Identifying Wastages of Construction Materials in Residential Building

Wastage of construction materials can estimated by the difference between the value of materials delivered and accepted on-site and those used adequately as identified and accurately computed in work. The elements of construction wastage are wastage due to labor, material and machine. This research was organized to determine the percentage of wastage from construction materials and the main factors which cause wastage in residential houses in Erbil. The questionnaire form was designed and sent to foremen, masons, supervisor- engineers at construction sites as respondents who have at least ten years experience in the construction of houses. Data analyzed by the statistical package SPSS program (version 22). The findings showed that the maximum percentage of wastage were in the sand, gypsum, wall tiles and floor tiles with relative average percentage of 13.7 ,12.08, 12.03 and 9.10 respectively. Also the minimum percentage of construction material is false ceiling and paints with relative average percentages of 4.70 and 4.67 respectively. The most effective causes of wastages are due to cutting uneconomical shapes, ordering additional amount more than required, damages from transportation, storage, and handling.