If you have ever ordered sand or aggregate in India, the supplier quoted you a rate "per brass". It is one of the most used and least explained units on an Indian construction site — so here is the whole thing, with the conversions you actually need on the ground.
1 Brass in One Line
That is a heap 10 ft long × 10 ft wide × 1 ft high. It is a volume, never a weight. The weight of one brass changes with the material because each material has a different bulk density.
Use the brass calculator to convert any quantity instantly, in either direction.
Brass conversion table
| From | To | Multiply by |
|---|---|---|
| Brass | Cubic feet (cft) | 100 |
| Brass | Cubic metre (m³) | 2.8317 |
| Brass | Cubic yard | 3.5315 |
| Cubic feet | Brass | 0.01 |
| Cubic metre | Brass | 0.3531 |
| Cubic metre | Cubic feet | 35.3147 |
So 1 m³ = 0.3531 brass, and 10 m³ of sand is 3.53 brass or 353 cft.
Brass to kg and tonnes
Weight = volume × bulk density. Brass is 2.8317 m³, so:
| Material | Bulk density (kg/m³) | 1 brass (kg) | 1 brass (tonne) |
|---|---|---|---|
| River sand | 1,600 | 4,531 | 4.53 |
| M-sand | 1,750 | 4,955 | 4.96 |
| Aggregate 10 mm | 1,600 | 4,531 | 4.53 |
| Aggregate 20 mm | 1,550 | 4,389 | 4.39 |
| Aggregate 40 mm | 1,500 | 4,248 | 4.25 |
| Crushed stone / GSB | 1,750 | 4,955 | 4.96 |
| Murum | 1,650 | 4,672 | 4.67 |
| Excavated soil (loose) | 1,400 | 3,964 | 3.96 |
Going the other way: 1 tonne of river sand ≈ 0.22 brass (about 0.63 m³).
Densities vary with moisture and source, so treat every tonnage as ±5%. Damp sand also bulks — it can occupy 20–30% more volume than the same dry sand, which is exactly why sand is traded by volume in a trolley and why a wet load contains less material than it looks.
Brass and truck loads
| Vehicle | Typical capacity | Brass |
|---|---|---|
| Tractor trolley | 100 cft | ~1 brass |
| 6-wheel tipper | 300 cft | 3 brass |
| 10-wheel hyva | 400–600 cft | 4–6 brass |
The reliable check on site is to measure the body: length × breadth × height in feet ÷ 100 = brass. A 12 ft × 6 ft body loaded 4 ft deep holds 288 cft, i.e. 2.88 brass — not the "3 brass" on the challan.
Worked example: sand for a slab
You are casting 15 m³ of M20 concrete.
5. At ₹4,500 per brass → 2.22 × 4,500 = ₹9,990, plus 5% wastage → order about 2.35 brass
Run the same numbers with your own mix on the sand calculator and the aggregate calculator.
Rate per brass vs rate per tonne
Suppliers switch between the two, and that is where billing disputes start.
- Rate per brass ÷ 2.8317 = rate per m³
- Rate per brass ÷ (density × 2.8317) × 1000 = rate per tonne
At ₹4,500 per brass, river sand works out to ₹1,589 per m³ and ₹993 per tonne. If a second quotation says ₹1,200 per tonne, it is roughly 21% more expensive — even though the headline number looks smaller.
Is brass area or volume?
Usually volume: 100 cubic feet. But in plastering, tiling and flooring work some contractors say "brass" for 100 square feet of finished area. Both usages are common in the same state, so confirm which one a rate refers to before you agree to it. On a quotation, an area brass should always come with a thickness specification; a volume brass never does.
Where brass is used
Brass is standard trade language in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Karnataka and parts of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. In north India the same loads are often quoted per trolley or per tonne, and in the south per unit (100 cft, effectively the same as a brass) or per lorry load. The maths is identical — only the vocabulary changes.
Quick answers
- 1 brass to cft → 100
- 1 brass in m³ → 2.8317
- 1 m³ to brass → 0.3531
- 1 brass sand in kg → about 4,531 kg
- 1 brass aggregate (20 mm) in tonne → about 4.39 t
- 1 brass in cubic yard → 3.5315
- Brass per tonne of sand → about 0.22
Keep the brass calculator open on your phone when the trolley arrives — measure the body, convert, and check the challan before you sign it.