Mumbai, Kolkata witness highest construction costs: Savills India

International real estate advisory firm, Savills India conducted a research to estimate the cost of construction for industrial and warehousing projects across India's top eight cities and released their findings in its latest report titled – Construction Cost Guide. The prices of the most commonly used materials in construction were estimated across the cities to arrive at the overall cost. These materials include cement, steel, crude oil, copper, glass, wood and other materials required, along with labour wages.

According to Savills India, as of Q1 2022, Mumbai and Kolkata witnessed the highest construction costs at INR 2,115 per sq. ft. for grade-A warehousing space and INR 3,295 per sq. ft. for a general manufacturing facility. This was followed by Pune which saw the costs at INR 2,100 and INR 3,265 per sq. ft. respectively. Construction costs have increased due to rising material prices such as crude oil, steel, aluminium, cement, labour, equipment rental costs and costs of plumbing and fixtures.

Additionally, COVID-19 has caused a significant shift in construction costs, resulting in slightly higher material costs and supply chain disruptions. However, when compared to its international counterparts, general manufacturing in Indian cities range from $ 453- $465 per sq. m whereas for Grade-A warehousing it ranges from $291-$299 per sq. m as of Q1 2022.

Srinivas N, Managing Director, Industrial and Logistics, Savills India said "Industrial and warehousing is one of the most resilient segments in India. The demand for industrial and warehousing facilities is expected to remain unscathed in the long term. We expect construction costs for industrial and warehousing projects to increase in 2022. However, the magnitude of growth is dependent on material costs, labour, equipment rental costs, interest rates and other related costs."

Sumit Rakshit, Managing Director, Project Management Services, Savills India said "The COVID-19 crisis had minimal impact on construction activities of industrial and warehousing projects. In terms of increase in construction costs for general manufacturing, it ranges between 7.72% to 8.68% while grade A warehousing construction costs witnessed an increase between 9.26% and 10.44% from Q1-2020 to Q1-2022 across cities. This rise can be attributed to the increase in steel prices with other construction materials and commodities, including labour alongside additional provisions for COVID appropriate health and safety guidelines."

In 2020-21, the construction sector contributed 7.6% towards the GDP. The projected increase in construction activity will further contribute significantly to the GDP in 2022-23. Savills India is a group company of Savills Plc. and is a premier professional international property consulting firm.