As a building product manufacturer (BPM), your goal is to communicate key product details to the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) community in the clearest and most engaging way possible. One effective way to do this is through 3-part specifications and product information sheets (often referred to as data sheets, cut sheets, or spec sheets). While both documents share the goal of conveying essential product information and persuading AEC professionals to specify your products, they differ significantly in structure, use cases, and the benefits they offer.
In this blog post, we’ll break down the key differences between 3-part specifications and product information sheets and explore how you can leverage each document to maximize your products' visibility and success within the AEC market. Understanding when and how to use each document will help you better serve your target audience and increase the likelihood of your product being specified in projects.
What Are 3-Part Specifications?
3-part specifications are detailed, structured documents that provide in-depth information about your products. They are intentionally written to conform to the guidelines set forth by organizations such as the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) and Construction Specifications Canada (CSC) and are broken down into three sections:
Part 1: General
Part 2: Products
Part 3: Execution
Check out this short guide for an in-depth look at each part of a door hardware specification.
Writing 3-part specifications requires specialized training and expertise, as the content must adhere to industry standards, codes, and best practices. These documents are time-consuming to produce, but can make all the difference when AEC professionals are looking for products to specify.
Key Benefits of 3-Part Specifications:
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Reduces Effort for AEC Teams: Well-written 3-part specifications reduce the amount of work required from an AEC team considering your product. They can simply incorporate your product into their project manual without writing their own specifications.
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Standardized Communication: 3-part specs follow an industry-standard format, ensuring consistency and clarity for design and construction professionals.
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Increases Your Brand Reputation: Providing high-quality 3-part specs to specifiers increased their trust in your brand and products, meet and exceed the needs of the AEC community, making it easier for specifiers to choose your product.
What Are Product Info Sheets?
Product information sheets (also referred to as data sheets, cut sheets, or spec sheets) are concise documents that provide a snapshot of a product's key attributes, features, and technical specifications. These documents typically include dimensions, material descriptions, available colors, images, and performance data, such as certifications and test results.
Unlike 3-part specs, they may feature marketing language and promotional content to highlight the product's benefits. They also don't follow standardized industry formats and are usually created without specialized training. These sheets are more flexible and quicker to produce, but are less comprehensive when it comes to helping specifiers incorporate your product into a project.
Key Benefits of Product Information Sheets:
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Quick Access to Important Details: They provide a clear and fast way to convey essential product data to AEC professionals and can include marketing messaging that helps your products stand out.
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No Specialized Expertise Needed: Manufacturers can easily create product information sheets based on their product knowledge, without requiring the technical writing expertise needed for 3-part specifications.
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Fully Customizable: There are no industry standards for what must appear in a product data sheet, offering more freedom and creativity in how the information is presented.
Photo by bluecinema on Canva
Key Takeaways for Manufacturers
While product information sheets are helpful for quickly conveying product details, they are not immediately usable as a specification document in construction projects. A design team considering a product for inclusion in their project specifications will still need to create a custom 3-part specification for that product or incorporate it into an existing specification section.
Product info sheets can act as a helpful reference for specification writers, providing essential data points that will be used to draft the specification, but they cannot replace a well-written 3-part specification. To enhance your product’s success, it's a good idea to provide both product information sheets and 3-part specifications.
Use product info sheets to quickly communicate product features and benefits, while leveraging 3-part specifications to streamline the specification process and ensure your product is easily integrated into construction projects. By offering both types of documents, you cater to the needs of AEC professionals and increase your chances of being specified.
Need Help With Your 3-Part Specs?
At CADdetails, we help building product manufacturers like you create high-quality 3-part specifications and other technical design content. Learn more about Technical Service Programs here.
We're also the go-to platform for North American AEC professionals searching for products to specify. Book a demo to get started.
Cover image by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash
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