The waterproofing rate per sq ft for a terrace, with material, is about Rs 22 to Rs 107 on official state rate books, before GST, and one job sits at both ends of that range: Chhattisgarh’s 2026 schedule pays Rs 519 a square metre for brickbat coba (about Rs 48 a sq ft) while Maharashtra’s pays Rs 1,155 (about Rs 107). In between, a 3 mm APP membrane is about Rs 28 to 33 a sq ft and a PU liquid membrane Rs 64 to 97. Labour alone is about Rs 4 to 20 a sq ft on Haryana’s HSR 2023 split. Each per sq ft figure is our conversion (per sqm divided by 10.764); a market quote adds GST and usually more.

Two government rate books, both in use in 2026, describe the same terrace treatment step for step. Slurry coat, brick bats in 1:5 mortar laid to slope, a second slurry coat, a 20 mm finishing layer marked in 300 mm squares, then water on the roof to test it. Chhattisgarh’s book prices it at Rs 519 a square metre. Maharashtra’s prices it at Rs 1,155.

Neither is a typing error. The gap comes from what each book loads into its rate, and once you can read that, you can read a contractor’s quote too.

Waterproofing rate per sq ft on the state rate books

State public works departments publish schedules of rates (SORs) so their engineers can estimate jobs. Waterproofing is priced per square metre of treated area, including the strip turned up the parapet. The four books used here are Haryana’s HSR 2023 (premium date 1 April 2023; the HSR 2026 web report had no waterproofing chapter when checked on 11 November 2026), Chhattisgarh’s building SOR of 10 June 2026, Maharashtra’s SSR 2022-23 and Tamil Nadu’s SOR 2025-26 (from 22 July 2025).

Terrace system Book and item Rate as printed Per sq ft (our conversion)
Cement slurry with waterproofing compound and fibreglass cloth Chhattisgarh 2026, 4.6
Haryana HSR 2023, 28.16		 Rs 241 a sqm
Rs 325 a sqm		 Rs 22.39
Rs 30.19
APP membrane, 3 mm, torch-applied (glass fibre mat) Chhattisgarh 2026, 4.15
HSR 2023, 28.35		 Rs 304
Rs 360		 Rs 28.24
Rs 33.44
Bitumen felt, six courses (HSR) or five (Maharashtra) HSR 2023, 28.2
Maharashtra SSR 2022-23, 31.17		 Rs 431
Rs 617		 Rs 40.04
Rs 57.32
Elastomeric acrylic coating, three coats HSR 2023, 28.23 Rs 305 Rs 28.34
Polymer cementitious coating, two coats (below 500 sqm) Tamil Nadu 2025-26, W-0302 Rs 555 Rs 51.56
Brickbat coba, 120 mm average Chhattisgarh 2026, 4.7
HSR 2023, 28.17
Maharashtra 2022-23, 31.04		 Rs 519
Rs 664
Rs 1,155		 Rs 48.22
Rs 61.69
Rs 107.30
PU liquid membrane, single component HSR 2023, 28.6
Tamil Nadu 2025-26, W-0303		 Rs 694
Rs 1,040		 Rs 64.47
Rs 96.62

The membrane and PU items cover the coat and its surface preparation only. Haryana’s PU item says geotextile, protection plaster, screed, brick bat filling for slope and tiles are “not included”. Its in-situ APP items (28.31, 28.32) leave the brick tiles on top to be paid separately, and Chhattisgarh adds Rs 44 a sqm for a geotextile cover over the membrane (item 4.17). Brickbat coba, by contrast, builds the slope and the finished top in one rate. Which chemical suits which surface is covered in the guide to waterproofing chemicals.

Waterproofing rate per sq ft with material and without material

When a contractor quotes “labour only”, you buy the chemical, membrane or cement and pay for the crew. Haryana’s HSR 2023 prints a labour column beside every item, which shows how much of each rate that is:

HSR 2023 item Labour a sqm Labour a sq ft Share of full rate
28.6 PU liquid membrane Rs 60 Rs 5.57 9%
28.35 APP membrane 3 mm Rs 56 Rs 5.20 16%
28.23 elastomeric acrylic coating (three coats) Rs 45 Rs 4.18 15%
28.16 cement slurry with fibreglass cloth Rs 124 Rs 11.52 38%
28.17 brickbat coba Rs 213 Rs 19.79 32%

The lesson runs opposite to plaster, where labour is most of the bill (see the plaster rate per sq ft). On membrane and PU jobs the material is 84 to 91% of the rate, so a cheap labour-only quote saves little if the chemical you buy is wrong or short. Maharashtra’s book pays far more for coba labour: Rs 605 of its Rs 1,155, about Rs 56 a sq ft. On a large terrace the coba and screed mortar is usually mixed in a small concrete mixer, which keeps the mix even across the slope.

Bathroom, basement and water tank rates

Job Book and item Rate as printed Per sq ft
Sunken WC or bathroom, two cement slurry layers Chhattisgarh 2026, 4.5
HSR 2023, 28.15		 Rs 155 a sqm
Rs 233		 Rs 14.40
Rs 21.65
Depressed WC or kitchen: slurry, 20 mm plaster, hot bitumen, 400 micron PVC sheet HSR 2023, 28.14
Chhattisgarh 2026, 4.3		 Rs 375
Rs 378		 Rs 34.84
Rs 35.12
Bathroom, polymer cementitious coating (below 300 sqm) Tamil Nadu 2025-26, W-0301 Rs 402 Rs 37.35
Basement floor, rough Kota stone in waterproof mortar Chhattisgarh 2026, 4.1
HSR 2023, 28.10		 Rs 571
Rs 817		 Rs 53.05
Rs 75.90
Basement raft, HDPE membrane under the concrete HSR 2023, 28.8
Tamil Nadu 2025-26, W-0314		 Rs 656
Rs 841		 Rs 60.94
Rs 78.13
Water tank inside, crystalline slurry (walls) HSR 2023, 28.20(1) Rs 398 Rs 36.98
Drinking water tank inside, food-grade coating system Maharashtra 2022-23, 31.11
Tamil Nadu 2025-26, W-0306		 Rs 1,267
Rs 1,584		 Rs 117.71
Rs 147.16

The tank items differ in scope. Tamil Nadu’s W-0306 adds a 15 mm polymer mortar and a food-grade epoxy over the cementitious coat, which is why it is the dearest line here. A damp-proof course at plinth level is a separate item again, explained in the damp-proof course guide.

Why two books price the same job so differently

Each book says what is inside its rate, and that explains most of the gap:

  • Chhattisgarh (10 June 2026) says its rates exclude VAT and GST and are based on CPWD specifications. Its note 0.13 still takes cement at the base rate “as on date 01.01.2015”, Rs 4,845 a tonne. A 2026 date on the cover does not make every input a 2026 price.
  • Maharashtra (from 25 July 2022) excludes GST but loads 10% for overheads, 10% for the contractor’s profit and 1% labour cess, plus 4 to 5% in municipal council and corporation areas. Its brickbat item also carries a 10-year guarantee on court-fee stamp paper and a ponding test.
  • Haryana’s 2021 edition said its finished rates carried the effect of 12% GST and priced brickbat coba at Rs 744. The 2023 book prints no GST note, but its figure, Rs 664, is that number divided by 1.12, which suggests it is a pre-tax rate.
  • Tamil Nadu’s volume is headed “excluding GST and other taxes” and allows 10% extra on rates of works in and around Chennai and inside the Madurai and Coimbatore corporation limits.

Guarantees differ too. Chhattisgarh’s chapter asks the contractor for a 5-year guarantee bond on every waterproofing treatment, while Maharashtra’s items run from four years for bitumen felt to ten for coba. The Chhattisgarh PWD building schedule of 10 June 2026 and the Maharashtra PWD SSR 2022-23 page both still served on 11 November 2026.

Why a market quote differs from the schedule

We found no published market rate we could attribute to a named source, so there is no market band here. A private quote adds money on top of the schedule in five places:

  • GST. Three of the books state they price before tax, Haryana’s appears to, and the contractor bills it on top.
  • Margin. Only Maharashtra states its 10% overhead and 10% profit. A quote built on a book without them will carry its own.
  • Small jobs. The books price per square metre with no minimum charge. A 40 sq ft bathroom still needs a crew to come, mix and cure, so expect a lump sum.
  • Repair work. Old terraces need loose coba removed (Maharashtra 31.08, Rs 26 a sqm) or cracks injected and re-levelled (Chhattisgarh 4.19, Rs 625 a sqm, about Rs 58 a sq ft) before any new coat goes on.
  • The protective layer. Membrane and PU quotes may leave out the screed or tiles that protect them.

Brand also moves the material line. The makers behind these products are listed in construction chemical companies in India.

Worked example: terrace waterproofing cost per sq ft for 1,000 sq ft

Take a 1,000 sq ft flat RCC terrace: 1,000 / 10.764 = 92.90 sqm. The figures are HSR 2023 unless stated, before GST.

System Working With material (Rs) Labour only (Rs)
Brickbat coba, 28.17 92.90 x Rs 664 61,687 19,788
APP 3 mm + geotextile, 28.35 + 28.37 92.90 x (Rs 360 + Rs 67) 39,669 6,410
PU liquid membrane, 28.6 92.90 x Rs 694 64,474 5,574
Brickbat coba, Chhattisgarh 2026, 4.7 92.90 x Rs 519 48,216 not printed
Brickbat coba, Maharashtra 2022-23, 31.04 92.90 x Rs 1,155 1,07,302 56,206

Two adjustments before you compare with a quote. The treatment runs 300 mm up the parapet, and on a square 1,000 sq ft roof that adds about 125 sq ft (126.5 ft of perimeter x 0.984 ft). The APP and PU totals also exclude the protective screed or tiles, which the coba rate already includes. At 18% GST, used here only as an illustration, the HSR coba job becomes about Rs 72,791 (indicative, as of Nov 2026).

What to check in a waterproofing quote

  • The system and thickness: coba depth, membrane thickness in mm, coats and coverage in kg a sqm.
  • Whether surface repair, crack filling and removal of the old layer are in the rate or extra.
  • Whether the protective screed, tiles or geotextile are included.
  • How the area is measured, including the parapet upturn.
  • The guarantee period, in writing, and whether a ponding test is done before handover.
  • Whether GST is inside the per sq ft figure or added on the invoice.

Departments estimate these jobs from the same books, so a crew that knows the item numbers can price a tender quickly. Find live works on tenders and opportunities.

Schedule of rates figures are government estimating rates for the states and dates shown, exclude GST and are not a market quote; per sq ft figures and the worked example are our arithmetic. Rates, specifications and prices change — confirm current terms with the issuing department, your contractor or the material maker before deciding.