The plaster rate per sq ft for 12 mm internal cement plaster in 1:4 mortar, with material and labour, is about Rs 25.83 in Maharashtra’s 2022-23 schedule of rates and Rs 31.76 in Puducherry’s 2024-25 schedule, both before GST. Labour alone is about Rs 18.95 a sq ft in Maharashtra’s book. Thicker coats cost more: 20 mm is about Rs 35.49 a sq ft there, and sand-faced external plaster about Rs 59.36. These are official estimating rates, indicative of what a department budgets, so expect a local contractor’s quote to move with sand, cement and mason wages in your town.

Two state rate books, both in use in 2026, price the same 12 mm 1:4 cement plaster four times apart. Chhattisgarh’s building schedule of 10 June 2026 puts it at Rs 88 a square metre, about Rs 8.18 a sq ft. Puducherry’s puts it at Rs 341.83, about Rs 31.76 a sq ft.

Neither book is wrong. They are built on different years, different cement prices and different loadings, and knowing which is which is how you read a plaster quote without being taken for a ride.

Plaster rate per sq ft with material: the schedule figures

State public works departments publish schedules of rates so their engineers can estimate a job. Each plaster item is priced per square metre, for material, labour, scaffolding and curing together. Divide by 10.764 for the per-sq-ft figure.

Item Maharashtra SSR 2022-23 Puducherry PSR 2024-25
12 mm internal, 1:4 Rs 278/sq m (Rs 25.83/sq ft) Rs 341.83/sq m (Rs 31.76/sq ft)
12 mm, leaner mix 1:5 Rs 271 (Rs 25.18/sq ft) 1:6 Rs 328.10 (Rs 30.48/sq ft)
15 mm, rough side of brick wall, 1:4 no single-coat item Rs 395.62 (Rs 36.75/sq ft)
20 mm internal, 1:4 Rs 382 (Rs 35.49/sq ft) Rs 470.80 (Rs 43.74/sq ft)
6 mm, 1:3 (ceiling and concrete surfaces) Rs 209 (Rs 19.42/sq ft) Rs 283.27 (Rs 26.32/sq ft)
External, two coats Sand-faced, 15 mm base + finish: Rs 639 (Rs 59.36/sq ft) 18 mm, 12 + 6 mm coats: Rs 507 (Rs 47.10/sq ft)

Maharashtra’s book, effective from 25 July 2022, is still the newest on the Maharashtra PWD schedule of rates page. Its general notes say the completed rates exclude GST and already carry 10% for overheads, 10% for the contractor’s profit and 1% labour cess, with a further 4 to 5% loading for municipal council and corporation areas. That makes it the closest official figure to what a contractor would quote you.

Plaster labour rate per sq ft: the labour-only share

When a contractor quotes “without material”, you supply cement and sand and pay for the work alone. Maharashtra’s schedule is the one book we found that prints a labour column beside the completed rate:

Item (Maharashtra SSR 2022-23) Labour per sq m Labour per sq ft Share of completed rate
6 mm internal, 1:3 Rs 166 about Rs 15.42 79%
12 mm internal Rs 204 about Rs 18.95 73% (of 1:4)
20 mm internal Rs 253 about Rs 23.50 66% (of 1:4)
Sand-faced external Rs 412 about Rs 38.28 64%

The lesson is that plaster is mostly labour. Materials for a 12 mm coat are a thin layer of mortar; the cost is the mason’s day, the helper who mixes and carries, scaffolding and curing. Haryana’s 2021 schedule splits its rates the same way and shows the same pattern at a much lower base: 12 mm 1:4 at Rs 44 labour and Rs 48 material, Rs 92 a sq m in all.

A worked example: 1,000 sq ft of internal wall

Take 1,000 sq ft of internal wall, about 92.9 sq m, plastered 12 mm thick in 1:4 at Maharashtra’s 2022-23 rates:

  • With material: 92.9 x Rs 278 = about Rs 25,830, before GST.
  • Labour only: 92.9 x Rs 204 = about Rs 18,950, with cement and sand bought by you.
  • The gap, about Rs 6,880, is what the schedule allows for material on that area.

If you buy the material yourself, work out the cement bags and sand from the plaster quantity calculation for your thickness and mix, then price them at your local rate. The quantities do not change by town; the rupees do.

What moves the plaster rate

The mix matters less than people expect. In Puducherry’s book, going from 1:4 to 1:6 on a 12 mm coat saves only about Rs 1.28 a sq ft. Four other things move the price more:

  • Thickness. Puducherry’s 12 mm to 20 mm step adds about Rs 12 a sq ft. Uneven brickwork that needs a thicker coat costs you here.
  • Mason wages. Puducherry’s book pays a first-class mason Rs 1,000 a day, Tamil Nadu’s 2025-26 book Rs 1,174, and Kerala’s October to December 2026 market list Rs 1,100 to 1,261 for an average mason. Maharashtra’s 2022-23 book was at Rs 677. Our labour rate per day guide has the wider picture.
  • Sand. Plaster sand runs from Rs 1,584.70 a cubic metre for P-sand in Tamil Nadu’s 2025-26 book to Rs 2,535 to 2,550 for fine sand on Kerala’s 2026 market list. See river sand price for state rates.
  • Height and finish. External plaster above 10 m carries an extra in most books (Rs 74.32 a sq m for every additional 3 m in Puducherry), and waterproofing compound is charged per bag of cement.

Cement is the other input; current bag prices are tracked in cement price in India. On a large job, a mortar or concrete mixer on site replaces hand mixing and keeps the mix consistent from wall to wall.

Why some 2026 rate books look so cheap

Chhattisgarh’s building schedule of 10 June 2026 prices 12 mm 1:4 plaster at Rs 88 a sq m, and 20 mm at Rs 123. The same book states its basic cement rate “as on date 01.01.2015” at Rs 4,845 a tonne. A rate book is only as current as the base prices inside it, so a low figure dated 2026 can still be a 2015 cost. Haryana’s 2021 schedule is similar: Rs 92 a sq m for 12 mm 1:4, with a February 2024 amendment that raised 15 mm 1:4 to Rs 156.

Use the low books to understand the split between labour and material. Use the Maharashtra and Puducherry figures, adjusted for your town’s wages and sand, as the realistic range.

The bottom line

On the most current official books, cement plaster with material costs about Rs 25 to 32 a sq ft for a 12 mm internal coat, Rs 35 to 44 for 20 mm and Rs 47 to 60 for two-coat external work, before GST. About three quarters of that is labour. Ask every contractor for the thickness, mix and whether scaffolding and curing are included, and compare quotes per square metre on the same basis. If you run a building or civil contracting business, find government works to bid for on tenders and opportunities.

Schedule of rates figures are government estimating rates for the dates and states shown, exclude GST, and are indicative of what a department estimates, not a market quote. Material prices, wages and local loadings change. Confirm current rates with your contractor, a local engineer or the state PWD before deciding. DesiMachines is not liable for decisions taken on information that may have changed after publication.