Millwork is decided long before it is tendered. It is decided when the architect writes Division 06 40 00 and chooses whose details, grades and materials the package will be built around. This generator produces a properly structured starting section — CSI three-part format, current standards referenced, your selections written in.
It is a drafting aid, not a sealed document. A specifier remains responsible for the final section, for coordination with the rest of the project manual, and for anything the tool cannot know about your project.
By the time a millwork package is tendered, most of what determines its cost and its buildability is already fixed. The grade is written. The veneer cut is named. The edge detail, the hardware duty, whether a mock-up is required, whether panels must be sequence-matched from a single flitch — all of it sits in Division 06 40 00 before a single fabricator is invited to bid.
A shop that only appears at tender is competing on price, on a scope somebody else defined. Getting the section right — buildable, unambiguous, grounded in the current standard — is worth more to a project than any amount of bid-stage negotiation.
It does: produce a three-part CSI-format section, reference NAAWS and the Canadian formaldehyde regulations, translate your selections into specification language, and flag the clauses most often left ambiguous.
It does not: know your project. It cannot verify code compliance, coordinate with other Sections, account for jurisdictional requirements, or replace a specification writer. Treat the output as a first draft to edit, not a document to issue.
Match between panels. Specifying book match describes what happens inside one panel. It says nothing about whether figure continues across an elevation. Sequence-matching from a single flitch is a materially different cost and a procurement constraint, decided before tender rather than after. See the veneer match visualizer and the guide to veneer cuts and matching.
Whether the mock-up is incorporated. A mock-up clause that does not say whether the approved unit becomes part of the work or is discarded produces a pricing gap between bidders. See mock-ups and first article approval.
Check that the grade matches the budget the project is carrying (AWI grades explained, budget estimator); that the schedule allows for submittal review and fabrication (lead times); and that anything unusual has been reviewed by a fabricator for constructability before tender.
DNS offers that review at no cost, before tender, on the basis that a section written to be buildable produces better bids for the owner. See how to specify DNS.
Division 06 40 00 is the CSI MasterFormat section covering architectural woodwork — cabinetwork, casework, countertops, panelling and related shop-fabricated millwork. It is where the architect defines quality grade, materials, matching, hardware and finishing.
The North American Architectural Woodwork Standards, published jointly by AWI, AWMAC and WI. Specifications normally bind to the edition in effect at the time of tender. NAAWS 5.0 takes effect 1 September 2026.
Yes. The Formaldehyde Emissions from Composite Wood Products Regulations (SOR/2021-148) apply to composite wood panels sold or imported in Canada. Specifications should require supplier declarations and their retention.
No. It produces a structured starting draft. A specifier remains responsible for the final section, its coordination with the project manual, and its suitability for the project.
Send us a draft section and we will review it for constructability before tender →
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