Clear and concise difference between General Specifications and Detailed Specifications:
Difference Between General and Detailed Specifications
1. Meaning
General Specifications:Provide an overall description of the nature, quality, and class of materials and workmanship. They outline the broad requirements of a project without going into minute details.
Detailed Specifications:Provide precise, item-wise, and technical descriptions of materials, proportions, methods of preparation, execution, and testing. They define exactly how each component of the work must be carried out.
2. Purpose
General Specifications:Used to inform the contractor about the standard and quality expected in the project.
Detailed Specifications:Used to avoid ambiguity by giving complete technical clarity to contractors and engineers during execution.
3. Level of Detail
General Specifications:Broad, descriptive, and not quantitative.
Detailed Specifications:Highly specific, quantitative, and technical.
4. Use in Documents
General Specifications:Commonly used in estimates, preliminary proposals, and tender descriptions.
Detailed Specifications:Used in contract documents, working drawings, bills of quantities (BOQ), and construction execution.
5. Content Description
General Specifications:Describe the class of work—for example, type of flooring, grade of concrete, or category of plastering.
Detailed Specifications:Include exact proportions, thickness, mix ratios, curing time, workmanship standards, measurement methods, and testing requirements.
6. Flexibility
General Specifications:More flexible; minor variations are acceptable.
Detailed Specifications:Very rigid; deviations are not allowed without formal approval.
7. Example
General Specifications:“10 mm thick plaster using cement mortar.”
Detailed Specifications:“10 mm thick cement plaster in 1:4 cement-sand mortar, surface properly cleaned, joints raked, mortar mixed mechanically, applied in one coat, cured for seven days.”
