CSI stands for Crime Scene Investigator. … The main job of a CSI is to document, identify and collect physical evidence at a crime scene.
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®.
How many divisions are in the CSI format?
A Short History of the CSI MasterFormat
- Division 01 — General Requirement.
- Division 02 — Site Construction.
- Division 03 — Concrete.
- Division 04 — Masonry.
- Division 05 — Metals.
- Division 06 — Wood and Plastics.
- Division 07 — Thermal and Moisture Protection.
- Division 08 — Doors and Windows.
- Division 09 – Finishes – Walls, Ceilings and Floors.
- Division 10 — Specialties
- Division 11 — Equipment
- Division 12 — Furnishings
- Division 13 — Special Construction
- Division 14 — Conveying Systems
- Division 15 — Mechanical/Plumbing
- Division 16 — Electrical
- Division 17 — Other – All MasterFormat related specifications nonconforming to the above CSI sections
- Division 21 – Fire Suppression
- Division 22 – Plumbing
- Division 23 – Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
- Division 25 – Integrated Automation
- Division 26 – Electrical
- Division 27 – Communications
- Division 28 – Electronic Safety and Security
- Division 31 – Earthwork
- Division 32 – Exterior Improvements
- Division 33 – Utilities
- Division 34 – Transportation
- Division 35 – Waterway and Marine Construction
- Division 40 – Process Integration
- 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 48 – Electrical Power Generation
What is the MasterFormat used for?
What is CSI architecture?
What is a CSI number?
What the MasterFormat is Not
MasterFormat is not to be confused with localized building codes. Building codes can change from town to town, state to state, country to country. They are what has been agreed upon within a community, rather than a far-reaching standard.
Building codes do not conflict with the MasterFormat because they have little to do with the relationship between the construction company and its vendors. However, they can and do play off of each other depending on the situation.
Unlike localized building codes, MasterFormat is recognized and used throughout the United States and Canada as one set of standards that manufacturers build by and construction companies prepare for.