---
title: "Reasons for material wastage and prevention"
subject: "Construction Management"
chapter: 3
key: "semester_8/construction_management:material-wastage-reasons"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_8/construction_management/material-wastage-reasons
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Reasons for material wastage and prevention

Construction Management · Chapter 3: Planning Construction Material

- Asked in: 2070 Magh, 3+3 marks
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_8/construction_management/material-wastage-reasons
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_8/construction_management/chapter-3

## Question

What are the reasons of excessive material wastage during usage? Explain its preventive measures.

## Short answer

Excessive wastage arises from poor storage, careless handling, over-ordering, poor cutting plans, rework, weak supervision, theft, bad site layout, weather, and low-quality materials. Prevention: proper covered storage, EOQ ordering, cutting plans, worker training, strict supervision, FIFO, wastage standards, and secure records.

## Answer

#### Reasons of excessive material wastage
1. **Poor storage:** cement hardening by moisture, rusting of steel, damage of bricks and tiles in the open.
2. **Careless handling and transport:** breakage, spillage during loading and unloading.
3. **Over-ordering and obsolete stock:** unused, expired material.
4. **Poor estimating and cutting plans:** unsuitable bar lengths, tile sizes, giving large offcuts.
5. **Rework due to design change or poor workmanship;** mistakes in setting out.
6. **Poor supervision and lack of skilled labour;** wrong mix proportions, over-mixing.
7. **Theft and pilferage** because of weak security and records.
8. **Bad site layout:** materials stored far from use or rehandled.
9. **Weather effects**, such as rain on concrete or unprotected sand.
10. **Poor quality materials** that are rejected.

#### Preventive measures
- Safe, covered, well-drained storage; stack cement off the floor, FIFO issue.
- Order as per EOQ and the work programme; buy standard sizes.
- Cutting plans for bars and pre-planning of tile and block layout; use of precut and prefabricated items.
- Training of workers and strict supervision; check mixes and batching.
- Proper handling methods and mechanical aids; protect from weather.
- Stock records, issue against requisitions, and security measures.
- Fix wastage standards, compare actual consumption, and recycle materials where possible (reuse of formwork, crushed concrete).
- Good site layout, minimising handling.

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. Which is a wastage reason related to storage?
   A. Cement hardening by moisture and steel rusting
   B. Using FIFO
   C. Covered stacking
   D. Records
   Answer: A. Poor storage spoils cement, steel, bricks and tiles. (Key point: Storage causes)

2. Poor cutting plans cause wastage because:
   A. they reduce cost
   B. unsuitable bar lengths or tile sizes give large offcuts
   C. they increase theft
   D. they speed up delivery
   Answer: B. Without planning, offcuts are large; cutting plans and standard sizes prevent this. (Key point: Estimating causes)

3. A preventive measure against over-ordering is to:
   A. order as per EOQ and the work programme
   B. order as much as possible
   C. avoid stock records
   D. store in the open
   Answer: A. Ordering to the work programme and EOQ avoids unused or obsolete stock. (Key point: Preventive measure)

## Related in Construction Management

- [Material wastage standard and value engineering](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fconstruction_management%3Awastage-standard-ve) — Construction Management, chapter 3
- [Preventive maintenance is better than corrective](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fconstruction_management%3Apreventive-better-than-corrective) — Construction Management, chapter 9, asked 4×

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