UniFormat, which is published by the Construction Specifications Institute, is a way of organizing construction information by major system. It is used most often as a way of organizing a project estimate because it allows easy comparisons of different systems. In addition, UniFormat is sometimes used during early design phases in what is called a Preliminary Project Description.
Prior to being published by the Construction Specifications Institute, UniFormat was developed as ASTM standard E1557 and was named UniFormat II. It remains a valid ASTM reference.
UniFormat is organized into nine major categories (Level 1), each of which are then broken down into four additional sub-levels (Level 2 through Level 5) that add further detail as necessary. Below is a list of the Level 1 and Level 2 elements.
UniFormat is the intellectual property of the Construction Specifications Institute so we cannot provide a list of all of the sub-levels, but a list of the major categories.
- Introduction
- Element A – Substructure
- Element B – Shell
- Element C – Interiors
- Element D – Services
- Element E – Equipment and Furnishings
- Element F – Special Construction
- Element G – Sitework
- Element Z – General
