IRC codes. IEI. CIDC. In one place.
The Indian Roads Congress publishes 200+ codes. Contractors need about 15 of them regularly. This page lists the ones that show up in NHAI bid documents, quality audits, and completion inspections: with notes on what they mean for your team.
200+
total IRC publications
15
codes used in most highway projects
2017
IRC:6 last revised, load standards
2024
IRC:78 latest, bridge foundations
Why IRC compliance matters on contract
MoRTH and NHAI contracts incorporate IRC codes by reference. Non-compliance is grounds for rejection of work, recovery of rework costs from running payments, and bid disqualification on future packages. Quality auditors check IRC adherence on every visit.
Pavement Design
Guidelines for the Design of Flexible Pavements
2019 (Fourth Revision)
Design procedures for bituminous asphalt pavements based on CBR values. Applies to expressways, national highways, state highways, and major district roads. Traffic capacity extended to 150 msa.
Guidelines for the Design of Plain Jointed Rigid Pavements for Highways
2015 (Fourth Revision)
Cement concrete slab design with dowel bar and tie bar specifications. Covers design factors: traffic, subgrade CBR, environment, materials, slab thickness, and joint spacing.
Guidelines for the Use of Dry Lean Concrete as Sub-base for Rigid Pavement
2014 (First Revision)
DLC mix proportioning, materials including fly ash and GGBFS admixtures, subgrade preparation, and construction procedures. Minimum thickness: 150mm for NH/SH, 100mm for other roads.
Standard Specifications and Code of Practice for Construction and Maintenance of Bituminous Roads
2011 (Fourth Revision)
Construction standards for all hot-mix bituminous layers: Bituminous Macadam (BM), Dense Bituminous Macadam (DBM), Bituminous Concrete (BC), and Semi-Dense Bituminous Concrete (SDBC). Covers material requirements, mix design, laying and compaction procedures, acceptance criteria, and surface tolerances.
Bridges and Structures
Code of Practice for Concrete Road Bridges
2011
Design and construction of plain, reinforced, prestressed, and composite concrete bridges using Limit State Design (LSD). Concrete grades up to M90. Replaces IRC:21 and IRC:18.
Standard Specifications and Code of Practice for Road Bridges, Section II: Loads and Load Combinations
2017 (Seventh Revision)
Load classifications: Class 70R, Class A, Class AA. Dead loads, live loads, impact effects, wind loads, temperature effects, and seismic design guidelines for road bridges.
Standard Specifications and Code of Practice for Road Bridges, Section VII: Foundations and Substructure
2024 (Part 1 updated)
Subsurface exploration requirements, design of open foundations, well foundations, pile foundations; piers, abutments, and retaining walls. Applies to bridges, viaducts, culverts, and grade-separated structures.
Guidelines for the Design of Small Bridges and Culverts
2022
Design standards for small bridges (6–30m span) and culverts (up to 6m). Cross-drainage structures at nallas, irrigation channels, and seasonal streams on rural and state highway projects.
Guidelines for Seismic Design of Road Bridges
2018
Seismic design provisions for road bridges in India: site classification, ground motion parameters, analysis methods (elastic response spectrum, time-history), ductile detailing, and isolation devices. Replaces IS:1893 guidance for bridge-specific seismic design.
Standard Specifications for Road Bridge Bearings, Part III: Elastomeric Bearings
2018 (Third Revision)
Design, materials, manufacturing, testing, installation, and maintenance of elastomeric bearings for road bridges. Covers plain pads, laminated bearings, pot bearings, and PTFE sliding bearings. Specifies acceptance tests and dimensional tolerances.
Project Delivery and Quality
Manual for Quality Control in Road and Bridge Works
2017
Merged three prior quality standards (IRC:SP:11, IRC:SP:57, IRC:SP:47). Defines Quality Assurance Manual (QAM), Quality Assurance Plan (QAP), testing procedures, calibration, acceptance criteria, and non-conformance protocols.
Manual of Specifications and Standards for Two-Laning of Highways with Paved Shoulders
2018
Geometric design, pavement specifications for GSB, GWB, DBM, BM, and AC layers per IRC:37. Paved shoulder construction, quality control procedures, and material testing requirements.
Manual of Specifications and Standards for Four Laning of Highways
2019
Design, construction, operation, and maintenance of four-lane highways and expressways. Geometric design standards, pavement design, drainage, safety features, and environmental considerations.
Rural Roads Manual
2002
Planning, geometric design, construction materials, drainage, and maintenance for rural roads. Aligns with PMGSY (Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana) requirements. 12 chapters covering rural road development end-to-end.
Guidelines on Road Drainage
2014 (First Revision)
Surface and subsurface water management. Transverse and longitudinal drainage, shoulder drainage, pavement internal drainage, subgrade drainage, cross-drainage, and hydrological study requirements.
Signage, Markings and Geometry
Geometric Design Standards for Rural (Non-Urban) Highways
2023
Lane widths, shoulder widths, horizontal curve radii, vertical grades, sight distances, and cross-section elements for rural highways. Fundamental to project design.
Code of Practice for Road Signs
2022 (Fourth Revision)
Sign design, placement, construction, and maintenance standards. Covers mandatory, cautionary, and informatory signs. Classification, retroreflectivity requirements, and sign schedules.
Code of Practice for Road Markings
2022
7 types of road markings, binder and material specifications by traffic level. Retroreflective paint requirements, application procedures, and marking schedules.
Industry Bodies
The Institution of Engineers (India)
Founded 1920, Royal Charter 1935
World's largest multi-disciplinary engineering professional society. Over 1 million members across 15 engineering disciplines. Membership grades: Fellow (FIE), Member (MIE), Associate Member (AMIE). FIE/MIE holders eligible for Chartered Engineer Certificate.
For contractors:
FIE and MIE designations strengthen tender bid credibility for key personnel. Chartered Engineer status is increasingly required in NHAI pre-qualification criteria for technical team members.
Construction Industry Development Council
Established 1996 by Planning Commission
Apex nodal agency under NITI Aayog for construction and related activities in India. Runs contractor grading, training programs, workshops, and the construction worker welfare scheme.
For contractors:
CIDC contractor grading is used by project owners for pre-qualification. Training programs (site supervisors, QC engineers) recognised in NHAI bid documents. CIDC-Vishwakarma Award for distinguished projects.
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
Infrastructure Committee, active advocacy body
FICCI Infrastructure Committee advocates on BOT contracts, EPC policy, land acquisition, utility clearances, and environmental clearance reforms. Publishes annual infrastructure reports and policy recommendations.
For contractors:
FICCI reports provide benchmarks for industry-level negotiations and pre-budget memoranda. Committee positions on arbitration policy, payment security, and GST corrections affect contractor operating conditions.
About IRC updates
IRC publishes revisions as project volumes grow and failure patterns emerge. IRC:78 was updated in 2024; IRC:73, IRC:67, and IRC:35 were revised in 2022–23. Check irc.nic.in before finalising any design submission. This page is updated when major revisions are issued. Data current as of May 2026.
NIT says follow IRC:112. Now what?
CivilBolt's Civil Brain reads your tender document and surfaces the exact IRC codes referenced in it: the obligation it creates and the clause number it ties to. No more cross-referencing 200-page NITs manually.