Reviewed by Er. Inderjit Sharma (Retd.), Punjab PWD
What is IRC? The Indian Roads Congress (IRC) is the national body of highway engineers in India. It publishes the codes, standards and guidelines used for designing and building roads and bridges across the country.
Search below to find any code instantly. Further down, this page explains how to read a code number and lists the most-used codes by topic. It covers a searchable list of 305 current codes and publications (IRC, MoRTH, NHAI, MoRD and HRB), updated to the latest IRC catalogue (2025).
🔍 Find Any IRC Code
Type a code number or a word (for example “WBM”, “bridge”, “37” or “signs”), or tap a group to filter.
| Code | Title |
|---|
📘 New to IRC codes? Jump to: How to read a code number · Most-used codes by topic · What’s new
How to Read an IRC Code Number
The Bridge Code Family
IRC bridge codes work as one set, called “Standard Specifications and Code of Practice for Road Bridges”, divided into sections:
Most-Used Codes by Topic
New engineers do not need all of the codes. Start with these:
🌉 Bridges
- IRC:5 – General features of design
- IRC:6 – Loads on bridges
- IRC:112 – Concrete bridges
- IRC:78 – Foundations
- IRC:SP:13 – Small bridges & culverts
🛣️ Pavement design
- IRC:37 – Flexible (bituminous) pavements
- IRC:58 – Rigid (concrete) pavements
- IRC:SP:72 – Low volume rural roads
- IRC:SP:62 – CC roads for low volume
- IRC:SP:20 – Rural Roads Manual
🧱 Materials & layers
- IRC:36 – Embankment and subgrade
- IRC:19 – Water Bound Macadam (WBM)
- IRC:109 – Wet Mix Macadam (WMM)
- IRC:16 – Prime and tack coat
- IRC:111 – DBM / BC bituminous mixes
📐 Geometric design
- IRC:73 – Rural highways
- IRC:86 – Urban roads
- IRC:38 – Horizontal curves
- IRC:SP:23 – Vertical curves
- IRC:66 – Sight distance
🚦 Traffic & safety
- IRC:67 – Road signs
- IRC:35 – Road markings
- IRC:93 – Traffic signals
- IRC:99 – Traffic calming (speed breakers)
- IRC:SP:88 – Road safety audit
✅ Quality & specifications
- IRC:SP:112 – Quality control in road & bridge works
- MoRTH – Specifications for Road and Bridge Works
- MoRTH – Standard Data Book
- MoRD – Specifications for Rural Roads
- IRC:SP:42 – Road drainage
What’s New: Latest IRC Codes (2022–2025)
IRC has revised many important codes in the last few years. If you are still using an old edition, check these first:
| Latest edition | What changed |
|---|---|
| IRC:5-2024 | Bridges, general features of design (Ninth Revision) |
| IRC:78-2024 (Part I) | Bridge foundations and substructure; split into Part I (working stress) and Part II (limit state, 2020) |
| IRC:40-2024 | Bridges, masonry (Third Revision) |
| IRC:112-2020 | Concrete road bridges (First Revision) |
| IRC:SP:13-2022 | Small bridges and culverts (Second Revision) |
| IRC:73-2023 | Geometric design standards for non-urban roads (First Revision) |
| IRC:67-2022 | Road signs (Fourth Revision) |
| IRC:82-2023 | Maintenance of bituminous roads (Second Revision) |
| IRC:SP:48-2023 | Hill Road Manual (First Revision) |
| IRC:SP:99-2023 | Specifications and standards for expressways (First Revision) |
| IRC:SP:35-2024 | Bridge management, inventory, inspection and maintenance (First Revision) |
| IRC:140, IRC:142, IRC:SP:146, SP:148 (2025) | Newest releases: bonded rigid pavement, full-depth recycling, wayside amenities, smart parking |
In the search list above, codes from 2022 onwards carry a green NEW tag. Tap 🆕 Latest (2022–2025) to see only those.
Key Takeaways
- IRC (Indian Roads Congress) publishes the codes for roads and bridges in India.
- Code number = IRC : (SP) : Number – Year. SP means Special Publication.
- Bridge codes come as a set: IRC:5 (general), IRC:6 (loads), IRC:112 (concrete), IRC:78 (foundations), IRC:83 (bearings).
- Most-used road codes: IRC:37-2018 (flexible pavement), IRC:58-2015 (rigid pavement), IRC:73-2023 (geometry), IRC:67-2022 (signs), IRC:SP:112 (quality).
- Recent bridge editions: IRC:5-2024, IRC:78-2024, IRC:112-2020 and IRC:SP:13-2022.
- “Amalgamated” codes are merged into newer ones; always use the latest edition.
References: Indian Roads Congress (IRC), Catalogue of IRC Publications and New/Revised Publications list (2025); Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH); National Highways Authority of India (NHAI); Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD / NRRDA).