Product Specifications

Section 03 00 00 – Concrete
Section 04 20 00 – Unit Masonry
Section 05 12 00 – Structural Steel Framing
Section 07 27 00 – Air Barriers
Section 07 80 00 – Fire and Smoke Protection
Section 07 81 00 – Applied Fireproofing
Section 07 84 00 – Firestopping
Section 07 84 13 – Penetration Firestopping
Section 07 84 16 – Annular Space Protection
Section 07 84 43 – Fire-Resistant Joint Sealants
Section 07 86 00 – Smoke Seals
Section 07 87 00 – Smoke Containment Barriers

Section 07 92 13 – Elastomeric Joint Sealants
Section 07 92 19 – Acoustical Joint Sealants
Section 09 26 00 – Gypsum Wallboard Assemblies
Section 15 08 00 – Fire Rated Duct Insulation
Section 15 81 00 – Ducts
Section 15 82 00 – Duct Accessories
Section 26 00 00 – Electrical
Section 21 00 00 – Fire Suppression
Section 22 00 00 – Plumbing
Section 23 00 00 – Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC)
Section 26 01 00 – Operation and Maintenance of Electrical Systems
Section 27 20 00 – Data communications

A specification is an explicit set of requirements to be satisfied by a material, product, or service. In the North American construction process, specifications are used as a set of "blueprints” to help govern materials, products and methods used in building construction. MasterFormat is recognized in both Canada and the United States as the guiding document for building specifications (MasterFormat is a product of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) and Construction Specifications Canada). MasterFormat 2004 is the most current version of this document. Within MasterFormat 2004, specifications are grouped in 50 Divisions which are further broken into subcategories called Sections.

MasterFormat 2004 organizes similar work result, product, requirement and activities into a heirarchial format with "levels”. The broadest category (Level 1) is the Division. Within a division, there may be several Level 2 subcategories know as Sections. Each Division can have up to 4 levels, with each subsequent level providing more detail regarding the specification. Generally, level 4 numbers are not utilized, but when they are, an additional pair of digits is attached to the end, preceded by a "dot.”

For example, firestopping is addressed in Section 07 84 00. Here, (07) denotes Level 1 (Division). The title of this Division is listed as "Thermal and Moisture Protection”. (84) denotes the Section "Firestopping”. This particular specification lists 3 Levels, with the 3rd Level (00), left open. Had the specification been 07 84 13, the Level 3 digits (13) would have further defined the information as pertaining specifically to "Penetration Firestopping".

To learn more about MasterFormat 2004, including the transition from 1995 to 2004 specifications, click here.