CPWD Schedule of Rates
📦 Earlier editions (25) — historical reference, not current rates
About Central Public Works Department
CPWD's DSR is the canonical reference for central government civil works in India and the de-facto base rate adopted by most state PWDs after applying state-specific multipliers. Engineers across PSUs, defence, ULBs and consulting firms work off the DSR for tender pricing and BOQ preparation. The volumes are published in print but the PDFs are also distributed through the official CPWD publication portal and mirrored on Indian Railways.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between CPWD DSR and CPWD AOR?
DSR (Delhi Schedule of Rates) lists the rate per item. AOR (Analysis of Rates) shows the build-up — material quantities, labour, plant, contractor profit/overheads — that produces each DSR rate. AOR is the working document for engineers preparing site-specific rate analysis where an item isn't in the DSR or where a state factor needs to be applied.
How often is the CPWD DSR revised?
CPWD updates the DSR roughly every 2-3 years for civil works, more frequently for E&M. The 2023 Civil edition supersedes the 2021 version. Quarterly cost indices are issued in between for inflation adjustment.
Can state PWDs use CPWD DSR directly?
Most state PWDs adopt CPWD DSR as the base for items not in their state SOR, with a multiplier reflecting local lead/lift and labour cost differences. State SORs typically include an explicit clause on adopting CPWD rates for missing items.
Is the CPWD DSR available for free?
Yes. The DSR is a public-domain government document. CPWD publishes the PDFs on the official publication portal. Print copies are sold through Director General CPWD's office for cost recovery only.
Why does cpwd.gov.in show an SSL warning?
The CPWD domain serves an invalid certificate chain that browsers may flag. The Indian Railways civil engineering directorate hosts a clean mirror of the same PDFs which we link to as the primary source.