Building Materials for a House in Lucknow and the UP Plains: What to Use and Why

For a house in Lucknow and the Uttar Pradesh plains, build the walls in fly ash brick or well-burnt clay brick, insulate the roof and give it a light finish, lift the plinth and put a proper damp-proof course under the walls, and detail the frame for Seismic Zone III. Old Lucknow was built in brick and lime rather than stone, and brick, fly ash and good damp detailing still decide how a house here performs.

The climate, ground and earthquake facts that decide it

Hot, wet and foggy in one year

IMD's climatological table for Lucknow Airport, 1991 to 2020 gives a mean daily maximum of 39.9°C in May and a mean daily minimum of 7.8°C in January. Annual rainfall averages 861.4 mm over about 44 rainy days, and 87% of it falls from June to September. It also records about 52 foggy days a year, mostly in December and January.

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency's Eco Niwas Samhita 2018, the energy code for homes, puts Lucknow and Allahabad in the composite climate zone: keep out summer heat, hold some warmth in winter, and shed a lot of water in four months.

The ground: alluvium, kankar and reh

The Central Ground Water Board's ground water brochure for Lucknow district describes flat Ganga basin alluvium of silt, clay and sand, with or without kankar. Soils are locally called bhur (silty sand) on the ridges, matiyar (clay) in low ground and dumat (loam) on level land, and clay dominates where reh or usar land occurs.

That last point matters for damp. ICAR's Central Soil Salinity Research Institute station in Lucknow puts salt-affected soils in Uttar Pradesh at about 1.37 million hectares, most with a pH above 10. Our guidance: get a soil investigation, and flag clay or old usar land to your engineer before the foundation is designed.

Earthquake and wind

The earthquake code in force, IS 1893 (Part 1): 2016, lists Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi and Agra in Seismic Zone III (zone factor 0.16), Allahabad and Jhansi in Zone II, and Gorakhpur, Moradabad and Bulandshahr in Zone IV. BIS released a 2025 edition in November 2025, withdrew it by gazette notification on 3 March 2026 and reinstated the 2016 code, as ETV Bharat reported. For wind, IS 875 (Part 3): 2015 gives Lucknow a basic wind speed of 47 m/s, which matters for parapets, tanks and solar frames.

Walls: you are in brick country

The Indo-Gangetic brick belt

A Centre for Science and Environment overview of India's brick kiln sector puts India's output at about 200 billion bricks a year, 65% of them made from the fertile alluvial soil of the Indo-Gangetic plains, at a cost in black carbon, air pollution and lost topsoil. That is one reason the government now pushes ash-based bricks.

Fly ash and the 2024 rule

MoEFCC's January 2024 amendment to the ash notification, S.O. 05(E), rewrote paragraph B(8): all building construction projects within 300 km of a coal or lignite power plant, including those of "all private agencies", shall use ash bricks, tiles or other ash-based products, provided they cost no more than the CPWD or state PWD Schedule of Rates price. One example close to Lucknow: NTPC's Feroze Gandhi Unchahar Thermal Power Plant is in neighbouring Raebareli district. The notification does not say whether it binds a family building its own house, so ask your architect and local authority. Either way, fly ash brick is a sound default, and per thousand it is cheaper than class 150 clay brick in UP PWD's Lucknow rates.

What to ask for

• Fly ash bricks: made to IS 12894: 2002, which limits water absorption to 20% by mass up to class 12.5 and 15% above it.
• Burnt clay bricks: made to IS 1077: 1992. It limits efflorescence (the white salt bloom) to "moderate" up to class 12.5 and "slight" above it, so ask for that result, not just strength. (A paid 2025 edition exists; we quote the 1992 text.)
• AAC blocks: made to IS 2185 (Part 3): 1984. They suit infill walls in an RCC frame, especially on west and south faces.

Whatever you buy, ask for the class and a dated test report.

Roof: where most summer heat comes in

Eco Niwas Samhita caps the roof U-value (how much heat a square metre lets through per degree) at 1.2 W/m²K. Using the code's own method and Table 7 conductivities, a bare 150 mm RCC slab with ceiling plaster works out to about 3.1 W/m²K. Mud phuska, a roof treatment in CPWD's schedule (a sloped layer of damp brick earth under brick tiles), helps: 10 cm of it brings the slab to about 1.9 W/m²K, still above the limit. Adding 25 mm of expanded polystyrene under a 40 mm screed brings it to about 0.9 W/m²K. These are our illustrative estimates, not test results.

The same method gives about 0.8 W/m²K for a 200 mm AAC wall against 2.1 to 2.3 for 230 mm brick, which is why AAC suits sun-facing walls. Whatever goes on the roof, slope it to the outlets: monsoon ponding finds any weak spot.

Plinth, floors and finishes

Much damp is decided at the plinth. IS 3067: 1988, the BIS damp-proofing code, covers moisture rising above ground by capillary action. CPWD's schedule prices the usual answer, a 40 mm cement concrete damp-proof course (item 4.10), with bitumen over it as item 4.13. Our guidance:

• Raise the plinth well above road and garden level, and slope the ground away.
• Run the damp-proof course unbroken under every wall, including verandah walls.
• Use low-efflorescence bricks below plinth level and in exposed brickwork.
• Let wet brickwork dry before plastering; foggy winters slow drying.

For floors, UP has its own stone. The Indian Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook 2020 chapter on dimension stones lists sandstone suitable for slabs and tiles in Agra, Mirzapur, Lalitpur, Allahabad and Sonbhadra districts: buff to cream from Mirzapur and Sonbhadra, and yellow, light green and maroon from Lalitpur, which takes a good polish. Our guidance: sandstone for verandas, steps and courtyards, and pale plaster outside.

Lakhori brick and lime: what old Lucknow teaches

A University of Lucknow study in the Indian Journal of History of Science (Bajpai and Gupta, 2015) looked at Avadh-era buildings in Faizabad and Lucknow, built between 1720 and 1856. It notes that the imambaras were built in brick and stucco instead of the stone of Mughal predecessors, describes lime-plastered lakhori brick walls, and records walls 1.22 m thick outside and 2.91 m inside at the Tomb of Bahu Begum in Faizabad. It puts Avadh walls at a U-value of about 0.56 W/m²K, with high thermal mass, night ventilation through roshandans and pale exteriors.

You will not build a one-metre wall today, but the lessons transfer: mass and insulation where the sun hits, pale finishes and high vents to let hot air out. Lime is still on UP PWD's Lucknow rate list, so lime plaster on old or exposed brick remains an option. To restore an old lakhori-brick house, our guidance is to use a conservation architect rather than patching with cement plaster.

Structure: what Zone III changes

Most new Lucknow houses are RCC frames. IS 13920: 2016 says its ductile detailing shall be adopted in RC structures in Zones III, IV and V, so it applies here. For load-bearing brick houses, IS 4326: 2013 places an ordinary Zone III building in Category C: for one or two storeys, proper mortar, lintel and roof bands, roof bracing and a plinth band where needed. Zone IV districts also need vertical steel, so do not copy a Lucknow design to Gorakhpur.

Indicative prices: UP PWD Lucknow rates 2025-26

For what a whole house costs here, stage by stage, see home construction cost in Lucknow, or try MOA's home cost calculator. For permissions, see our guides to building plan approval in Lucknow and plan approval in Noida.

Mistakes to avoid

• A broken damp-proof course. One gap under a verandah wall can wick damp into a room.
• Leaving the roof as bare concrete, or trusting mud phuska alone. Neither meets the code's roof U-value.
• Buying bricks on price alone. Ask for the class, water absorption and efflorescence results, dated.
• Copying details across districts. Gorakhpur and Moradabad are Zone IV.

FAQ

Which brick is best for house construction in Lucknow?

In an RCC frame, fly ash brick to IS 12894 is a sound default, with AAC on sun-facing walls. For load-bearing or exposed walls, use well-burnt clay brick to IS 1077 with a low efflorescence rating.

What is the rate of bricks in Lucknow?

UP PWD's Lucknow Schedule of Rates 2025-26 lists class 150 clay bricks at ₹7,500 per 1,000 and M-15 fly ash bricks at ₹6,200 per 1,000, excluding GST. They are estimate rates, not dealer quotes.

Is fly ash brick compulsory in Uttar Pradesh?

Since January 2024, building projects within 300 km of a coal or lignite power plant, including private ones, must use ash-based products offered at Schedule of Rates prices. How this applies to a family house is not spelled out, so check with your architect and local authority.

Which seismic zone is Lucknow in?

Zone III, with a zone factor of 0.16, under IS 1893 (Part 1): 2016, the edition in force after the 2025 revision was withdrawn.

Choosing materials for your plot, soil and budget is an architect's job. Find an architect on MOA, or browse studios in Lucknow.

Sources

• India Meteorological Department: Lucknow Airport climatological table, 1991 to 2020 (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Bureau of Energy Efficiency: Eco Niwas Samhita 2018, Table 4 climate zones and Annexure 5, copy on the UN ESCAP Asia Pacific Energy Portal (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Central Ground Water Board: Ground Water Brochure of Lucknow District, Uttar Pradesh (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute: Regional Research Station, Lucknow (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Bureau of Indian Standards: IS 1893 (Part 1): 2016, Criteria for Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures, Annex E (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• ETV Bharat: A Bold Policy Reversed: The Withdrawal of India's 2025 Seismic Code, 11 March 2026 (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Bureau of Indian Standards: IS 875 (Part 3): 2015, Wind Loads, Annex A (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Centre for Science and Environment: Overview of Brick Kiln Sector in the country, AAETI training presentation (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change: S.O. 05(E), 1 January 2024, amendment to the ash utilisation notification (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• NTPC: tender notice for Feroze Gandhi Unchahar Thermal Power Plant, Raebareli (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Bureau of Indian Standards: IS 12894: 2002, Pulverized Fuel Ash-Lime Bricks (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Bureau of Indian Standards: IS 1077: 1992, Common Burnt Clay Building Bricks (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Bureau of Indian Standards: IS 2185 (Part 3): 1984, Autoclaved Cellular (Aerated) Concrete Blocks (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Bureau of Indian Standards: IS 3067: 1988, Code of Practice for Damp-Proofing and Water-Proofing of Buildings (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Usha Bajpai and Sachin Gupta: Use of Solar Passive Concepts in the Avadh Architectural Buildings, Indian Journal of History of Science 50.1 (2015) (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Bureau of Indian Standards: IS 13920: 2016, Ductile Design and Detailing of RC Structures (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Bureau of Indian Standards: IS 4326: 2013, Earthquake Resistant Design and Construction of Buildings (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department: Lucknow Circle Schedule of Rates 2025-26, with the Chief Engineer (Buildings) memos of 10 and 26 October 2023 (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department: Lucknow Circle office memo of 30 June 2025 revising material rates (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department: Schedule of Rates page (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Indian Bureau of Mines: Indian Minerals Yearbook 2020, Slate, Sandstone and Other Dimension Stones (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Central Public Works Department: Delhi Schedule of Rates 2023, Vol. 1 (accessed 17 Oct 2026)