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Plain-language explanations for planning and learning. Local codes, consultant advice and contract documents take precedence over glossary summaries.
Look up common construction terms — from BOQ and RCC to carpet area and FSI — with enough depth to understand the idea and a clear next action (calculator, material page or related term).
Each Varnarc glossary term includes a simple definition, a technical explanation, a worked example, units where relevant, and links to calculators or materials so you can take the next action. Thin one-line dictionary stubs are not published.
Built-up area
Built-up area is carpet area plus the area occupied by walls (and often other enclosed utility spaces), used widely for construction cost planning.
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Carpet area
Carpet area is the net usable floor area inside the walls of a home — roughly the area you can put a carpet on — excluding external walls and common building areas.
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Plinth area
Plinth area is the built-up covered area measured at the floor level of the plinth (the platform above ground on which the building stands), including walls.
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Super built-up area
Super built-up area is built-up area plus a proportionate share of common spaces (lobbies, stairs, clubhouse, etc.), often used as the “saleable” area in apartment marketing.
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Formwork
Formwork (shuttering) is the temporary mould that holds wet concrete to the required shape until it gains enough strength to support itself.
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PCC
PCC (Plain Cement Concrete) is concrete without steel reinforcement, often used as a leveling or bedding layer under foundations and floors.
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RCC
RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete) is concrete strengthened with steel bars so it can resist both compression and tension in beams, slabs, columns and footings.
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Reinforcement
Reinforcement is the steel (usually TMT bars) embedded in concrete to carry tensile and shear forces that plain concrete cannot resist alone.
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AAC block
AAC blocks are lightweight autoclaved aerated concrete masonry units used for walls, valued for speed of build and thermal insulation versus clay brick.
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Aggregate
Aggregate is the sand and stone (jelly/metal) that make up most of concrete’s volume — fine aggregate is sand; coarse aggregate is crushed stone.
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Mortar
Mortar is a workable paste — typically cement and sand with water — that bonds bricks/blocks and is used for plastering and bedding.
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TMT
TMT bars are thermo-mechanically treated reinforcement steel rods with a tough outer layer and ductile core, widely used in RCC buildings.
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BBS
A BBS (Bar Bending Schedule) is a table that lists each reinforcement bar’s mark, diameter, shape, cut length and quantity so steel can be cut and bent accurately.
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BOQ
A BOQ (Bill of Quantities) is a structured list of work items with measured quantities and rates, used to estimate and compare construction costs.
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FAR
FAR (Floor Area Ratio) is the ratio of a building’s total floor area to the size of the plot — functionally the same idea as FSI in most Indian planning contexts.
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FSI
FSI (Floor Space Index) is the ratio of total built-up floor area allowed on a plot to the plot area — it caps how much you can construct.
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