MasterFormat

MasterFormat is a standard for organizing specifications and other written information for commercial and institutional building projects in the U.S. and Canada. Sometimes referred to as the "Dewey Decimal System" of building construction, MasterFormat is a product of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) and Construction Specifications Canada (CSC). It provides a master list of Divisions, and Section numbers with associated titles within each Division, to organize information about a facility’s construction requirements and associated activities.

MasterFormat is used throughout the construction industry to format specifications for construction contract documents. The purpose of this format is to assist the user to organize information into distinct groups when creating contract documents, and to assist the user searching for specific information in consistent locations. The information contained in MasterFormat is organized in a standardized outline format within 50 Divisions (16 Divisions pre-2004). Each Division is subdivided into a number of Sections.

History

After World War II, building construction specifications began to expand, as more advanced materials and choices were made available. The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) was founded in 1948 and began to address the organization of specifications into a numbering system. In 1963, they published a format for construction specifications, with 16 major divisions of work. A 1975 CSI publication used the term MasterFormat. The last CSI MasterFormat publication to use the 16 divisions was in 1995, and this is no longer supported by CSI. In November 2004, MasterFormat expanded from 16 Divisions to 50 Divisions, reflecting innovations in the construction industry and expanding the coverage to a larger part of the construction industry. Updates were published in 2010, 2012, and 2014.

Advantages

Standardizing the presentation of such information improves communication among all parties involved in construction projects. That helps the project team deliver structures to owners according to their requirements, timelines, and budgets. An indication of the widespread acceptance of MasterFormat is that the ASTM standard for sustainability assessment of building products relies on MasterFormat to organize the data. MasterFormat is an integral component of the SpecsIntact system. SpecsIntact (Specifications Kept Intact), is an automated specification processing system for preparing certain government facility construction projects using standard master specifications, called Master Text or Masters, supplied by each of three government agencies. SpecsIntact was developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and designed for use by engineers, architects, interior designers, specification writers, project managers and construction managers. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) and the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has also adopted SpecsIntact as their standard specifications system, greatly facilitating the effort to standardize construction specifications throughout these agencies. These services utilize MasterFormat from UFGS (United Facilities Guide Specification) sections found on the Whole Building Design Guide website.

Current Divisions (April 2014)

The current MasterFormat Divisions are:

PROCUREMENT AND CONTRACTING REQUIREMENTS GROUP

• Division 00 — Procurement and Contracting Requirements

SPECIFICATIONS GROUP

General Requirements Subgroup

• Division 01 — General Requirements

Facility Construction Subgroup

• Division 02 — Existing Conditions (Ex. Alterations to existing natural conditions)
• Division 03 — Concrete (Ex. Footings)
• Division 04 — Masonry (Ex. Concrete block and brick work)
• Division 05 — Metals (Ex. Steel framing)
• Division 06 — Wood, Plastics, and Composites (Ex. House framing)
• Division 07 — Thermal and Moisture Protection (Ex. Insulation and water barriers)
• Division 08 — Openings (Ex. Doors, windows, and louvers)
• Division 09 — Finishes
• Division 10 — Specialties
• Division 11 — Equipment
• Division 12 — Furnishings
• Division 13 — Special Construction
• Division 14 — Conveying Equipment
• 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

Facility Services Subgroup:

• Division 20 — RESERVED FOR FUTURE EXPANSION
• Division 21 — Fire Suppression
• Division 22 — Plumbing
• Division 23 — Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
• Division 24 — RESERVED FOR FUTURE EXPANSION
• Division 25 — Integrated Automation
• Division 26 — Electrical
• Division 27 — Communications
• Division 28 — Electronic Safety and Security
• Division 29 — RESERVED FOR FUTURE EXPANSION

Site and Infrastructure Subgroup:

• Division 30 — RESERVED FOR FUTURE EXPANSION
• Division 31 — Earthwork
• Division 32 — Exterior Improvements
• Division 33 — Utilities
• Division 34 — Transportation
• Division 35 — Waterway and Marine Construction
• Division 36 — RESERVED FOR FUTURE EXPANSION
• Division 37 — RESERVED FOR FUTURE EXPANSION
• Division 38 — RESERVED FOR FUTURE EXPANSION
• Division 39 — RESERVED FOR FUTURE EXPANSION

Process Equipment Subgroup:

• Division 40 — Process Interconnections
• Division 41 — Material Processing 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 and Waste Control Equipment
• Division 45 — Industry-Specific Manufacturing Equipment
• Division 46 — Water and Wastewater Equipment
• Division 47 — RESERVED FOR FUTURE EXPANSION
• Division 48 — Electrical Power Generation
• Division 49 — RESERVED FOR FUTURE EXPANSION

Pre-2012 Divisions

MASTERFORMAT 2004 EDITION

Same as MasterFormat 2014, except the following:

• Division 40 — Process Integration

MASTERFORMAT 1995 EDITION

Before November 2004, MasterFormat was composed of 16 Divisions:

• Division 1 — General Requirements
• Division 2 — Site Construction
• Division 3 — Concrete
• Division 4 — Masonry (Ex. Concrete block)
• Division 5 — Metals (Ex. Beams)
• Division 6 — Wood and Plastics
• Division 7 — Thermal and Moisture Protection
• Division 8 — Doors and Windows
• Division 9 — Finishes
• Division 10 — Specialties
• Division 11 — Equipment
• Division 12 — Furnishings
• Division 13 — Special Construction
• Division 14 — Conveying Systems
• Division 15 — Mechanical (Ex. Plumbing and HVAC)
• Division 16 — Electrical

MASTERFORMAT 1988 EDITION

Same as MasterFormat 1995 except the following:

• Division 2 — Sitework

Related Organizational Formats

SectionFormat is a standard for organizing information within each Section. A Section is divided into three Parts—"general," "products," and "execution." Each Part is further organized into a system of Articles and Paragraphs.

A relatively new strategy to classify the built environment, named OmniClass, incorporates the work results classification in its Table 22 Work Results.

External links

• Official website
• CSI's Latest information on MasterFormat