Measuring standards for South African construction
A quantity is only right against the document it was measured to. This page sets out which standard governs which kind of contract, what each one says about the four trades in the pack, and which references Setout could check.
Start with the contract, not the trade
The measuring standard is chosen by whoever lets the contract, and it is named in the tender: in the bill of quantities preambles on a building job, or in the scope and specification part of a civils tender. Read that first. Two steel tonnages measured to different rules can both be correct and still differ.
| Work | Usually measured to | Where the tender says so |
|---|---|---|
| Building work (private or public) | ASAQS Standard System of Measuring Building Work, 7th edition (2015) | The bill's preambles say which edition |
| Structural steelwork in a building bill | ASAQS Standard System, with the SAISC Purple Book rules where the bill adopts them | Steelwork preambles |
| SANRAL roads, tenders from 1 March 2021 | COTO Standard Specifications (2020) | Mandatory on SANRAL tenders |
| Provincial and municipal roads | COTO 2020, COLTO 1998 or SANS 1200 D, DM, ME, MF, MH, MM | Whichever the tender names |
| Municipal civils (pipes, earthworks, concrete) | SANS 1200 parts, or SANS 2001 with the bill's own measurement rules | Scope of work (Part C3 in a CIDB-format tender) |
ASAQS Standard System of Measuring Building Work
The Association of South African Quantity Surveyors publishes the Standard System. The current, 7th edition was released on 1 October 2015, replacing the 6th edition of 1991 and its revisions. It is the reference for building bills: it says what is measured, in which unit, and what the rate is deemed to include. For the trades here, the working rule is to measure nett quantities as drawn. Waste, laps not shown on a schedule, cutting and fixing go in the rate unless the preambles say otherwise.
Steelwork: the SAISC Purple Book
The Southern African Institute of Steel Construction publishes Measuring Quantities for Structural Steelwork, known as the Purple Book (2008). It holds the SAISC rules for measuring steelwork and compiling its bills of quantities. Steel is measured by mass at nominal section mass and billed in tonnes, usually classed by section weight (light, medium, heavy) or by member type, with bolts measured separately. The class limits differ between bills, which is why the steel takeoff has them as an input rather than a fixed rule.
SANS 1200 and SANS 2001
The SANS 1200 parts are the standardised specifications for civil engineering construction: earthworks (D, DM), road layers (ME, MF, MH), concrete (G) and structural steelwork (H) among them. Each part carries its own measurement and payment clauses, which is why so many municipal bills still use them.
Setout has read clause 8 of four parts: H (structural steelwork, 1990), AH (general, structural, 1986), ME (subbase, 1981) and MF (base, 1981). Their rules are cited by clause number in the steel, bolt and road guides, in paraphrase. A few that change how you measure:
- Steel mass. Use SAISC nominal mass per metre, or 7 850 kg/m³ where a section is not listed. Add cleats, gussets, battens and stiffeners to their members. Ignore rolling margins, make no deduction for holes and no addition for waste or weld metal. Measure gussets on their minimum enclosing rectangle (H 8.2.1 to 8.2.3).
- Steel billing. Supply and fabrication are billed per tonne, one item for each member type and structural position, split by welded or bolted jointing. Delivery, erection, bolts and corrosion protection are separate items (H 8.3).
- Pavement layers. Measure to the finished shapes on the drawings. Commercial-source subbase and base are each one all-in rate per m³. Stabilising and the stabilising agent are paid separately. Overhaul beyond the 2 km free haul is paid on the designed volume with no bulking (ME 8.1 to 8.3; MF 8.2 and 8.3).
- Price adjustment. On SANS 1200 contracts, structural steelwork payments are adjusted with the SEIFSA-based formulae unless the contract says otherwise (AH 8.2.2).
The SANS 2001 series was written to replace them. Its parts set requirements for the finished work and leave measurement and payment out, so a contract on SANS 2001 needs its measurement rules in the bill itself. A CSIR presentation records that an SABS debate on 24 July 2012 concluded SANS 2001 would be completed and the 1200 series withdrawn. Setout could not confirm the status today; check it in the project specification.
Roads: COTO 2020 and COLTO 1998
The Committee of Transport Officials approved the COTO Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Works in 2020 to replace the 1998 COLTO edition. SANRAL made COTO mandatory for tenders advertised from 1 March 2021. COTO splits earthworks and pavement layers between materials and sourcing (Chapter 4) and construction (Chapter 5), with new measurement and payment items in both, and has a dedicated measurement and payment part for asphalt (Chapter 9). Provincial and municipal tenders vary, so the road measure follows the layer logic common to all three documents and leaves the payment items to the tender.
Reinforcement and fasteners
Reinforcing bar is specified in SANS 920, and bar schedules and shape codes follow SANS 282. Measurement is by the mass of bars as scheduled. The rebar workbook works out each mass per metre as π/4 × d² × 7 850 kg/m³, the basis of the nominal mass tables, rather than trusting a typed table. Metric bolts, nuts and washers fall under the SANS 1700 series. The bolt workbook flags its nut and washer masses for checking against a supplier’s table.
What was and was not checked
The editions, dates and descriptions above for the ASAQS Standard System, the Purple Book, COTO and the SANS 2001 debate were read from the sources listed below. SANS 1200 H, AH, ME and MF were read in full from licensed copies of the editions named. The other SANS parts (D, DM, MH, MM, G, SANS 920, SANS 282 and the SANS 1700 series) were not available. They are named but carry no clause numbers. Each workbook’s Standards sheet marks every reference as checked or to confirm.
- ASAQS: New Standard System of Measuring Building Work in South Africa7th edition released 1 October 2015.
- SAISC: Measuring Quantities for Structural Steelwork (Purple Book)Year published 2008. Contains the SAISC rules for measuring and compiling bills of quantities.
- South African Road Federation: the new COTO Standard SpecificationsCOTO 2020 replaces COLTO 1998. Chapters 4 and 5 cover earthworks and pavement layers, with new measurement and payment items. Mandatory on SANRAL tenders from 1 March 2021.
- B Perrie, SANS 2001 vs SABS 1200 (CSIR presentation)SABS debate of 24 July 2012: SANS 2001 to be completed and the 1200 series withdrawn. SANS 2001 omits measurement and payment.
Read on 19/10/2026.
Reviewed by Aidan Koetaan MBA PMP, quantity surveyor and construction project manager.