The Electrical Material List for a House, Room by Room

Electrical material list for house wiring: the short answer

An electrical material list for house wiring has eight groups: switches, sockets, plates, concealed boxes, MCBs with a distribution board, wire, lights, and the small parts such as a door bell and blank plates. You build it by counting the points in each room, grouping them into switch boards, then turning boards into modules, plates and boxes.

For the example 2BHK below, that comes to 14 light points, 3 fans, 14 general sockets, 3 AC and 2 geyser points, 21 switch boards and 9 circuits. Priced at our printed catalogue MRPs, everything except wire, fans, RCCB and conduit totals ₹17,760. A 1BHK on the same pattern is ₹13,735 and a 3BHK ₹21,585.

We make the switches, sockets, plates, boxes, MCBs, distribution boards and LED lights in this list at our works in Marol, Andheri East, Mumbai. The wire is our traded VIYONA line. Use the counts as a template, then let your electrician adjust them to your walls.

Step 1: count the points, room by room

Start with a points list, not a shopping list. A point is one thing on the wall or ceiling that needs power: a light, a fan, a socket, an AC, a geyser, a bell. Walk each room with a pencil and mark them on a plan.

Our example 2BHK, the kind of flat you see in Andheri or Thane, has these: living room 3 lights 1 fan 3 sockets 1 AC and one Wi-Fi data point; kitchen 2 lights 1 exhaust and 5 sockets for the counter, fridge, microwave and chimney; each bedroom 3 lights 1 fan 1 AC, with 3 sockets in the master and 2 sockets in the second; each toilet 1 light 1 exhaust 1 geyser; the balcony 1 light and a washing machine socket.

Our room guides go deeper on each space: kitchen electrical points, bedroom electrical points and bathroom electrical points.

Step 2: turn points into switch boards and modules

Each point needs a device on a board, and each device takes a number of modules, the standard width slot on a modular plate. In our example range a light or fan switch is 1M, a 4 step regulator is 1M (the 1M ROYAL EME, V278), a data jack is 1M, and a 6 and 16 A universal socket is 2M (V270, printed as 2M in our catalogue).

Then group devices by where your hand will be. The living room entry board holds 3 light switches, a fan switch, a regulator and one socket with its switch: 3 + 1 + 1 + 3 = 8M. A bedside board with a socket, its switch and a 2-way switch for the main light is 4M. An AC point is a socket plus a switch, 3M.

Done for the whole flat, our example comes to 21 boards and 87 modules: one 1M, two 2M, eight 3M, five 4M, one 6M and four 8M. Where a board has a gap, a V284 blank plate ₹20 fills it.

The 2BHK plan with every point marked

This is the plan the material list below is built from: every light, fan, exhaust, socket, AC and geyser point, and the distribution board by the main door.

2BHK electrical points plan

Drawn by us for this example; not to scale and not a real flat. Your layout, furniture and appliances change the counts. Tap the diagram to open it full size.

Read it room by room. Kitchen sockets sit along the counter and at the fridge, microwave and chimney positions. Both toilets have the geyser point high on the wall and the switches outside the door. The DB sits near the entrance, where the supply comes in. The TV wall gets two sockets and the data point, so the router and set-top box do not need an extension board.

Switches and sockets: the 2BHK list with codes and MRPs

For the example we priced our VIZA PIANO switches with VIZA sockets, a value range. Quantities for the 2BHK:

V101 10 A 1-way × 19 at MRP ₹56 for lights, fans and exhausts. V102 10 A 2-way × 2 at MRP ₹81 so the master bedroom light works from the door and the bed. V121 20 A 1-way × 19 at MRP ₹89, one for every socket. V270 6 and 16 A universal socket × 19 at MRP ₹130. V278 regulator × 3 at MRP ₹360. V190 RJ45 × 1 at MRP ₹185, one V103 bell push at ₹82, four blanks, and a VIYONA 232 ding dong bell at MRP ₹210 for the door.

That is ₹6,814 in switches and sockets, plus ₹210 for the bell; switches and sockets are the biggest single block of the list. Why a 20 A switch for every socket? A switch should be rated at least as high as the socket it controls, and every socket here is a 16 A socket on a 16 A circuit. Our guide to 6 A vs 16 A sockets explains the plugs.

Plates and concealed boxes: one per board

Every board needs a plate on the front and a concealed box in the wall, of the same module size. For the example we used the VIZA CHERRY plate, which lists white and black at the same MRP: 1M V1151 ₹65 2M V1152 ₹65 3M V1153 ₹83 4M V1154 ₹98 6M V1155 ₹140 8M Sq V1156 ₹175. Twenty-one plates come to ₹2,189.

Behind them, our concealed unbreakable boxes: 1/2M V611 ₹50 3M V613 ₹68 4M V614 ₹88 6M V615 ₹118 8M Sq V617 ₹145. Twenty-one boxes come to ₹1,832. The 1/2M box takes both the 1M bell plate and the two 2M geyser plates.

Want a premium look? Swap the plate, not the whole list. Our KEMPS ORCHID plates in white run from K301 ₹102 for 1M to K307 ₹298 for 8M Sq. Every plate of ours is UV-protected, does not turn yellow and carries a 5-year warranty.

MCBs and the distribution board: 9 circuits

The example 2BHK runs on 9 circuits, each with its own single pole MCB: 2 lighting and fan circuits in 1.5 sq mm wire on 6 or 10 A MCBs, 2 socket circuits (kitchen, and the rest) in 2.5 sq mm on 16 A, 3 AC circuits and 2 geyser circuits, each on its own 16 A MCB in 2.5 sq mm.

From our VIYONA range: 401 single pole MCB, 6 to 32 A, × 9 at MRP ₹145, a 411 double pole MCB at MRP ₹350 as the main; we assumed a 32 A main, the top of the 411’s 6 to 32 A range, but the rating must suit your sanctioned load, and the 412 40 A double pole is MRP ₹435. Then a 386 16-way double door DB at MRP ₹1,410. Total ₹3,065. Count the poles: 9 single pole MCBs, 2 for the main and 2 for an RCCB make 13, too many for a 12-way board, so we took the 16-way and kept spare ways for later.

The MCB protects the wire, so its rating must not exceed what the wire can carry. An MCB carries its rated current indefinitely; it trips on a sustained overload above it or on a short circuit. A bigger AC may need 4 sq mm on 20 A: see wire size for AC and geyser and which MCB for home.

Wire: work out coils from your run lengths

Wire is the one line no template can count for you, because it depends on where your DB sits and how far each room is. Your electrician measures the route of each circuit from the DB to its last point, and every circuit needs three cores: phase neutral and earth.

The arithmetic: route length × 3 cores, plus a margin for drops into boxes, then divide by the coil length. Take a made-up figure, not our 2BHK: suppose the lighting routes add up to 120 m. That is 120 × 3 = 360 m of 1.5 sq mm, which is 4 coils of 90 m before any margin, so 5 coils in practice.

Our VIYONA copper FR PVC wire to IS 694 is a traded line, made for us by a partner. Catalogue rates for a 90 m coil: 652 1.5 sq mm ₹2,740 653 2.5 sq mm ₹4,384 654 4 sq mm ₹6,544. It comes in black, red, blue, yellow and green, so phase, neutral and earth can each have their own colour; green or green-yellow is the earth colour. More in our house wire guide and FR vs FRLS wire.

LED lights: 14 fittings for the 2BHK

The example uses four kinds of our LED fittings, all from the catalogue: 1032 12 W super slim panel × 4 at MRP ₹370 for the living room and bedroom ceilings, 1012 6 W aluminium body downlight × 4 at MRP ₹160 as the second and third light in each bedroom, 1058 T5 12 W tube fitting × 3 at MRP ₹180 for the kitchen and a living room wall, and 1046 12 W PVC bulkhead × 3 at MRP ₹330 for the two toilets and the balcony.

That is ₹3,650 for 14 fittings. Our down lights and panels are made under IS 10322 R-71026476 and our LED lamps under IS 16102 R-71026514. Our catalogue lists panel drivers as separate items but does not say whether a panel ships with one, so ask your dealer what is in the box. If the four 12 W panels need separate drivers, four 1041 drivers (9 to 15 W, MRP ₹180 each) add ₹720.

A bulkhead suits a toilet or a balcony because it is a closed fitting; see our bulkhead light guide. For how many fittings a room needs, use how many lights in a room.

1BHK, 2BHK and 3BHK totals side by side

A 1BHK drops one bedroom and one toilet from the 2BHK; a 3BHK adds one of each. A bedroom set adds ₹2,698 (an 8M entry board, a bedside socket, an AC point, 3 fittings and an AC MCB). A toilet set adds ₹1,127 (a 4M board outside, a geyser socket, a bulkhead and a geyser MCB).

Counts that change: switches V101: 13 / 19 / 25, sockets with switches V270 + V121: 15 / 19 / 23, regulators 2 / 3 / 4, boards 16 / 21 / 26, SP MCBs 7 / 9 / 11, fittings 10 / 14 / 18.

What a contractor's list should include

When an electrician or contractor hands you a list, check that it shows four things for every line: the code, the rating (6, 10, 16 or 20 A; 1.5, 2.5 or 4 sq mm), the quantity and the MRP. A line that just says “switches, 1 lot” cannot be checked.

Look for the items that go missing: blank plates, 2-way switches for staircases and bedrooms, a data point, the RCCB, the earth wire and spare DB ways. Check that every AC and geyser has its own MCB, and that no 16 A socket sits on a 1.5 sq mm lighting circuit.

Check the marks too: switches under ISI IS 3854 and MCBs under IS/IEC 60898-1. Our licences are CM/L-7567794 for switches and CM/L-2544151 for MCBs. Our ISI standards guide explains what each covers. Once the flat is done, walk it with our flat possession electrical checklist.

Buying the list: boxes, dealers and returns

We sell in full boxes only, never single pieces, and we do not sell online. The box quantity is printed in our catalogue: the V101 switch comes 30 to a box, the V270 socket 10 to a box, the 401 MCB 12 to a box. For one flat, a dealer who stocks the range can split the rest of a box across other jobs; a builder doing many flats buys straight in boxes.

Take the list to a dealer near you, call us, or visit our works in Marol, Andheri East. You can check every code and MRP in the e-catalogue. Unused items in the same condition can be returned within 15 days, and warranty runs 5 to 10 years depending on the product.

Under India’s Legal Metrology rules, the MRP on a packaged product includes all taxes, and no one may sell above it. So the totals in this list are a ceiling, not a starting point.