Sand for plaster - Secification — IS 1542 (1992) Testing

IS 1542:1992 establishes requirements for sand used in mortars for internal wall and ceiling plastering and external plastering. It helps ensure that the sand has suitable quality, grading and cleanliness for producing durable plaster finishes.

The grading specified in IS 1542 allows the fineness modulus of plaster sand to vary approximately from 1.2 to 2.2. The standard also indicates that a minimum fineness modulus of 1.4 is preferable for crushed stone and crushed gravel sands and 1.5 for naturally occurring sand.

IS 1542 requires plaster sand to be clean and free from excessive clay, silt and dust. The specified limits depend on the type of sand and are determined through the relevant testing procedures prescribed by the standard.

Yes. Particle-size grading is an important requirement of IS 1542. The standard specifies grading for sand used in internal and external plastering, and particle-size distribution is evaluated using the applicable test methods referenced by the standard.

Mortar cubes made with one part cement and six parts conforming sand are required to achieve an average compressive strength of not less than 3 N/mm² at 28 days, when tested according to the specified procedure.

IS 1542 refers to supporting standards including IS 2386 for aggregate testing, IS 2430 for sampling of aggregates and IS 2250 for masonry mortar testing. These referenced methods support assessment of grading, impurities, physical properties and mortar performance.

According to the current BIS Product Manual PM/IS 1542/1/Mar 25, the specified sample quantity for Sand for Plaster is 25 kg. BIS also requires separate samples for each sand variety included in the certification scope.