1.39 | 139 | 145 | 3.69 | 0.55 | 4.1 |
| 8 x 8 x 12 in | 1.39 | 139 | 145 | 4.91 | 0.73 | 5.5 |
Cement and sand are what 100 sq ft of wall takes at 1:6, before the 2% and 5% the calculator adds for wastage. At 1:4, a 6 in wall takes 0.69 bags and 3.5 cft for 100 sq ft. The count of blocks allows a 3/8 in joint; blocks to buy add 4% for breakage.
How it is worked out
From wall size to blocks and bags
A block takes up its own face plus a joint of mortar along the top and one end, about 3/8 in each. A 16 x 8 in block therefore fills 16 3/8 x 8 3/8 in of wall, 137.1 sq in, so a sq ft of 144 sq in takes 1.05 blocks, and 100 sq ft takes 105. The thickness changes the mortar, not the count, so a 4, 6 and 8 in wall of the same face take the same number of blocks. The calculator then adds 4% for blocks that break in handling or are cut round doors and windows, and rounds up to whole blocks.
Many 4 and 6 in blocks sold in Pakistan are 12 in long rather than 16. A block with a 12 x 8 in face takes 1.39 a sq ft, 32% more, so counting 12 in blocks as 16 in ones leaves you about a quarter short. Measure one of yours and choose its face.
The mortar is the part of the wall that is not block: 6.7% of the face for a 16 x 8 in block, through the full thickness of the block. For a 6 in wall that is 0.033 cft of wet mortar a sq ft. Mixed mortar takes up less room than the loose cement and sand that went into it, so 1.3 times the wet volume is counted as dry material and split by the ratio: at 1:6 a seventh is cement, at 1.25 cft to a 50 kg bag, and the rest sand. 2% more cement and 5% more sand are added for what is spilt and left in the pan, and cement is rounded up to whole bags.
The prices start at Karachi's. PBS put a 6 x 8 x 12 in block at Rs 59.02 in August 2026, and the calculator prices other sizes in step with the concrete in them, so a 6 x 8 x 16 in block starts at Rs 79. Cement is PBS's Karachi price for the week of 24 September 2026, Rs 1,470 a bag, and sand its August 2026 price, Rs 8,233 for 100 cft. Factories quote more for strong solid blocks and less for light hollow ones, and PBS's Islamabad block costs about 67% more than Karachi's, so put in the price you are quoted.
On site
Terms you will hear
- Hollow block
- A concrete block cast with open cores through it. It is lighter and cheaper than a solid block of the same size, and is what most house walls in Karachi are built of.
- Solid block
- A block with no cores, heavier and stronger. Used where a wall carries a load, below ground, and where shelves, grills or a gate are fixed to it.
- Face
- The side of a block that shows in the wall, its length by its height: 16 x 8 in or 12 x 8 in. The face sets how many blocks a sq ft takes; the thickness sets how thick the wall is.
- Bed and head joints
- The layer of mortar under each course of blocks is the bed joint; the upright joint between two blocks is the head joint. Both are usually about 3/8 in.
- Mortar ratio
- Cement to sand by volume. At 1:6 one part of cement goes with six of sand; a 1:4 mix has more cement in it and is stronger.
- Curing
- Keeping new masonry wet, usually for about a week, so the cement in the mortar sets hard instead of drying out.
Questions
Blocks questions
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+92 333 2466662Chat on WhatsAppWhat is the cement block price in Pakistan?
The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics' survey for August 2026 priced a 6 x 8 x 12 in cement block at Rs 69 on average (Rs 6,934 for 100) across the 17 of its 35 cities with a block price: Rs 59 in Karachi, Rs 98 in Islamabad and Rs 50 in Peshawar. Prices ran from Rs 48 in Khuzdar to Rs 120 in Rahim Yar Khan, and there was no figure for Lahore. Size, hollow or solid, and strength move a block's price as much as the city does, so ask the factory for the block you need. The calculator prices other sizes from this one in step with the concrete in them.
How many blocks are there in 100 sq ft of wall?
105 blocks with a 16 x 8 in face, counting a 3/8 in joint, so buy 110 with 4% for breakage. With a 12 x 8 in face it is 139, so buy 145. The figure is the same for 4, 6 and 8 in blocks, since the thickness does not change the face.
How many 6 inch blocks are needed per sq ft?
1.05 for a 6 x 8 x 16 in block and 1.39 for a 6 x 8 x 12 in block, counting a 3/8 in mortar joint. Charts that leave out the joint give 1.125 and 1.5, which is a few more blocks than the wall takes.
How do I work out how many blocks I need for a wall?
Multiply the wall's length by its height, take off the doors and windows, multiply by the blocks a sq ft and add 4% for breakage. A 30 ft wall 10 ft high is 300 sq ft; less a 3 x 7 ft door it is 279 sq ft. In 16 x 8 in blocks that is 293 blocks, and 305 to buy.
How much cement and sand does block masonry take?
For 100 sq ft of 6 in wall in 16 x 8 in blocks, about 0.5 bags of cement and 3.7 cft of sand at 1:6, or 0.69 bags and 3.5 cft at 1:4. A 4 in wall takes two thirds of that and an 8 in wall a third more. The 279 sq ft wall above takes 2 bags and 10.9 cft of sand, with wastage.
What does a block wall cost in Karachi?
At PBS's Karachi prices, checked in September 2026, the materials for a 6 in wall in 16 x 8 in blocks come to about Rs 98 a sq ft: blocks at Rs 79 each, cement at Rs 1,470 a bag and sand at Rs 8,233 for 100 cft. A 4 in wall comes to about Rs 65 a sq ft. Labour is on top: ask your thekedar for a rate a sq ft and add it under Prices.
Is a block wall cheaper than a brick wall?
For the materials, yes, at Karachi prices. A sq ft of 6 in block wall takes about Rs 98 of blocks, cement and sand, against Rs 153 for a 4.5 in brick wall and Rs 307 for a 9 in brick wall, with bricks at PBS's Rs 22,000 for 1,000. Which to build is a question for the structure too: a 9 in brick wall carries far more load than a 6 in block wall, so follow your drawings.
Should I use hollow or solid blocks?
Hollow blocks are lighter and cheaper and are used for most house walls; solid blocks go where the wall carries a load, below ground, and where things are fixed to it. Both are counted the same way. The calculator counts mortar across the full width of the block, as for solid blocks; hollow blocks laid on their outer shells take a little less, so the cement and sand here err on the safe side.
What sizes do concrete blocks come in?
The thickness is usually 4, 6 or 8 in and the face 16 x 8 in or 12 x 8 in. PBS prices a 6 x 8 x 12 in block as its standard, and 8 in blocks are usually 16 in long. Measure one of your blocks before you order: the face changes the count by about a third.
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