Codes, Standards, & Specs

What are the differences between Codes, Standards, and Specifications, and how are they related?, from the Portland Cement Association's Concrete Technology FAQ, is a succinct description of how these three types of information interrelate. In short:

Codes:

Codes are legal requirements for building that are enforced by the local jurisdiction, such as city, county, or state. In the U.S., most building codes are based on the model codes published by the International Code Council, a private, not for profit, codes and standards development organization.

Standards

Standards are voluntary recommendations for good building practice that are usually developed and published by organizations with an interest in the construction industry. For example, AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440-08, NAFS, North American Standard/Specification for windows, doors and skylights is a performance standard developed by a group of window and door industry trade associations. On its own, this particular standard is voluntary. But since it has become adopted by reference into the model building codes, its requirements have also become legally mandatory.

Specifications

Specifications are written documents that detail quality of materials and methods of construction. Specifications may be written by the design team and become enforceable as part of the construction documents for a construction project. Or, like standards, they may be written by any number of private parties and remain either voluntary, or, if adopted into the codes, become legally mandated.

ASTM Standards
ASTM is one of the leading publisher of construction standards. The executive summary of any ASTM standard can be found on the ASTM web site. From the home page, click on the Standards Search link--don't click on the Site Search link. Next, in the Search Standards box, enter the standard designation, such as "C150" and click Search. The first result listed is typically the current standard. Full copies of the standards are also available for purchase either in hardcopy or digital format.

Specifications Numbering
Most construction specifications are organized with a numbering system called MasterForamt, published by the Construction Specifications Institiute. For more information on this system, Need help with Masterformat specification numbering? From the Construction Specification Institute home page, follow links to Standards and Formats and look for links to MasterForma Numbers & Titles. The complete MasterFormat documentation is also available (for a fee) at www.masterformat.com.