UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

Week 3a: Specification

I. Introduction
Building Construction is a complicated process. It is a multi-disciplinary work that may
consist of various professionals like architects, engineers, contractors, and developers. In this
module, we will tackle how important specification is to the construction industry and what are
the primary standard formats used in organizing it.

II. Objectives
After completion of the course the student should be able to:

1. Understand why specification standards are important to the construction industry.

2. Define Specifications. Describe Divisions and Sections.
3. Evaluate the methods of specifying.
4. Provide analysis on the possible evolution of CSI MasterFormat.

III. Specification
The term Specifications will be tossed around casually in this subject. So, what is it
exactly? Specification came from the word to “specify” which means to describe the
characteristics of a certain item [7]. The scope of work, installation, along with the desired quality
of work should be easily understood on the written specifications. It should be noted that
specifications are separate documents from working drawings that deals with graphic
representation.

Why Specify?

An example of basic act of specifying that you might have already done is through the
simple act of labeling your drawings with a leader line. In your labels, you usually would include
basic information to what type of material you are using along with the reason to why it is related
to your structure. The reason that you placed a label to your drawing is to simply clarify and avoid
misinterpretation.

Same as you, the industry needs to provide a way to avoid misinterpretation on their
various projects. As the process of construction is a collaborative effort, specification answers the
need of various field to have clearer idea of what another professional would like to convey.

Specification and Drawings

Specification documents has evolved separately from working drawings. While you may
include labels and notes within your typical drawings, certain aspects such as quality, brand, or
other descriptions that are necessary for building construction might not fit if it would be included
within the same page. Specification document takes care of this as it further defines and make it
more specific without crowding the working drawings. It should be noted that information stated
in your drawings should not be duplicated unless it is written word for word, as this may cause
confusion and contradictions that might impede the construction. [8]

Specifications should generally describe the following:

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 Type and quality of every product for the work.

 Quality of workmanship from manufacturing to its fabrication, application, installation,
finishing and also adjusting.
 Requirements for its fabrication, erection, application, installation and finishing.
 Specific codes and standards applicable to your work.
 General and component dimensional requirements intended for specified materials,
manufactured products, and equipment
 Specific descriptions along with procedures for allowances and unit prices in the contract.
 Specific descriptions and procedures for product alternatives and options.
 Specific requirements for administration of the contract for construction. [8, p. 35]

Building technology 01 focuses on building materials. Knowledge on material and its

fundamental process is primarily applied through specifications.

Types of Specifications

As stated in [8] there are four methods of specifying. This are:

1. Descriptive Specifying – Contains the exact properties of materials and methods

of installations without describing proprietary names or brand names.
2. Reference Standard Specifying – Specifying is done through referencing known
standards on which the specified products needs to comply.
3. Proprietary Specifying – This is the opposite of descriptive Specifying. In this
method specific brand names along with its models are directly stated.
4. Performance Specifying – Under this method, instead of specifying references or
specific materials with or without brands, Performance specifying provides a
criterion to which contractors needs to abide. With this method. Contractors are
allowed to choose the methods or materials as long as they satisfy the required
performance. [8, p. 94]

IV. Construction Specifications Standards

Prior to the creation of specification standards, different professionals or individuals
engaging in construction had varying formats. This has led to professionals accidentally omitting
and over-looking certain parts of specifications. The amounting cost and inconsistencies on the
given documents had led the likes of the Construction Specification Institute of the United states
to publish their standards like the MasterFormat.

There are several examples of construction specification standards across the globe
among of which the Construction Specification Institute’s MasterFormat, UniFormat, and Section
Format are primarily used.

MasterFormat
MasterFormat is a form of specification standard dedicated in organizing details required
in the construction industry. It consists of several divisions, each with its corresponding sections
that may consists of requirements, type of work, along with certain products and materials.

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Historically, MasterFormat came from the need to organize and standardize specification
writing. Originally made up with only 16-Divisions, a new format with 50-Divisions was introduced
last 2004. The expansion was primarily made due to the recent rise of the complexity on the
construction methods and material specification being used.

MasterFormat 16-Divisions

From 1975 to 2004, the 16-division format was the most prevalent form
specification standard used by professionals working in building construction.

 Division 01 - General Requirements

 Division 02 - Site Construction
 Division 03 - Concrete
 Division 04 - Masonry
 Division 05 – Metals
 Division 06 - Wood and Plastics
 Division 07 - Thermal and Moisture Protection
 Division 08 - Doors and Windows
 Division 09 - Finishes
 Division 10 - Specialties
 Division 11 - Equipment
 Division 12 - Furnishings
 Division 13 - Special Construction
 Division 14 - Conveying Systems
 Division 15 - Mechanical
 Division 16 – Electrical [9]

MasterFormat 2004 Divisions

Due to the increasing complexity of projects, CSI has opted to revise their 16-
Division Format into the 50-Division Format. Unlike its predecessor, the MasterFormat’s
are further divided into related groups and sub-groups. Below is the List of Divisions for
MasterFormat 2004.

 Procurement and Contraction Requirements Group

 Division 00 – Procurement and Contracting
Requirements
 Specification Group
o General Requirements Subgroup
 Division 01 – General Requirements
 Procedural Requirements - expanded from the
Contract and Supplemental conditions.
 Administrative Requirements
 Temporary Facilities and controls
o Facility Construction Subgroup
 Division 02 – Site Construction

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 Site and Site Preparation

 Demolition
 Hazardous materials
 Division 03 – Concrete
 Forms and accessories Reinforcing
 Concrete types and mixes
 Cast-in-place and Pre-cast items
 Division 4 – Masonry
 Concrete Block - CMU's
 Mortar
 Stone - Decorative masonry
 Division 5 – Metals
 Structural framing
 Metal deck and joists Metal fabrications
 Ornamental Metals
 Division 6 – Wood, Plastics, and Composites
 Rough Carpentry Finish Carpentry
 Architectural Wood work Cabinets
 Plastics and plastic laminates
 Division 7 – Thermal and Moisture Protection
 Roofing, flashing, roof accessories Siding
 Damproofing – waterproofing
 Insulation
 Division 8 – Openings
 Doors/frames
 Door Hardware
 Windows - all types Glazing
 Special doors Skylights
 Division 9 – Finishes
 Gypsum Wall Board and plaster
 Tile
 Paint
 Acoustical treatments wall coverings
 Division 10 – Specialties
 Misc. manufactured items Signs
 Bathroom accessories louvers/vents lockers
 Division 11 – Equipment
 Specialized Building Equipment
 Security
 Library
 Theater and stage
 Audio visual
 Parking control

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 Loading dock
 Food service
 Division 12 – Furnishings
 Art
 Manufactured Casework
 Window treatment
 Furniture and accessories
 Division 13 – Special Construction
 Building components that serve specialized
purposes
 Air supported structures radiation protection
lightning protection
 Pre-engineered structures storage tanks
 Swimming pools
 Division 14 – Conveying systems
 Elevators
 Escalators
 Wheel chair lifts
 Moving walkways cranes
 Division 15 – Reserved for future expansion
 Division 16 – Reserved for future expansion
 Division 17 – Reserved for future expansion
 Division 18 – Reserved for future expansion
 Division 19 – Reserved for future expansion
o Facility Services Subgroup
 Division 20 – Reserved for future expansion
 Division 21 – Fire Suppression
 Division 22 – Plumbing
 Division 23 – Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning
controls
 Air-handling
 Division – 24 Reserved for future expansion
 Division 25 – Integrated Automaion
 Division 26 - Electrical
 Power
 Lighting
 Division 27 - Communications
 Computer cabling
 Division 28 – Electronic Safety and Security
 Division 29 – Reserved for future expansion
o Site and Infrastructure Subgroup
 Division 30 – Reserved for future expansion
 Division 31 – Earthwork
 Division 32 – Exterior Improvements

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 Division 33 – Utilities
 Division 34 – Transportation
 Division 35 – Waterways and Marine
 Division 36 – Reserved for future expansion
 Division 37 – Reserved for future expansion
 Division 38 – Reserved for future expansion
 Division 39 – Reserved for future expansion
o Process Equipment Subgroup
 Division 40 – Process Integration
 Division 41 – Material Process and Handling Equipment
 Division 42 – Process Heating, Cooling, and Drying
Equipment
 Division 43 – Process Gas and Liquid Handling,
Purification and Storage Equipment
 Division 44 – Pollution Control Equipment
 Division 45 – Industry Specific Manufacturing Equipment
 Division 46 – Reserved for future expansion
 Division 47 – Reserved for future expansion
 Division 48 – Electrical Power Generation
 Division 49 – Reserved for future expansion
 Division 50– Reserved for future expansion [7]

UniFormat
The method of arranging information in relation to its function and use rather than the
materials and its methods of application. This makes it suitable for the early design phase as
its minimal number easily provides comparison to other systems, along with initial project
cost [10].

Below are the general categories of Uniformat:

 Introduction
 Element A - Substructure
 Element B - Shell
 Element C - Interiors
 Element D - Services
 Element E - Equipment and Furnishings
 Element F - Special Construction
 Element G - Sitework
 Element Z – General [10]

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Table 3a-1 Uniformat II. Adopted from [11]

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Figure 3a- 3: SectionFormat [12]

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SectionFormat
SectionFormat is a three-part format used in project manuals for arranging its text. It is
designed to facilitate MasterFormat through further dividing its divisions to sections. This
results to a more comprehensive and organized type of specifications. [12]

The content of each part is defined as follows:

 Part 1 General – Is a section that consists mainly of the list of requirements which
includes administrative, procedural, along with temporary. This section usually
expands or adds additional details to the topics under Division 1.
 Part 2 Products – consists of items to be included within the project. This includes
specific materials, products, fabrications, mix type, systems, and assemblies.
 Part 3 Execution – This part works as a manual or guideline before, during, and
after installation. Pre-fabricated and on-site fabrication is included within this
section [12, p. sf4].

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