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Guided workflow variation

Pull the submittals out of the spec book,paragraph by paragraph.

Requests to submit hide under Quality Assurance, Warranty, and Field Quality Control as often as under Submittals. The app reads each article, keeps outline labels such as 1.4.B, and names the type it recognizes, from Shop Drawings to Closeout.

Every article is read for submit language and type labels, so samples under Quality Assurance and warranties under Closeout land in the register too.

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Full Spec Register Builder overview
One-time purchase No telemetry Local-first

windows · every row cites its page · spec book never written · nothing uploads

If this sounds like your week

The Submittals article is only part of the story.

Most sections gather their requests in an article near the top of Part 1, under headings such as Action Submittals, Informational Submittals, and Closeout Submittals. But mix designs sit under Quality Control, mock-ups under Quality Assurance, extra stock under Maintenance Material, and manufacturer field reports in Part 3. Skimming one article per section leaves those behind.

Where tooling usually breaks

Outline numbering makes copying slow and fiddly.

Spec paragraphs nest four and five levels deep: article 1.4, paragraph A, subparagraph 1, then a, then 1). Copying an item means rebuilding that path by hand, while wrapped lines, running headers, edition stamps, and footers interrupt the text being copied. Do it two hundred times and the references start to slip.

Where Spec Register Builder lands

Every paragraph read, every label kept, every type named.

Spec Register Builder strips running headers and footers, joins wrapped lines, and rebuilds the outline under each article. A paragraph that opens with Submit, carries a label such as Product Data:, or names a type inside a Submittals article becomes a row, labeled 1.3.A or 1.3.C.1, classified, and tied to its page. Cross-references that open with See or Refer to are skipped.

Pay once. Own it forever.

One-time purchase on the Microsoft Store · No subscription · Instant install

Get it from Microsoft

Buy through the Microsoft Store—instant install, automatic updates, and a Microsoft receipt for easy expensing. No account needed on our site, and no subscription on Store purchases.

Learn more about Spec Register Builder

windows · every row cites its page · spec book never written · nothing uploads

What you get

Feature highlights

Every row cites its page

each requirement carries its spec section and title, part, article, and paragraph, plus the PDF page and the printed page from the section footer, and the rendered page opens beside the table when you select it.

Sections read from the book

numbers and titles come from each SECTION title line, including six-digit, level-four, run-together, five-digit, and dual numbers, so the register follows the project’s own numbering.

Twelve submittal types

Preconstruction, Shop Drawings, Product Data, Samples, Design Data, Test Reports, Certificates, Manufacturer’s Instructions and Field Reports, O&M Data, Closeout, and Sustainability, with Action, Informational, Closeout, or UFGS G and Info.

Filter, sort, and review beside the page

narrow the table by any word or section number, sort by section, paragraph, page, type, or confidence, and check rows with a Review flag first.

Excel and CSV for the log

fourteen columns that line up with common submittal logs, with Submit By, Reviewer, and Notes left blank for your team, and requirement text written as text, never as a formula.

Source hash on record, nothing uploaded

the workbook’s Manifest sheet records the source file’s SHA-256, pages, rows, and export time, the spec book is never written, and the app makes no network connections.

Especially when

  • Build a submittal register from a construction spec book PDF instead of reading every section and typing each requirement into a spreadsheet
  • Cite every submittal requirement to its section, paragraph, and page so the team can check it against the specifications
  • Export the register to Excel or CSV with columns that line up with common submittal logs and a record of the source file
  • Keep the spec book on the PC and unchanged, with no upload, no account, and no network connection

Who benefits

Real-world scenarios

A concrete section with items in two articles

Section 03 30 00 lists product data, design mixtures, shop drawings, and samples under Action Submittals, then qualification data and field quality-control reports under Informational Submittals.

Each item becomes its own row: Product Data at 1.3.A, Test Reports at 1.3.B, Shop Drawings at 1.3.C with its placing drawings at 1.3.C.1, Certificates at 1.4.A, and Test Reports at 1.4.D, each with the page it sits on.

A scanned section bound into the book

Three pages of the project manual were scanned from paper and have no text layer, so selecting text on them in a PDF viewer returns nothing at all.

Spec Register Builder reads those pages with the OCR built into Windows, repairs letter-for-digit slips in section numbers such as 01 33 OO, and lists the rows. The status line and the Manifest sheet name the pages read with OCR.

A password-protected project manual

The architect issued the project manual as a password-protected PDF, and the password arrived separately in the transmittal email to the project team.

Pick the file, type the password when the dialog asks for it, and choose Open. The register builds as usual, the page preview opens with the same password, and the PDF stays exactly as it was issued.

Deep dive

How Spec Register Builder reads a section, line by line

Finding the sections. Each section starts where a title line such as SECTION 03 30 00 - CAST-IN-PLACE CONCRETE appears at the top of a page, and ends at END OF SECTION or the next title line. A table of contents page does not start a section, and a section title repeated as a running header on every page does not split one.

Clearing the page furniture. Project running headers, edition stamps, and page footers are set aside before the text is read, so a paragraph that crosses a page break reads as one paragraph. Footers are not thrown away: lines such as 03 30 00 - 3 or Page 2 of 12 become the printed page on each row.

Rebuilding the outline. Part headings such as PART 1 - GENERAL or PART ONE, articles such as 1.3 SUBMITTALS, and outline labels A., 1., a., and 1) are rebuilt into a path, so a row is labeled 1.3.C.1 rather than just 1. UFGS decimal paragraphs such as 1.3.1 are read the same way.

Deciding what is a requirement. A paragraph becomes a row when it opens with Submit, when it starts with a type label such as Shop Drawings: or Product Data:, or when it names a submittal type inside a Submittals article. A paragraph elsewhere that uses the verb submit, or asks to provide, furnish, or include a named type, becomes a row with a lower confidence hint. The word submittals in running prose, such as in accordance with approved submittals, does not.

Naming the type. Keywords match whole words: shop, coordination, fabrication, and placing drawings are Shop Drawings; product data, manufacturer’s literature, data sheets, and catalog cuts are Product Data; samples and mock-ups are Samples; calculations and delegated design are Design Data; test reports and mix designs are Test Reports; certificates and qualifications are Certificates; warranties, record documents, spare parts, and extra stock are Closeout. The earliest keyword in a paragraph wins, and a label before a colon wins over the body.

Action or informational. The Action/Info column comes from the article title: Action Submittals give Action, Informational Submittals give Informational, and Closeout Submittals give Closeout.

Scanned pages. Pages with no text layer are read with the OCR language installed in Windows, then parsed like any other page.

What each row carries. Spec section, section title, part, article, paragraph, PDF page, printed page, the requirement text up to 400 characters, type, action, and a confidence hint from 0 to 1, ready to review beside the page and export.

How it is built

Built so every row leads back to the book.

Every row cites its page

Each requirement carries its section, part, article, paragraph, PDF page, and printed page, and the rendered page sits beside the table. Rows with a low confidence hint carry a Review flag.

The spec book is only read

The PDF is opened read-only through the Windows file picker and never written. Exports are new XLSX or CSV files, and the workbook records the source file’s SHA-256.

Nothing uploads

It runs in the Windows app sandbox with no declared capabilities, makes no network connections, and has no account and no telemetry. Scanned pages are read with the OCR built into Windows.

FAQ

Straight answers—no glossary dump

Which paragraphs become register rows?

A paragraph becomes a row when it opens with Submit, starts with a type label such as Samples: or Product Data:, or names a submittal type inside a Submittals article. Paragraphs elsewhere that use the verb submit, or ask to provide or furnish a named type, are listed too, with a lower confidence hint so you can check them first. Each row keeps its full outline label, such as 1.4.B.

Does it read beyond the Submittals article?

Yes. Spec Register Builder reads every article of every section, in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. Samples and mock-ups under Quality Assurance, test reports under Field Quality Control, warranties under Warranty, and extra stock under Maintenance Material are listed with the article they came from, so the register reflects the whole section rather than one heading.

Can it read a scanned spec book?

Yes. Pages without a text layer are read with the OCR engine built into Windows, using the OCR language installed on your PC, and then parsed like any other page. Letter-for-digit slips inside section and article numbers, such as O for 0, are repaired. The status line counts the pages read with OCR, and the Manifest sheet lists them by number.

How do I check the rows before I send the register?

Select a row and its page renders beside the table, so the requirement text sits next to the paragraph it came from; Previous and Next step through the book. Sort by Conf. to bring rows with a low confidence hint to the top, where rows at 0.40 or below carry a Review flag. Filter rows narrows the table to a word, a submittal type, or a section number while you work.

What happens to the spec book PDF?

It stays exactly as it was. Spec Register Builder opens the PDF for reading only and never writes to it. Each export is a new XLSX or CSV file that you name in the Windows Save dialog, and the suggested name follows the book, such as Project Manual - submittal register.xlsx. Pick the same book again any time to rebuild the register from the untouched original.

Where does the work happen, and how do I get Spec Register Builder?

On your PC. Spec Register Builder makes no network connections, has no account, and collects no telemetry. It runs in the Windows app sandbox with no declared capabilities and reads only the PDF you pick. It is a one-time purchase in the Microsoft Store, and the Store runs a 15-day free trial with every feature, so you can build a register from your own project manual before you buy.

Related pages

A submittal register from the specs, with every page cited. A submittal list in MasterFormat order, read straight from the book. SD-01 through SD-11, listed with every G item marked.

A spec book in.
A cited submittal register out.

Spec Register Builder reads every section of the project manual, lists each submittal requirement with its paragraph and page, and exports the register to Excel or CSV with the source file’s SHA-256. The PDF is never written, nothing uploads, and the Microsoft Store runs a 15-day free trial.

Pay once. Own it forever.

One-time purchase on the Microsoft Store · No subscription · Instant install

Get it from Microsoft

Buy through the Microsoft Store—instant install, automatic updates, and a Microsoft receipt for easy expensing. No account needed on our site, and no subscription on Store purchases.

Open full product page

MasterFormat is a trademark of The Construction Specifications Institute, Inc. (CSI). Spec Register Builder is not affiliated with or endorsed by CSI.

Technical specifications

Technical specifications for procurement

Spec Implementation
Data Sovereignty Reads only the spec book PDF you pick in the Windows file picker, read-only, and never writes to it; writes only the XLSX or CSV you name in the Save dialog; the Recent list (up to 20 books) stays in the app’s own local storage on this PC
Telemetry Status None; no account, no telemetry, and the app makes no network connections
Core Runtime .NET 10 and WinUI 3 (Windows App SDK 2.5), packaged as MSIX; runs in an AppContainer with no declared capabilities; pages are rendered with the PDF engine built into Windows, and scanned pages are read with Windows OCR
Network Requirements Fully functional offline; no network capability is declared, and the app makes no network connections
Deployment Compatibility Windows 10 version 2004 or later and Windows 11, x64 and ARM64; one-time purchase in the Microsoft Store with a 15-day free trial
Input A construction spec book (project manual) PDF picked in the Windows file picker; password-protected PDFs open with their password; scanned pages read with the installed Windows OCR language; a bundled sample spec book
Sections SECTION title lines with six-digit (03 30 00), level-four (31 62 13.13), run-together (033000), five-digit (03300), and dual (03 30 00 (03300)) numbers; printed pages from CSI, UFGS, and Page n of m footers
Rows Part, article, and paragraph (such as 1.3.C.1 or 1.3 SD-03.2), PDF page, printed page, requirement text, twelve submittal types, Action/Info (Action, Informational, Closeout, or UFGS G and Info), and a 0 to 1 confidence hint
Review Register beside the rendered page; Filter rows; sort by section, paragraph, page, type, or confidence; Review flag at 0.40 or below; light, dark, and high-contrast themes
Exports XLSX with a Register sheet (14 columns, frozen header, text cells never written as formulas) and a Manifest sheet (source file, SHA-256, pages, OCR pages, sections, rows, app version, export time in UTC); CSV in UTF-8 with BOM, RFC 4180
Originals The spec book is opened read-only and never written; every export is a new file named in the Save dialog and holds every row