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How can I improve the accuracy of Specification Section Identification?

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Background

When you upload new specifications to a project, Procore can automatically pre-populate the following fields to help expedite the upload and review process:

  • Specification Number (number and description)
  • Specification Division (number and description)

Procore leverages text parsing technology to intelligently discover and populate fields with the correct value based upon the number of each specification section and division.

Answer

In order to improve the accuracy of information populated from a specification upload, we recommend following these guidelines for your spec book:

Spec Book Page Format

  • The specification file should be a vector PDF. See What is the difference between raster and vector content in PDFs?
    Note: A scanned PDF will result in Procore extracting no spec section except for 00110 - Table of Contents.
  • The font should be a simple Sans-Serif font, such as Arial or Helvetica (or any UTF8 font).
  • The page format of the spec book should be consistent throughout. It is recommend to use 8 1/2" x 11" page dimensions in portrait orientation.
  • The spec section number should be located in the header or footer of every page (i.e. top fifth and bottom fifth of the page).
  • It is recommended to embed fonts in your PDF files while saving them so that they display as expected when opened in other programs.
  • If you plan to use the Submittal Builder, make sure all submittals related to this spec section appear under a header that contains the English word, "Submittals."
     

ideal spec section page formar.png
(Click to view larger image)

Table of Contents

  • Each page of the table of contents should be labeled "Table of Contents" or "TOC".
  • It should appear in the first 20 pages of the Spec Book.
    Note: Procore can only create a key from the table of contents if the book is more than 25 pages.
  • These pages should only have table of contents data, without any notes or additional information.

ideal table of contents page.png
(Click to view larger image)​​​​​​

Division Number and Title

Spec Section Number    

  • Use either the current 6-digit CSI MasterFormat Codes or older 5-digit codes.
  • Combinations of 5-digit and 6-digit codes are accepted. Procore does not currently support 7-digit or greater spec section numbers.
  • You do not need to have the word "Section" in front of the section number. Procore will recognize the 5- and 6-digit number as the spec section without a label.
    • Avoid different 5- or 6-digit numbers close to the top or bottom of the page. If Procore cannot recognize the spec section number in the top or bottom fifth of the page, it will pull the 5- or 6-digit number closest to the top or bottom as the spec section number.
      Note: If this cannot be avoided, use the "Number to Ignore" configuration in the Advanced Options of the upload page to tell Procore to ignore this number.

ideal spec section number.png

Spec Section Description  

  • Procore looks for the Spec Section Number on each page, but not the Description. Descriptions are pulled from the standard format used, or from a Table of Contents if included in the first 20 pages of the Spec Book.
  • There should be at least 4 letters in a spec section description.
     

ideal spec section description.png