CONSTRUCTION TERMINOLOGY MADE EASY

Rehabbing a building or doing new construction. Does the contractor sound like he is speaking in Mandarin? Construction, like so many other professions has it own lingo and its own set of abbreviations. To make your next contracting experience more pleasant, allow us to share with you some of the more common construction abbreviations and their true meanings.

ABS:  Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, (say that three times fast) the chemical makeup of that black, plastic-composite plumbing pipe most frequently used for drain, waste, and vent systems.

AC: The first half of AC/DC - means alternating current, the most common method of delivering electricity in North America.

AWG:  American Wire Gauge, our country’s standard for the size of various types of wire, including electrical wire.

bd. ft. (a.k.a. bf):  Board foot, the customary wood unit of measure equal to 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches long.

Btu:  British thermal unit, a standard unit for the measurement of heat, roughly equivalent to the heat given off by one kitchen match.

CAD:  Short for Computer-assisted drafting or computer-assisted design. Software that’s the architect’s friend.

CFM:  Cubic feet per minute, this  measurement lets you know how fast air moves.

cip:  Cast iron pipe.

cmu:  Concrete masonry unit, or in layman’s terms, a concrete block.

d:  Penny, a typical term for the size of nails.

db:  Decibel, used to measure sound or noise.

DC:  The second half of AC/DC. Known as direct current, as from a battery, and used throughout much of Europe.

DF-L:  Douglas fir – A popular softwood used from framing lumber.

dia. (also diam.):  Diameter. Remember this term from math class?

DWV:  Drain, waste and vent. Popular in bathrooms. The system of plumbing pipes used in the removal of liquid and solid waste from a building.

FAS:  Firsts and seconds, grades of hardwood lumber.

FIP:  Female iron pipe. Has a large end to accept a MIP insertion.

galv.:  Galvanized, a zinc finish applied to metals such as nails, pipes, fencing, and sheet metal known to provide protection against the elements.

ga:  Gauge, the diameter of a wire or the thickness of a piece of sheet metal.

GFI (also GFCI):  Ground fault interrupter, or ground fault circuit interrupter – this electrical apparatus  is designed to identify a fault in the electrical system and shuts down power.

HC:  Hollow core, a type of door that is not solid all the way through.

hp:  Horsepower, a way to know the power output of an electric motor.

HVAC:  Heating, ventilating and air conditioning.

id:  Inside diameter, typically referring to the width of a pipe or duct.

KD:  Knocked down - an item such which is sold in pieces that need to be assembled, think IKEA furniture or swing sets.

kw:  Kilowatt, a unit of electrical measure equal to 1,000 watts.

Kwh: Kilowatt-hour – the equivalent of 1,000 watts of electricity used for one hour. This is the common measurement for how electricity is sold.
 
MBF:  Thousand board feet, a unit of measure used to price many wood building materials.

MDF:  Medium Density Fiberboard, a building material made from wood fiber and resin formed under heat and pressure in sheets, boards, and trim.

MIP:  Male iron pipe. Inserts into a FIP.

NC, NF:  National Coarse and National Fine, common designations of thread size for nuts, bolts, and other threaded objects.

NPT:  National Pipe Taper, a traditional type of threaded plumbing pipe and fittings.

OC:  O-center, designating the latitude between the centers of two framing members.

od: Outside diameter, usually referring to the width of a pipe or duct.

OSB:  Oriented Strand Board – this building material is made from thin strands of wood and resin, shaped under heat and pressure to form sheets and boards.

PET:  Precision end trimmed - lumber that has been cut to a specific length.

PT:  Pressure-treated, a chemical treatment applied to lumber to preservative it.

PVA:  Polyvinyl resin adhesive is most often used as a drywall sealer.

PVC:  Polyvinyl chloride, a widely used plastic composite material.

RO:  Rough opening, a framed opening specifically sized for a housing element  such as a door, window, or skylight.

S4S:  Surfaced four sides, referring to lumber.

SC: Solid core, a door with a solid inner core.

SF, SY:  Square foot and square yard.