🇦🇺 What is NATSPEC?
NATSPEC is the National Building Specification system for Australia. It provides standardised worksection templates for construction specifications, aligned with the National Construction Code (NCC) and Australian Standards.
NATSPEC is developed and maintained by Construction Information Systems Limited, a not-for-profit organisation owned by government and industry bodies. It has been serving the Australian construction industry since 1975.
Worksections are provided as Microsoft Word templates that specifiers edit to suit each project's requirements. NATSPEC is updated twice yearly (April and October) to align with NCC updates and changes to Australian Standards.
📋 NATSPEC vs AUS-SPEC
NATSPEC is for building construction — used by architects, interior designers, landscape architects, structural engineers, and building services engineers.
AUS-SPEC is the Local Government specification system for life-cycle management of public assets including roads, bridges, utilities, and urban infrastructure. It is maintained by NATSPEC since 2007 in partnership with IPWEA.
This reference tool includes both NATSPEC building worksections (Groups 01-10) and AUS-SPEC infrastructure worksections (Groups 00, 11-18).
🔢 Understanding Worksection Numbers
NATSPEC uses the National Classification System to organise worksections hierarchically:
Groups (2 digits): 00-18 represent major categories such as Structure (03), Enclosure (04), Interior (05), etc.
Sections (3 digits): Subdivisions within groups, e.g., 031 = Concrete, 041 = Roof cladding
Worksections (4 digits): Specific specifications, e.g., 0311 = Concrete formwork, 0314 = Concrete in situ
📁 Worksection Groups
00 Planning & Design AUS-SPEC
Design documentation for local government projects
01 General
Documentation, tendering, contract preliminaries
02 Site & Open Spaces
Landscape, pavements, fencing, earthworks
03 Structure
Concrete, masonry, steel, timber framing
04 Enclosure
Roofing, cladding, windows, doors, glazing
05 Interior
Partitions, linings, ceilings, stairs, joinery
06 Finish
Renders, tiling, flooring, painting
07 Mechanical
HVAC, ventilation, air conditioning
08 Hydraulic
Plumbing, drainage, fire services
09 Electrical
Power, lighting, communications, security
10 Conveying
Lifts, escalators, moving walks
11-18 Infrastructure AUS-SPEC
Roads, bridges, utilities, maintenance
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