A S T M
Standards That are Modified to UNIFORMAT II
By Jim Hojnacki, CCS, ASTM
Chief Specifier, Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber Engineers Inc, Ada MI
Member, Grand Rapids MI Chapter
That is the question: Whether "tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows
of outrageous fortune," or just to spec it like it is. Oh no! I'm getting
Shakespear's Hamlet and those ASTM standards mixed up again. I knew that minor in English
would get me into trouble some day. Every year, CSI's CDT Exam includes questions about
MasterFormat and UniFormat. I know, because I've been proctoring that exam for the past 17
or 18 years and I always see something about UniFormat in one or more of the questions.
And since the exam is supposed to be based on CSI's Manual of Practice, is what we read
regarding UniFormat in the MOP absolutely correct? "I think not!" quoth the
specifier.
UniFormat was first developed in the early 1970's as a joint effort between The American
Institute of Architects (AIA) and the General Services Administration (GSA), and was
subsequently adapted by CSI and included in its MasterFormat. The system was developed
primarily for organizing preliminary cost estimates using a building's elements or systems
for cost classification rather than specification sections. Then in 1992, ASTM Committee
E-6 on Performance of Buildings used that document and developed a new ASTM standard to
better reflect the ever changing elements that comprise a building's construction. The
original UniFormat included the built environment (building site acquisition, construction
and related sitework, roads and bridges, dams, tunnels, railroads, and other). The new
standard, ASTM E1557, Standard Classification for Building Elements and Related Sitework -
UNIFORMAT II, only includes the building portion and related sitework and does not include
what I would term the civil related construction categories. Apparently when the ASTM
standard was first conceived and published in 1993, no one on the ASTM committee took the
pains to announce to CSI that "we've got a newer and better document," or else
the construction industry was too busy to notice that an announcement had been made and
that a new ASTM standard had arrived on the scene. While some CSI members were involved
with Committee E-6 in developing ASTM E1557, they apparently did not get the word out to
the proper MasterFormat Committee that there were significant differences. The fact that
both documents were being revised concurrently may also have led to the confusion and
oversight. Subsequently, UniFormat and UNIFORMAT II are similar but are not identical.
ASTM's UNIFORMAT II references several other ASTM standards that CSI's UniFormat does not
address such as life-cycle costing (E917), benefit-to-cost and savings-to-investment
ratios (E964), internal rate of return (E1057), net benefits for investments (E1074),
payback for investment (E1121), and other critical financial publications that the typical
A/E design firm may not take into account. We've all heard those "financial"
words that different agencies and developers use, but some A/E managers seldom want to do
it the proper way because "we took the job too low, and we'll lose our shirt doing it
right, and still meet the budget." I am a specifier, not a cost estimator, but I've
heard that comment many times during the 26+ years I've been writing specs. All to often,
the preliminary cost was done on a square foot basis with plenty of slop to cover whatever
contingency may crop up. Then you're stuck with having to bid and construct the project
for a "dollar-three-ninety-eight" because that's what the owner expects.
Oftentimes, this preliminary estimate was done by the project manager or the job captain
by calling up several suppliers and distributors and asking for a "ball-park
figure" because the design firm did not have bona fide cost estimators on staff at
the time.
UniFormat and UNIFORMAT II (ASTM E1557) both classify building elements using an
alpha-numeric designation. There are seven Level 1 major group elements: Substructure is
Group A (foundations & basement), the Shell is Group B (superstructure, exterior
closure, & roofing), Interiors is Group C (interior construction, staircases, &
interior finishes), Services is Group D (conveying systems, plumbing, HVAC, fire
protection, & electrical), Equipment and Furnishings is Group E (equipment &
furnishings), Special Construction and Demolition is Group F (special construction &
selective demolition), and Building Sitework is Group G (site preparation, site
improvements, site civil & mechanical utilities, site electrical utilities, &
other site construction). UniFormat also includes an eighth major element (General - Group
Z) that incorporates general requirements, bidding requirements, forms and conditions, and
cost estimate. UNIFORMAT II does not address these so-called "front-end" or
"general condition" items that are incorporated in CSI's eighth group. The major
groups are further split into numbered Level 2 group elements (10, 20, 30 etc.) and again
into numbered Level 3 individual elements (10, 20, 30, etc.). Both UniFormat and UNIFORMAT
II have the same Level 2 and Level 3 designations. The individual elements are further
broken into Level 4, specific types of construction, parts, or sections. UniFormat
arranges its Level 4 by the CSI five-digit Section titles while UNIFORMAT II Level 4 is
arranged by alphabet for its building parts. This Level 4 is where the two formats
significantly differ. ASTM E1557 has 7?1/2 pages of specific construction parts while
UniFormat has 86 pages listing the entire MasterFormat five-digit numbering system.
UNIFORMAT II also lists which items are included or excluded in this final classification,
but the list is not intended to be exhaustive. It merely gives a general outline of what
to expect in any particular element. Space prohibits a complete breakdown of all the
UNIFORMAT II elements, but an example designation for interior floor slab construction
would be B1010.f, and the tile floor finish would be C3020.c. Interior wall construction
would be C1010.a, and the painted wallboard finish would be C3010.c-e. Mechanical and
electrical are part of Group D, Services, and the designation D2030.b would be an example
for sanitary waste vent pipe and fittings, while the designation D5040.e would be an
example for special electrical lightning and grounding protection system.
To know which system is absolutely correct is still open to debate, but ASTM and CSI are
still coordinating efforts and trying to iron out the differences. Personally, I think
7-1/2 pages of detailed parts seems a whole lot easier and less work than tracking 86
pages of section numbers and titles. True, both organizations govern differing areas of
responsibility, but when these responsibilities overlap, maybe one organization should
take the lead and establish a standard that everyone can follow without confusion. One
must also remember the basic roots for both formats. MasterFormat (and subsequently
UniFormat) was developed for writing specifications; UNIFORMAT II was developed for
organizing preliminary cost estimates.
Editor's Note: James Hojnacki writes this column monthly to keep members of the
construction team informed about ASTM Standards that have been changed, deleted, or added.
Contact Jim at jhojnack@ftch.com or by
telephone at (616) 676-5991.