New MasterFormat™ steps into the future

MasterFormat™ is the uniform master list of titles and numbers for organizing information about construction requirements, products and activities into a standard sequence.

By Dan O’Reilly

DCN Corespondent

MasterFormat™ is the uniform master list of titles and numbers for organizing information about construction requirements, products and activities into a standard sequence. The 1995 version had 16 divisions, beginning with Division 1 for General Requirements, and ending with Division 16 for Electrical.

While it was updated in 1995, the document really had not changed that much since it was first was introduced in the United States in 1964.

“With new products and materials, new technology, rapidly developing computer and telecommunications networks, and integrated building automation systems, the document was no longer adequate,” said Tom Dunbar, acting manager, National Master Specification, Public Works and Government Services Canada. Dunbar is also a registered specification writer and a member of the team that invested three years in the project.

“The 1995 version barely scrapes the surface of civil engineering. . . . The same with process engineering. . . . There was no built-in logic if you didn’t know the system.”

What distinguishes MasterFormat™ 2004 from its predecessor is a structure that anticipates a changing world.

Divisions now range from 00 to 49, and the use of a six-digit numbering system (instead of five) greatly expands the capacity for developing and organizing more complete and detailed specifications. It’s a system that can easily accommodate 100,000 numbers.

Currently, 34 of the 50 divisions are populated. The remaining 16 have been given “reserved” status to address new construction, engineering and architectural products, materials and practices as they develop.

The master list is divided into two components: (1) the Procurement and Contracting Requirements Group (Division 00); and (2) the Specifications Group (Divisions 01 through 49).

Within the Specifications Group, there is a further break down into five subgroups:

Division 01: General Requirements

Divisions 02-19: Facility Construction

Divisions 20-29: Facility Services

Divisions 30-39: Site and Infrastructure

Divisions 40-49: Process Equipment

Each division describes a broad area of work. For example, ‘Earthworks’ is the title of Division 31 (or 31 00 00).

Divisions are broken down into Levels, each more specific than its predecessor. For example, an entry at Level 2 of Earthworks (31 41 00) is for Shoring, and Level 3 (31 41 16) is for Sheet Piling.

Anything beyond a three-level description becomes a decimal point: For example, Level 4 for Steel Sheet Piling is 31 41 16.13.

With the expandable format, specification writers, estimators, architects or other users can assign a Level 5 or ‘user defined’ number if they believe additional information is warranted or would be beneficial. For instance, corrugated sheet piling might be 31 41 16.13.01.

Divisions 15 and 16 are expanded to meet the needs of the construction industry now and in the future while, for the purposes of continuity, Divisions 03 to 14 remain basically the same as the 1995 edition.

But even in those divisions there has been a refinement of titles to reflect product changes and new technology. Division 08 was ‘Doors and Windows,’ and is now classified as ‘Openings.’ Division 06 was ‘Wood and Plastics,’ but is now ‘Wood, Plastics and Composites.’