What Is a Sheet Spec?
A Sheet Spec (also called a spec sheet) places essential project specifications directly on the drawing sheets, rather than in a separate bound document. Instead of maintaining a standalone specification manual, the critical information — standards, code compliance requirements, and material characteristics — travels with the drawings themselves.
A well-crafted Sheet Spec helps:
Coordinate construction documents by establishing consistent standards across drawings, reducing the chance of conflicts between specs and drawings
Streamline the design process by keeping key requirements visible alongside the relevant details
Improve project efficiency by making specifications immediately accessible to everyone working from the drawings — contractors, consultants, and reviewers alike
Sheet Specs are particularly common for renovation projects, limited-scope construction, or fast-paced jobs where a full project manual isn't warranted. But the format isn't just a shortcut — it's a deliberate coordination tool that makes specifications easier to navigate and act on.
Before You Begin
You must have an active Acelab project.
Some features in this workflow require a Premium plan. See the table below.
Feature | Plan Required |
Rename MasterFormat sections | All plans |
Revert section names to Acelab default | All plans |
Custom fields (up to 3) | All plans |
Revit fields access in SpecPlanner | All plans |
Acelab Fields, Company Fields, Special Fields access in SpecPlanner | Premium |
Unlimited fields + horizontal navigation | Premium |
💡 Not sure which plan your firm has? Contact your Acelab account admin or reach out to Acelab support.
Step 1: Open SpecPlanner
Navigate to your project in the Materials Hub.
In the left-side menu, click SpecPlanner.
If your project does not have a spec set up yet, you'll see a welcome screen with two starting options. If you already have sections in place, skip to Step 3.
Step 2: Set Up Your Initial Sections
You have two ways to populate SpecPlanner for the first time.
Option A: Start with a Template (Recommended)
Templates give you a pre-built set of MasterFormat sections in seconds. Three types are available:
Acelab Templates — ready-made, read-only starting points for common project types
Firm Templates — your organization's standardized section sets (created and managed by Admins or Creators)
User Templates — private templates you've built for your own workflows
To apply a template:
From the welcome screen, click Start with Templates, or click the Template dropdown in the SpecPlanner header.
Select Apply Template. Browse the template library and select a template to preview its sections.
Click Apply. You'll have the option to remove any existing empty sections before the template loads.
💡 You can save your current SpecPlanner layout as a new template at any time using Template > Create from Current View.
Option B: Add Sections Manually
From the welcome screen, click Manually Add Sections, or click Manage Sections in the SpecPlanner header.
In the Manage Section modal, toggle sections on to add them to your planner.
To add a more specific section (Subdivision, Group, or Subgroup), click + Add Section and use the cascading dropdowns to select the exact level you need.
⚠️ A section containing products cannot be hidden until all products are removed or moved.
Step 3: Rename Sections to Match Your Drawings (Optional)
Sheet Specs work best when section names match the terminology on your drawing sheets. You can rename any MasterFormat section to use your firm's preferred language.
Hover over a MasterFormat section name — an edit icon will appear.
Click the edit icon and type your preferred name.
Press Save.
The renamed section updates automatically in your project's Schedules view as well, keeping everything in sync.
💡 To restore the original name at any time, hover over the section, click the edit icon, and select Revert to Acelab Default.
Step 4: Add Products to Each Section
Products can be added from multiple sources. Inside any section, click + Add Products to see the options:
Source | When to Use |
Search by Manufacturer | Find a specific product from Acelab's catalog |
Select from Project | Pull in products already in your project's schedules |
Select from Firm Library | Use preferred products your firm has curated |
Add a Custom Product | Add an item not yet finalized (enter manufacturer, product name, SKU, and URL manually) |
Request a Recommendation | Initiate a recommendation request from Acelab |
Organizing Products
Once products are in a section, you can:
Drag and drop to reorder products within a section, or move them to a different section entirely
Change section from a product's action menu (the three-dot icon) to reassign it manually
Revert section if a product's MasterFormat assignment was manually changed and you want to restore the original classification
Replace a product row with a different product
Remove a product from the section
Step 5: Add Fields to Capture the Right Data
Fields appear as columns alongside your products in the planner. Add the fields most relevant to your Sheet Spec — things like fire rating, dimensions, material type, or approval status.
The SpecPlanner shows up to three fields at a time. To add a field:
Click + Add Custom Field in the SpecPlanner header (or click an empty column header labeled ADD FIELD).
Choose from available Custom Fields or Revit Fields.
The field appears as a column. Data can be edited directly in the planner grid.
To swap or remove a field, click an existing column header and choose Change Field or Remove Field.
Expanded Field Types and Unlimited Fields
⭐ Premium feature. Acelab Fields, Company Fields, and Special Fields require a Premium plan. Unlimited fields and horizontal navigation also require Premium.
Premium users can pull in additional field types without manual re-entry:
Acelab Fields — catalog attributes like fire rating, material type, and dimensions (auto-populated for Acelab products)
Company Fields — firm-wide fields already configured for consistent tracking across all projects
Special Fields — project-level context like product category, where a product is used, or manufacturer rep information
Unlimited fields with horizontal navigation: Once more than four fields are added, left and right arrow buttons appear in the SpecPlanner header so you can scroll across all columns. A field counter (e.g., "Manage Fields (7)") shows how many fields are active. All fields — visible or not — are included in exports.
Step 6: Adjust Row Height (Optional)
To show more or less product detail in your planner view, click Product Height in the SpecPlanner header and choose:
Setting | Best For |
Small | Dense overview, quick scanning |
Medium | Default balance of detail and density |
Large | Reviewing full product information |
This is a display preference only and does not affect exports.
Step 7: Export Your Sheet Spec
When your sections, products, and fields are ready:
Click Export Sections in the SpecPlanner header.
Choose your format:
Word (.docx) — formatted specification document, ready for further editing
Text (.txt) — plain text, useful for pasting into other tools
The file downloads automatically, named
ProjectName-YYYY-MM-DD.
All active fields are included in the export, regardless of which columns are currently visible on screen.
What to Expect
After completing these steps, you'll have a SpecPlanner view organized by your firm's section naming, populated with products and the attributes most relevant to your project scope — ready to export and place on your drawing sheets.