| Term | Definition |
| C | 1. Celsius.2. Centigrade. 3. In heat transfer, conduction of a material to the passage of heat; the reciprocal of resistance (C=1/R). 4. In seismic design, the numerical coefficient used which represents building acceleration. 5. Capacitance. |
| C Channel | A C shaped steel or aluminum section shaped like a rectangular box with one side removed. |
| C Stud | A roll-formed metal channel stud. |
| C Switch (Isolating) | A switch intended for isolating an electric circuit from the source of power. It has no interrupting rating and is intended to be operated only after the circuit has been opened by some other means. |
| C to C | Center to center. |
| C-Clamp | A clamp in the shape of a "C" with jaw capacities usually ranging from 1 to 8 inches used for the securing of wood or metal pieces in a fixed position and for temporary assemblies. |
| C/B Ratio | The ratio of the weight of water absorbed by a masonry unit during immersion in cold water for 24 hours to weight absorbed during immersion in boiling water for 5 hours; an indication of the probable resistance of brick to freezing and thawing; also calle |
| Cab, Elevator | The enclosure in an elevator which carries passengers and freight up or down. |
| Cabana | A shelter near a swimming pool or beach. |
| Cabin | 1. A small one story dwelling of simple construction. 2. A compartment on a ship or aircraft. |
| Cabinet | 1. Case, box, or piece of furniture with sets of drawers or shelves, with doors, primarily used for storage. 2. An electrical switch enclosure designed either for surface or flush mounting, and provided with a frame, mat or trim in which swinging doors ar |
| Cabinet Drawer Guide | A wood strip used to guide the drawer as it slides in and out of its opening. |
| Cabinet Drawer Kicker | Wood cabinet member placed immediately above and generally at the center of a drawer to prevent tilting down when pulled out. |
| Cabinet Finish | Protective coatings to provide protection and decorative appearance for exposed portions of wood cabinets. |
| Cabinet Hardware | Metal and plastic fasteners and connectors used to facilitate the operation and movement of doors, drawers, and shelves in cabinets. |
| Cabinet Heater | A heating element enclosed in a metal housing, with openings for airflow, usually with a fan for controlling air flow. |
| Cabinet Knob | A handle, pull, or rounded protuberance for opening a cabinet door or drawer. |
| Cabinet Wall | The wall to which cabinets are attached or mounted. |
| Cabinet, Base | Floor-mounted cabinet, usually with a counter, sink or appliance installed. |
| Cabinet, Extinguisher | A case or cupboard having doors which contains a fire extinguishing device. |
| Cabinet, Kitchen | A case, box, or piece of furniture with sets of drawers or shelves, with doors, primarily used for storage, mounted on walls or floors in a kitchen area. |
| Cabinet, Laboratory | A case, box, or piece of furniture with sets of drawers or shelves, with doors, primarily used for storage, used in a place or area for scientific studies or commercial and institutional laboratories and testing facilities. |
| Cabinet, Monitor | A cabinet whose doors have louvered panels to allow for ventilation, light or finish design. |
| Cabinet, Transparent Finish | Protective clear or tinted coating to provide protection and decorative appearance for exposed portions of wood cabinets which allows grain of wood to be seen through coating. |
| Cable | 1. A thin, flexible line which carries only tensile forces. 2. A bundle of two or more electrical conductors. |
| Cable Bus | An assembly of insulated cables. |
| Cable Camera | A camera that is controlled and activated with coaxial cable. |
| Cable Connector | A device used to connect lengths of cable together into one longer length. |
| Cable Coupler | A device for connecting two lengths of cable into one longer length. |
| Cable Fitting | Couplings, elbows, tees or unions used to form a junction or connect cable lines together. |
| Cable Lug | A connector for fastening the ends of cable to a terminal. |
| Cable Man-Hole | A vertical access shaft from the surface to the underground, leading to an area for the repair or installation of cable wires. |
| Cable Receptacle | An interrupting outlet box device installed in an electric supply circuit for the connection of electric cables. |
| Cable Roof | A circular structure in which the internal stresses of the members are subjected primarily to tensile stresses. |
| Cable Support | A structure which holds cable lines in place or at a safe overhead height. |
| Cable Tap Box | A box where public cable service supply lines are connected with a branch to serve a building or structure. |
| Cable Tray | Open track for support of insulated cables. |
| Cable TV | A system of distributing television signals to individual subscribers by use of subterranean cables or overhead wires, rather than by aerials. |
| Cable, Audio | A cable which carries and transmits audio signals. |
| Cable, BX | A type of indoor wiring consisting of two or more insulated wires protected by a wound, galvanized steel strip cover; the metal winding forms a flexible tube, offering protection similar to rigid conduit. |
| Cable, Coaxial | . A cable consisting of two concentric conductors separated by an insulator; usedto transmit telephone, television and computer signals. |
| Cable, Communication | A cable fortransmission of telephone, television, and computer signals. |
| Cable, Computer | Coaxial cable which transmits computer signals. |
| Cable, Copper | Insulated, sheathed copper wires conducting power from a source to an electric appliance. |
| Cable, Fire Alarm | A specific electrical system cable which carries electric current to a warning horn or bell for use in the event of a fire or other catastrophe. |
| Cable, Guy | A wire used to secure a tall exterior mast, antenna, or other structure in place. |
| Cable, Thermostat | A specific electrical system cable which operates an automatic device for regulating the temperature in a room, space, or area. |
| CABO | Council of American Building Officials. |
| Cabriole Leg | A curved furniture leg rounded and swollen at the top and tapered down ending in an ornamental foot. |
| CAD | Computer Aided Design. |
| CADD | Computer Aided Design and Drafting. |
| Cadmium | A bluish white malleable ductile toxic metallic element used in protective platings and in bearing metals. |
| Cadmium Lithopone | A series of yellows and reds that are permanent to light and resistant to alkalis. |
| Cadmium Red | Non-fading red pigment made from cadmium and selenium metals; heat and alkali resistant. |
| Cadmium Yellow | Pigment prepared by precipitation from acid solution of soluble cadmium salt with hydrogen sulphide gas; fast to alkalis but not to acids. |
| Cafe | A small coffee shop or simple restaurant. |
| cafe curtain | Curtains hung to cover the bottom part of a window. Usually kept closed, they originated in Vienna in the 19th century. |
| cafe rod | A slim rod, normally of brass, used for cased or scallop-headed curtains. |
| Cafeteria | A restaurant where the diners collect their food on a tray and usually pay before eating. |
| Cage Ladder | A, usually wall-mounted, ladder that has, for safety, a surrounding structure to prevent the climber from falling off. |
| Caging | Metal furring used to enclose pipes, columns, beams or other configurations to be concealed by gypsum board. |
| Caisson | 1. A type of drilled or augured piling. 2. A cylindrical, sitecast concrete foundation that penetrates through unsatisfactory soil to rest upon an underlying stratum of rock or satisfactory soil. 3. A foundation pier, either circular or rectilinear in pla |
| Caisson | A 10" or 12" diameter hole drilled into the earth and embedded into bedrock 3 - 4 feet. The structural support for a type of foundation wall, porch, patio, monopost, or other structure. Two or more "sticks" of reinforcing bars (rebar) are inserted into an |
| Caisson Disease | A sometimes fatal disorder that afflicts workers in a compressed air atmosphere who return to normal air pressure too quickly; decompression sickness; also called The Bends, Air Embolism, or Aerembolism. |
| Caking | Hard settling of pigment from paint. |
| Cal/OSHA | California Occupational Safety and Health Act. |
| Calcareous | Containing calcium or calcium carbonate; chalky. |
| Calcification | Buildup of calcium carbonate on swimming pool walls and equipment; caused by precipitation of calcium from hard water. |
| Calcimine | A white or tinted wash consisting of glue, whiting or zinc white, and water, used primarily on plastered surfaces; a type of tempera; sometimes written Kalsomine. |
| Calcine | 1. To alter composition or physical state by heating. 2. To drive off or lose chemically combined water by action of heat thereby altering the chemical and physical characteristics of a material. 3. To release part or all of the water of crystallization f |
| Calcined | Heated to high temperature in absence of air. |
| Calcined Board | Gypsum board which has been subjected to excessive heat. |
| Calcined Gypsum | Gypsum that has been partially dehydrated by heat. |
| Calcium Aluminate Cement | The product obtained by pulverizing clinker consisting essentially of hydraulic calcium aluminates resulting from fusing or sintering a suitably proportioned mixture of aluminous and calcareous materials. |
| Calcium Carbonate | Earth product obtained from deposits of chalk or dolomite; also called Whiting; used as extender pigment. |
| Calcium Driers | Used widely in combination with other metal driers to convert paint to hard films. |
| Calcium Gypsum | A dry powder, primarily calcium sulfate hemihydrate, resulting from calcination of gypsum; cementitious base for production of most gypsum plasters; also called Plaster of Paris; sometimes called Stucco. |
| Calcium Hypchlorite | A chemical compound of chlorine and calcium used as a bacteriacide in swimming pools; available in white granular or tablet form and releases 70 percent of its weight as available chlorine. |
| Calcium Insulation | A type of insulation, made of hydrated calcium silicate, that can withstand 1200° Fahrenheit and is not affected by moisture. |
| Calcium Silicate | A sand and lime solution. |
| Calcium Sulfate | 1. The chemical compound CaSO4. 2. White inert pigment which provides very little color or opacity. 3. A drying agent or desiccant in liquid line driers. |
| Calculus | A method of computation or calculation in a special notation; the use of algebra to calculate changing quantities. |
| Calendar Day | Each and every day on the calendar without deduction for weekends or holidays. |
| Calendered Papers | Wallpapers with hard finish. |
| Caliber | 1.The internal diameter of a tube. 2. The character and capacity of a firm. |
| Calibrate | To verify the graduations of an instrument and adjust them if necessary. |
| calico | A cheap cotton of medium weight. It can also be printed, and fabric paints and stencils work well on it. It does shrink easily and looks best on tightly fitted upholstery. |
| Calidarium | The room containing the warm bath in Roman baths, also called Thermae. |
| California Redwood Association (CRA) | 405 Enfrente Drive #200, Novato, California 94949, (415) 382-0662, FAX (415) 382-8531. |
| Caliper | 1. A measuring instrument with two legs resembling a divider, for measuring thicknesses, diameters, and distances between surfaces; with in-turned points to measure convex surfaces and out-turned points for measuring internal dimensions. 2. The precise me |
| Call System | A communicating device to connect one place with another. |
| Calorie | 1. Small calorie or gram calorie, used by medical science;the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree Celsius. 2. Large calorie or great calorie; used by engineering science; the amount of heat needed to raise the te |
| Calorimeter | Device used to measure quantities of heat or determine specific heats. |
| Cam | A projection on a rotating part in machinery, shaped to impart reciprocal or variable motion to the part in contact with it. |
| Camber | 1.A deflection that is intentionally built into a structural element or form, usually a beam, to improve appearance or to nullify and offset the deflection of the beam under the effects of loads, shrinkage, and creep. 2. A slight rise at the center of a f |
| Camber Rod | A tension rod installed under a trussed beam. |
| Cambium | A thin layer of tissue in a tree between the bark and wood that repeatedly subdivides to form new wood and bark cells. |
| Came | Slender grooved lead rod used in stained glass windows. |
| Camera Cable | A device for the transmission or recording of visual images. |
| Campanile | A free-standing bell tower. |
| Campus | The grounds and buildings of a university, college, or school. |
| Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) | 222 Queen Street, 14th Floor, Ottawa, Canada K1A 1G6, (613) 941-8648. |
| Canadian Standards Association (CSA) | 178 Rexdale Boulevard, Rexdale, Toronto, Canada, M9W 1R3, (416) 747-4000. |
| Candela | An international unit of luminous intensity; also called a Candle. |
| Candelabrum | (Pl. candelabra) A branched candle stick or lamp with several lights. |
| Candelilla Wax | Wax obtained from small shrub grown in Texas and Mexico; softer than Carnuba wax. |
| Candle | See Candela. |
| Candlepower | The unit of luminous intensity of a light source, expressed in Candelas. |
| Cane Bolt | An L-shaped rod, mounted on a swinging or sliding door or gate, that drops into a pipe sleeve below the floor surface to secure the door or gate. |
| Cannibalization | The process of operating an income property by borrowing parts, fixtures, and equipment from vacant spaces. |
| Cannular | Tubular. |
| Canopy | An overhanging shelter; a marquee. |
| canopy bed | Bed with canopy suspended over the head by cords attached to the ceiling (see ⋅ la Duchesse.) |
| Cant Strip | 1. A strip of material, usually treated wood or fiber, with a sloping face used to ease the transition from a horizontal to a vertical surface at the edge of a flat roof; prevents the roofing material from abruptly stopping at the parapet wall and also he |
| Cant strip | A triangular shaped piece of lumber used at the junction of a flat deck and a wall to prevent cracking of the roofing which is applied over it. |
| Cantilever | A structural shape, beam, truss, or slab, that extends beyond its last point of support. |
| Cantilever | An overhang. Where one floor extends beyond and over a foundation wall. For example at a fireplace location or bay window cantilever. Normally, not extending over 2 feet. |
| Cantilever Wall | A retaining wall in which the wall and footing resists earth pressure by cantilever effect. |
| Cantilevered Beam | A beam that is supported at one end only. |
| Cantilevered void | Foundation void material used in unusually expansive soils conditions. This void is "trapezoid" shaped and has vertical sides of 6" and 4" respectively. |
| canvas | A plain basket-weave material of coarse jute threads. It is made in various weights and is the basic material from which buckram is made. |
| Cap | 1.a caplike part or thing; cover, or top. 2. An upper limit set on a budget or cost; a ceiling. 3. A trim tile with a convex radius on one edge; used for finishing the top of a wainscot or for turning an outside corner, a bullnose. 4. The upper member of |
| Cap | The upper member of a column, pilaster, door cornice, molding, and the like. |
| Cap | The upper member of a column, pilaster, door cornice, molding, or fireplace. |
| Cap Base | Wood strip applied to the base of a wall to protect wall surface and finish the intersection of wall and baseboard. |
| Cap Block | A solid flat slab usually 2-1/4 inches thick used as capping units for parapet and garden walls; also used as a Paving Unit. |
| Cap Flashing | See Counterflashing. |
| Cap flashing | The portion of the flashing attached to a vertical surface to prevent water from migrating behind the base flashing. |
| Cap Rate | See Capitalization Rate. |
| Cap Sheet | The top sheet of roofing in a built up roof, usually made of organic or inorganic fibers, saturated and coated on both sides with a bituminous compound and factory-coated with mineral granules, mica, talc, iliminite, asbestos, or other inorganic fibers, o |
| Cap, Black Iron | A steel fitting, with female threads, which seals the end of a pipe. |
| Cap, Pile | A structural member usually fastened to, and placed on the top of a slender timber, concrete, steel pile; used to transmit loads into the pile or group of piles and to interconnect them. |
| Cap, Post | A fitting which joins the end of a wooden post to a joist or girder connected to the post. |
| Cap, Welded | A fitting that is fastened by welding to seal the end of a pipe. |
| Capacitance | Property of a nonconductor, condenser or capacitor, that permits storage of electrical energy in an electrostatic field; a measure of this is the farad. 2. Property of an electric circuit which tends to oppose a change in voltage. |
| Capacitance Sensor | A sensor which shows a device's ability or hold or store electrical energy. |
| Capacitive Reactance | The opposition or resistance to an alternating current as a result of capacitance; expressed in ohms. |
| Capacitor | 1. A device which introduces capacitance into an electric circuit. 2. Type of electrical storage device used in starting and/or running circuits on many electric motors. |
| Capacitor Motor | Single-phase induction motor with an auxiliary starting winding connected in series with a condenser (capacitor) for better starting characteristics. |
| Capacitor-Start Motor | Motor which has a capacitor in the starting circuit. |
| Capacity | 1. The ability to contain or receive. 2. The maximum amount that can be accommodated or contained. 3. Refrigeration rating system; usually measured in Btu per hour or watts (metric). 4. The requirements of a lender that indicate borrowers' physical and fi |
| Capillarity | The action by which the surface of a liquid where it is in contact with a solid, as in a capillary tube, is elevated or depressed depending on the relative attraction of the molecules of the liquid for each other and for those of the solid. |
| Capillary | A tube with a small bore. |
| Capillary Attraction | 1. The force of adhesion between a solid and a liquid in capillarity. 2. In brazing, the phenomenon by which adhesion between the molten filler metal and the base metals, together with surface tension of the molten filler metal, distributes the filler met |
| Capillary Break | A slot or groove intended to create an opening too large to be bridged by a drop of water, and thereby to eliminate the passage of water by capillary action. |
| Capillary Movement | Movement of underground water in response to capillary attraction. |
| Capillary Space | In cement paste, any space not occupied by anhydrous cement or cement gel; air bubbles, whether entrained or entrapped, are not considered as part of the cement paste. |
| Capillary Tube | See Capillary and Choke Tube. |
| Capillary Water | Underground water held above the water table by capillary attraction. |
| Capital | 1. The money or other assets with which a company starts in business and uses in operation. 2. The head or cornice of a pillar or column; also called Column Cap. 3. A city serving as the seat of government. |
| Capital | The principal part of a loan, i.e. the original amount borrowed. |
| Capital and interest | A repayment loan and the most conventional form of home loan. The borrower pays an amount each month to cover the amount borrowed (or capital or principal) plus the interest charged on capital. |
| Capital Gain or Loss | The gain or loss in the sale or disposition of a capital asset. |
| Capital Stock | The total amount invested in the business by the owner in exchange for shares of common stock at par value. |
| Capital, Column | The uppermost member of a column crowning the shaft and taking the weight of the slab, beam, or girder. |
| Capitalization | 1.The process of determining the capital value of a real property investment by relating its annual income to an assumed capitalization rate; for example, a property with an annual income of $12,000 and a capitalization rate of 8 percent would have a capi |
| Capitalization Rate | The rate of interest to be used in the capitalization process, reflecting risk and rates of return on alternative investments; also called Cap Rate. |
| Capitol | 1.A building in which a state legislative body meets. 2. The building in which the US Congress meets in Washington, DC. |
| Capped rate | The mortgage interest rate will not exceed a specified value during a certain period of time, but it will fluctuate up and down below that level. |
| Car Wash | A building housing a mechanized method for washing cars. |
| Carbon | A nonmetallic element found native, as in the diamond and graphite, or as a constituent of coal, petroleum, and asphalt, of limestone and other carbonates, and of organic compounds; when combined with iron, forms various kinds of steel; in solid form, it |
| Carbon Black | Jet black, non-bleeding pigment, made by burning natural gas in insufficient supply of air. |
| Carbon Dioxide | Compound of carbon and oxygen (CO2) which is sometimes used as a refrigerant; refrigerant number is R-744. |
| Carbon Filter | Air filter using activated carbon as air cleansing agent. |
| Carbon Monoxide | A colorless, odorless toxic gas, CO, a product of incomplete burning of carbon. |
| Carbon Steel | Low carbon or mild steel. |
| Carbon Tetracholride | Colorless nonflammable and very toxic liquid used as a solvent; it should never be allowed to touch skin and fumes must not be inhaled. |
| Carbon-Arc Cutting | An arc-cutting process wherein the severing of metals is effected by melting with the heat of an arc between a carbon electrode and the base metal. |
| Carbon-Arc Welding | An arc-welding process wherein coalescence is produced by heating with an electric arc between a carbon electrode and the work and no shielding is used; pressure may or may not be used and filler metal may or may not be applied. |
| Carbonation | Reaction between the products of portland cement and carbon dioxide to produce calcium carbonate. |
| Carbonizing Flame | See Reducing Flame. |
| Carborundum | Trademark. A compound of carbon and silicon used as an abrasive. |
| Carcinogen | Any substance that produces cancer. |
| Card Access Control | An entry device that is operated by a small magnetized plastic card, similar to a credit card. |
| Carillon | A set of bells sounded either from a keyboard or manually. |
| Carlton V | Fabric vendor. (33-01 38th Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11101) |
| Carnuba Wax | A hard wax obtained from species of palm grown mostly in Brazil. |
| Carpenter | A craft worker skilled in woodwork, especially of the structural kind. |
| Carpenter Pencil | A sturdy pencil with a thick rectangular lead for marking lumber. |
| Carpenter's Level | A hand tool consisting of a wood or metal bar with spirit levels attached, used for establishing plumbness and levelness of construction members. |
| Carpenter's Saw | . See Handsaw. |
| Carpentry, Finish | The finish woodwork installation such as base, casing, doors, stairs, paneling; all woodwork installed after plastering or drywall. |
| Carpentry, Rough | The preliminary framing, boxing, and sheeting of a wood frame building. |
| Carpet | General designation of fabric constructions which serve as soft floor coverings, especially those which cover the entire floor and are fastened to it, as opposed to rugs; see also Woven, Tufted, Knitted, Punched, and Flocked carpets. |
| Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI) | PO Box 2048, Dalton, Georgia 30722, (706) 278-3176. |
| Carpet Base | 1. Vinyl or rubber base attached to the wall with adhesive and installed as a finish for carpeting. 2. A base made of carpeting serving the same purpose. |
| Carpet Lining | See Carpet Padding. |
| Carpet Padding | A jute, felt ,hair, foam, or plastic rubber underlayment installed under carpeting to increase underfoot comfort, to absorb pile-crushing forces and to reduce impact sound transmission; also called Cushioning, Lining, or Underlay. |
| Carpet Plate | A thin piece of ornamental metal that the rough edges of carpet is connected to at doorways or at the junction of carpet to another flooring material to form a clean ending point. |
| Carpet strip | See Base Shoe. |
| Carpet Tack | A small tack used for attaching carpeting to wood floors. |
| Carpet Tile | Carpet that comes in sheets or small squares and is installed with the use of adhesives. |
| Carport | An open-sided shelter with a roof for a car, usually beside a house. |
| Carrel | A small cubicle for an individual reader in a library. |
| Carrene | Refrigerant in Group One (R-11); chemical combination of carbon, chlorine and fluorine. |
| Carriage | The framing support of the steps and risers of a flight of stairs; also called Rough Horse and Stair Horse. |
| Carriage Bolt | A bolt with a round smooth head that is threaded; a bolt with a square neck directly under the head to prevent its rotation. |
| Carriageway | The portion of road used by vehicles. Includes the shoulders and auxiliary lanes. |
| Carrier Channel | The main supporting metal members used in the construction of suspended ceilings. |
| Carrier, Fixture | A mounting frame built into a wall to support a plumbing fixture. |
| Carriers | The small mechanisms which attach the vanes to the headrail track of a vertical blind. |
| Carrying Channels | See CHANNELS, CARRYING. |
| Cart, Laundry | A push or pull institutional vehicle with wheels, for the transport of clean or soiled laundry. |
| Cartouche | An ornamental frame. |
| Cartridge | 1. Any of various small containers, holding a supply of material for a larger device into which it is inserted. 2. Disposable element containing filtering media and used in some pool filters. |
| Cartridge Filter | A swimming pool filter which operates through a disposable cartridge; these are of two general types. the surface or area type where the suspended matter is removed at the surface and the depth type in which the interstices vary from large to small in dep |
| Cartridge, Extinguisher | The cylindrical container of a fire prevention apparatus which contains the chemicals used in the suppression of fire. |
| Carved Carpet | See Sculptured Carpet |
| Carved Door | A door that has been finished with either factory or hand cutting onto its surface to improve its appearance. |
| cascade | Pleated fabric that hangs at either side of a swag. |
| Cascade Sequence | In welding, a combined longitudinal and buildup sequence wherein weld beads are deposited in overlapping layers; in manual shielded metal arc welding a backstep sequence is normally used. See Block Sequence and Buildup Sequence. |
| Cascade System | Arrangement in which two or more refrigerating systems are used in series; uses the evaporator of one machine to cool the condenser of another machine; produces ultra-low temperatures. |
| Case Joint | A type of joint used in cabinetmaking in which the two pieces are butted together at an angle and fastened by dowels. |
| Case Mould | Plaster shell used to hold various parts of a plaster mould in correct position; also used with gelatin and wax moulds to prevent distortions during pouring operation. |
| Case, Refrigerated | A storage case kept cold by a mechanical device. For use to store perishable items. |
| cased heading | A simple curtain heading in which a sleeve of material is left open at the top of the curtain to receive a curtain rod or pole. |
| cased headings (or slot heading) | A curtain heading consisting of a simple hemmed top through which a rod or narrow pole may be slotted. |
| Casein | Protein obtained from milk, soluble in alkaline water solution; casein is used extensively in the manufacture of water paints. |
| Casein Glue | An adhesive substance composed of casein (the curd of milk), lime, and sodium salt; it comes as dry powder to which water is added. |
| Casein Paints | Paint in which casein solution has replaced the binder. |
| Casement | A window in which the sash opens with hinges and pivots on an axis along the vertical line of the frame; casement window. |
| Casement | Frames of wood or metal enclosing part (or all) of a window sash. May beopened by means of hinges affixed to the vertical edges. |
| Casement frames and sash | Frames of wood or metal enclosing part or all of the sash, which may be opened by means of hinges affixed to the vertical edges. |
| Casement Window | A window with hinges on one of the vertical sides and swings open like a normal door. |
| casement windows | A window with one or more sashes that are hinged on a vertical edge. Opens from the side. |
| Casework | Assembled cabinetry or millwork. |
| Cash Accounting | A method of keeping accounting records in which income is recorded when actually received and expenses are recorded when cash is paid out; also called Cash Basis. |
| Cash Basis | See Cash Accounting. |
| Cash Flow | The actual cash income after all cash outlays and reserves have been deducted from the gross income. |
| Casing | 1. The wood finish pieces surrounding the frame of a window or door, or the finished lumber around a post or beam. 2. A cylindrical steel tube used to line a drilled or driven hole such as a well or caisson. |
| Casing | Molding of various widths and thicknesses used to trim door and window openings at the jambs. |
| Casing | Wood trim molding installed around a door or window opening. |
| Casing Bead | Metal or wood molding used to separate different materials, used as an edge or used around openings to provide a stop. |
| Casing Trim | Metal or wood material that is attached around windows and doors to act as the decorative finish. |
| Casing, Ranch | An architectural style of exposed millwork enclosure of cased beams, posts, pipes, and the exposed molding or lining around doors and windows. |
| Casino | 1. A building or room used for gambling or other amusements. 2. A small summerhouse |
| CASSB | Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau. |
| Cassiterite | An inorganic mineral of the tetragonal form used as a source of tin and tin oxide; SnO2. |
| Cast | Inclination of one color to look like another; for example, sulphur is yellow with a greenish cast. |
| Cast Iron | Iron with a high carbon content, which cannot, because of the percentage of carbon, be classified as steel. |
| Cast Iron Soil Pipe Institute (CISPI) | 5959 Shallowford Road, #419, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421, (615) 892-0137. |
| Cast Iron Wheel Guard | Lineal component placed at intersection of wall and horizontal surface to restrain wheels of vehicles from coming close to wall surface, protecting it from vehicular damage. |
| Cast Stone | Concrete cast in molds for ornamental use in construction. |
| Cast-In-Place | Mortar or concrete which is deposited in the place where it is required to harden as part of the structure, as opposed to precast concrete. |
| Cast-In-Place Concrete | Concrete that is poured in its intended location at a site. |
| Castellated Beam | A steel, wide-flange section whose web has been cut along a zigzag path and reassembled by welding in such a way as to create a deeper section. |
| Casting Bed | A form in which precast concrete units are constructed. |
| Casting Mold | Use of gelatin, wax, or plaster molds to make plaster ornamentation |
| Casting Plaster | A fast-setting gypsum plaster that is used to anchor marble to walls; see Gypsum Molding Plaster. |
| Casting, Solid | Forming castings by introducing a body slip into a porous mold which usually consists of two major sections, one section forming the contour of the inside of the ware and allowing a solid cast to form between the two mold faces. |
| Castor Oil | Nondrying oil obtained from the castor bean; may be converted to a drying oil by chemical treatment. |
| Casts | Finished plaster products from a mold, sometimes referred to as staff; used generally as enrichments and stuck in place. |
| Catalyst | A substance that initiates a chemical reaction and enables it to proceed under different conditions (as at a lower temperature ) than otherwise possible. |
| Catch | A piece of hardware for fastening a door, window, or cabinet door. |
| Catch Basin | A receptacle for catching water runoff from a designated area; usually a shallow concrete box with a grating and a discharge pipe leading to a plumbing or stormwater system. |
| Catchment | An area confined by drainage divides usually having only one streamflow outlet. |
| Catenary | The curve assumed by a completely flexible string or cable loaded only by its own weight. |
| Catface | Blemish or rough depression in the finish coat of plaster caused by variations in base coat thickness. |
| Cathedral | A church that is the official seat of a diocesan bishop. |
| Cathode 1 | The negative electrode in an electrolytic cell. 2. The positive terminal of a primary cell such as a battery. |
| Cathode-Ray Tube | A high-vacuum tube in which cathode rays produce a luminous image on a fluorescent screen. |
| Catwalk | A narrow walkway, such as used in an attic for access. |
| Caulk | 1. To seal and waterproof cracks and joints, especially around window and exterior door frames. 2. To seal small openings in wall or ceiling systems to prevent leakage of sound or to effect a finished appearance and seal between dissimilar materials. |
| Caulk, Masonry | A resilient material applied where masonry work butts against other materials to seal cracks or openings. |
| Caulking | (1) A flexible material used to seal a gap between two surfaces e.g. between pieces of siding or the corners in tub walls. (2) To fill a joint with mastic or asphalt plastic cement to prevent leaks. |
| Caulking | 1. A composition of vehicle and pigment, used at ambient temperatures for filling joints; remains plastic for an extended time after application. 2. A method of making a bell and spigot pipe joint watertight by packing it with oakum and lead or other mate |
| Caulking Compound | A soft, plastic material used for sealing joints in buildings and other structures where normal structural movement may occur; retains its plasticity for an extended period after application; available in forms suitable for application by gun and knife an |
| Caulking Gun | A device, usually hand-powered, which dispenses liquid caulking into joints and seams. |
| Caustic Lime | Lime. |
| Caveat | A warning or proviso. |
| Caveat Emptor | Let the buyer beware. A warning that the buyer purchases at its own risk |
| Cavetto | A quarter hollow molding, the converse of a quarter round |
| Caving | The collapse of a streambank by undercutting due to wearing away of the toe or an erodible soil layer above the toe. |
| Cavitation | Localized gaseous condition or partial vacuum that is found within a liquid stream; caused by mechanical force, as in a pump impeller, or in fluids at high velocities. |
| Cavity | A hollow or void space within a mass. |
| Cavity Wall | A masonry wall that includes a continuous airspace between its outermost wythe and the remainder of the wall. |
| Cavity Wall Anchor | A metal device mounted on a masonry wall used to secure other attachments or masonry to an existing or back-up wall. |
| CBD | Commerce Business Daily; a daily newspaper that carries listings of governmental contracts available for bidding. |
| CC&Rs | Covenants, conditions, and restrictions. |
| CCA (Chromated Copper Arsenate) | A pesticide that is forced into wood under high pressure to protect it from termites, other wood boring insects, and decay caused by fungus. |
| CCMCA | California Conference of Mason Contractor Associations, Inc. |
| CCTV | Closed Circuit Television. |
| CCTV Cable | Cable that is used for the transmission of closed-circuit television. |
| CDA | Copper Development Association. |
| CDX | A grading system mark for plywood which means. grade C and D, exterior glue. |
| CDX Plywood | Plywood used in exterior applications that is graded C and D, for sheathing. |
| CE | Civil Engineer. |
| Cedar | An aromatic durable softwood, genus Cedars, of the pine family. |
| Cedar Closet | A closet that is lined with thin pieces of cedar wood; used for its fragrance and its ability to repel insects. |
| Cedar Deck | A flat-floored roofless area adjoining a structure constructed of cedar wood; a platform serving as a structural element constructed of cedar wood; planks for flooring, from cedar, usually 2" nominal thickness. |
| Cedar Shake | A shingle made by splitting a block of cedar along its grain and thereby creating a shingle which may be used for roofing or siding; also called Handsplit Shingles. |
| Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau (CASSB) | 515 116th Avenue, NE, #275, Bellevue, Washington 98004-5294, (206) 453-1323. |
| Cedar Shingle | A thin piece of cedar wood with one end thicker than the other for laying in overlapping rows as a covering for a roof or the sides of a building or structure. |
| Cedar Siding | Boards milled from cedar wood, used for the finish covering on the exterior walls of a building or structure; used for its appearance and resistance to moisture and aging. |
| Ceiling | 1. The overhead inside lining of a room; classified by structural type, contact, furred, or suspended. |
| Ceiling Access Door | A hinged door or loose fitting panel that allows for admittance to an attic. |
| Ceiling Blocking | Wood pieces installed between ceiling joists and rafters to provide nailing surfaces for finishing ceiling materials. |
| Ceiling Diffuser | A mechanical device through which warm or cold air is blown into an enclosure, for the purpose of to distributing conditioned air. |
| Ceiling Framing | Wood or metal pieces which form the rough framing of ceilings. |
| Ceiling Furring | Wood or metal strips applied to a ceiling or rafter to make the ceiling or rafter level, provide a nailing surface, or create an air space. |
| Ceiling Grille | A grating, screen, or louvered panel that allows air into a ventilating duct. |
| Ceiling Heater | An electric heater installed in a ceiling, often in a bathroom. |
| Ceiling Insulation | Loose, blown-in material or fiberglass rolls that are in installed at the ceiling plane. |
| Ceiling joist | One of a series of parallel framing members used to support ceiling loads and supported in turn by larger beams, girders or bearing walls. Also called roof joists. |
| Ceiling Joist | The horizontal members in a building or structure to which the ceiling material is fastened. |
| Ceiling Lath | Sheets of expanded metal, gypsum or in older structures, wood lath, which are attached to a ceiling to provide a plaster base. |
| Ceiling Molding | Molding that is used to form a projection at the top of a wall. |
| Ceiling Mortar | Extra-rich wall mortar. |
| Ceiling Painting | The actual physical process of applying paint, either by brush, roller, or spray gun to the ceiling section of a structure. |
| Ceiling Plenum | Space below the flooring and above the suspended ceiling that accommodates the mechanical and electrical equipment and that is used as part of the air distribution system. |
| Ceiling Price | The maximum price that an informed buyer would pay to purchase or lease property. |
| Ceiling Removal | The demolition and removal of ceiling materials in order to replace or remodel. |
| Ceiling Sound Transmission Class | A measure of reduction in sound transmission via plenum path between two rooms. |
| Celebrity miniblind | 6 gauge aluminum miniblind, made by Hunter Douglas. |
| Cell | 1. Any void space. 2. A single room in a prison or jail. 3.The anatomical units of plant tissue, including wood fibers, vessel members, and other elements of diverse structure and function. 4. One of the hollow openings in building tile or cement blocks. |
| Cellar | Basement |
| Cellular Concrete | A lightweight product consisting of portland cement, cement-pozzolan, cement-sand, lime-pozzolan or lime-sand pastes, or pastes containing blends of these ingredients and having a homogenous void or cell structure, attained with gas- forming chemicals or |
| Cellular Decking | Metal floor or roof deck panels made of steel sheets corrugated and welded together in such a way that hollow longitudinal cells are created within the panels.Deck which during construction supports wet concrete and construction loads, but after concrete |
| Cellular Raceway | The hollow spaces of cellular metal floors, together with suitable fittings, that are used as enclosures for electrical and telephone conductors. |
| Cellulose | 1. The carbohydrate that is the principal constituent of wood and forms the framework of the wood cells. 2. An organic substance obtained from the cotton plant and used as raw material in the manufacture of paints and other materials. |
| Cellulose Acetate | A binder made by chemical reaction of acetic acid on cellulose (cotton linters). |
| Cellulose Nitrate | A binder made by chemical reaction of nitric acid on cellulose (cotton linters); also called Nitrocellulose or Pyroxylin. |
| Celsius | International thermometric scale where 0.01 degrees represents the triple point of water and 100 degrees the boiling point; similar to Centigrade. |
| Celsius Temperature Scale | The temperature scale used in metric system in which the freezing point of water is 0° and the boiling point is 100°; see Celsius. |
| Cement | The gray powder that is the "glue" in concrete. Portland cement. Also, any adhesive. |
| Cement Asbestos | A material composed of portland cement, fine aggregate, and asbestos fibers; it is formed into flat and corrugated building boards used for roofing and siding, pipes and fittings, and water tanks. |
| Cement Base Paint | A paint composed of portland cement, lime, pigment, and other modifying ingredients; sold as dry powder to be mixed with water for application. |
| Cement Body Tiles | Tiles with the body made from a mixture of sand and portland cement; the surface may be finished with portland cement, spheroids of marble, or other materials. |
| Cement Color | Colored powdered or liquid pigments added to a mix to integrally color concrete. |
| Cement Content | The quantity of cement contained in a unit volume of concrete or mortar, ordinarily expressed as pounds, barrels, or bags per cubic yard. |
| Cement Factor | The number of bags or cubic feet of cement per cubic yard of concrete; see Cement Content. |
| Cement Fiber | A threadlike structure added to cement to stiffen and strengthen it. |
| Cement Fiber Board | A prefabricated concrete building sheet that is compressed and bonded. |
| Cement Gel | The colloidal, glue like, material that makes up the major portion of the porous mass of which hydrated cement paste is composed. |
| Cement Grout | 1. A cementitious mixture of portland cement, sand or other ingredients, and water which produces a uniform paste used to fill joints and cavities between masonry units. 2. A thin mortar used for pointing-up and finishing joints between tile units. |
| Cement Mortar | A mixture of cement, lime, sand, or other aggregates, and water, used for plastering over masonry or to lay block, brick or tile. |
| Cement Paste | The mixture of portland cement, water, pozzolans and other admixtures, if any, and air which surround the aggregates in concrete; also called the matrix. |
| Cement Plaster | 1. Plaster having portland cement as its binder; used on exterior surfaces or in damp areas. 2. Gypsum plaster made to be used with the addition of sand for basecoat plaster; also called Neat or Hardwall plaster. |
| Cement, Keene's | See Keene's Cement. |
| Cement, Keene’s | A white finish plaster that produces an extremely durable wall. Because of its density, it excels for use in bathrooms and kitchens and is also used extensively for the finish coat in auditoriums, public buildings, and other places where walls may be subj |
| Cement, Masonry | A hydraulic cement for use in mortars for masonry construction, containing one or more of the following materials. portland cement, portland blast-furnace, slag cement, portland-pozzolan cement, natural cement, slag cement or hydraulic lime; and in additi |
| Cementing | In roofing, a solidly mopped application of hot asphalt, cold liquid asphalt compound, hot coal-tar pitch, or other cementing material. |
| Cementitious | Having cementing properties; usually used with reference to inorganic substances, such as portland cement and lime. |
| Cementitious Material | A component material of plaster, mortar, or concrete which when mixed with water provides plasticity necessary for placement; upon subsequent setting or hardening it serves to bind aggregate particles together into a rigid heterogeneous mass. |
| Cementitious Topping | A compound that is capable of setting like concrete when applied on a concrete base to form a floor surface. |
| Cenotaph | A tomb or monument erected in honor of a person or group of persons whose remains are elsewhere. |
| Center | 1. The middle point of a line, circle, or sphere, equidistant from the ends or from any point on the circumference or surface; a pivot or axis of rotation. 2. A place or group of buildings forming a central point in a district or city. 3. A temporary stru |
| Center Matched | See Tongue and Groove. |
| Center of Gravity | The point at which the weight of a body may be considered to act; center of mass. |
| Center Pole | Column in center of spiral stair which supports stair treads. |
| Center Punch | A hand punch consisting of a short steel bar with a hardened conical point at one end used for marking the centers of holes to be drilled. |
| Center-Hung Sash | A sash hung on its centers so that it swings on a horizontal axis. |
| Centering | Temporary formwork for an arch, dome, vault, or other overhead surface. |
| Centering Shims | Small blocks of synthetic rubber or plastic used to hold a sheet of glass in the center of its frame. |
| Centerline | A real or imaginary line that is equidistant from the sides of some object; it is usually represented on drawings as a line of alternate dots and dashes. |
| Centesimal Measure | 1. Division into hundredths. 2. Division of the circle into 400 grads. |
| Centigrade | Thermometric scale where 0 degrees represents the freezing point of water and 100 degrees the boiling point. Similar to Celsius. |
| Centimeter | A metric unit that equals one-hundredth of a meter or 10 millimeters and is equivalent to 2.54 inches. |
| Centipose | A metric unit of viscosity. |
| Central Inverter | A device for converting direct current into alternating current by mechanical or electronic means. |
| Central System | A system of conditioning air supplied to various areas or space, serviced by the same source of heat or cooling; all equipment in central systems is indoors except air-cooled condensers, evaporative condensers, and cooling towers. |
| Centrifugal | Away from the center; opposite from centripetal. |
| Centrifugal Compressor | Pump which compresses gaseous refrigerants by centrifugal force. |
| Centrifugal Force | An apparent force that acts outwards on a body moving about a center. |
| Centrifugal Pump | A pump which draws water into the center of a high speed impeller and forces the fluid outward with velocity and pressure. |
| Centrifuge, Laboratory | A laboratory apparatus using centrifugal force for separating substances of different densities, for removing moisture, or for simulating gravitational effects. |
| Centripetal | Towards the center; opposite from centrifugal. |
| Centripetal Force | A force that keeps a body moving about a center from flying outwards. |
| Centroid | Center of mass. |
| Ceramic | Made of clay and permanently hardened by heat. |
| Ceramic Adhesive | Used for bonding tile to a surface; rubber solvents; rubber- and resin-based emulsions used as adhesives. |
| Ceramic Color Gaze | An opaque colored glaze of satin or gloss finish obtained by spraying the clay body with a compound of metallic oxides, chemicals and clays; it is burned at high temperatures, fusing glaze to body, making them inseparable. |
| Ceramic Insulator | A device made of ceramic non-conductive material which is used in electrical installations. |
| Ceramic Mosaic Tile | An unglazed tile formed by either the dust-pressed or plastic method, usually 1/4 to 3/8 in. (6.4 to 9.5 mm) thick, and having a facial area of less than 6 in, usually mounted on sheets approximately 2 by 1 ft. (0.3 by 0.6 m) to facilitate setting; cerami |
| Ceramic Process | The production of articles or coatings from essentially inorganic, nonmetallic materials, the article or coating being made permanent and suitable for utilitarian and decorative purposes by the action of heat at temperatures sufficient to cause sintering, |
| Ceramic tile | A man-made or machine-made clay tile used to finish a floor or wall. Generally used in bathtub and shower enclosures and on counter tops. |
| Ceramic Tile | A thin surfacing unit made from clay and/or a mixture of clay and other ceramic materials; the tile has either a glazed or unglazed face; it is fired above a red heat in the course of manufacture to a temperature sufficiently high to produce specific phys |
| Ceramic Tile Institute (CTI) | 700 North Virgil Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90029, (213) 660-1911. |
| Ceramic Veneer | A type of architectural terra cotta, characterized by larger face dimensions and thinner sections ranging from 1-1/8 in. to 2-1/2 in. in thickness. |
| Ceresin | A hydrocarbon wax which possesses considerable flexibility. |
| Certificate for Payment | A written document forwarded to the general contractor by the architect, engineer, or owner approving payment for work completed. |
| Certificate of Insurance | A certificate provided by the general contractor verifying that he has obtained the required insurance for the project; the certificate is issued by the insurance company or its agent and confirms the existence of the insurance, the coverage, and its expi |
| Certificate of Substantial Completion | A written document forwarded to the general contractor by the architect, engineer, or owner indicating that the project is substantially complete; this document initiates the time period for the final payment to the contractor. |
| Certified Check | A depositor's check guaranteed for payment by the bank. |
| Cessation of Work | The ending of work on a construction project without completion. |
| Cesspool | A subterranean container for temporary storage of septic tank effluent while it soaks into the adjoining soil. |
| CFC | Chlorofluorocarbon. |
| CFM | Cubic feet per minute. |
| CFM (cubic feet per minute) | A rating that expresses the amount of air a blower or fan can move. The volume of air (measured in cubic feet) that can pass through an opening in one minute. |
| CFS | Cubic Feet per Second. |
| CGL Insurance | Comprehensive General Liability Insurance. |
| CGSB | Canadian General Standards Board. |
| Chain | A flexible series of connected metal links, to support a load. |
| Chain Binders | In carpet making, yarns running warpwise (lengthwise) in the back of the carpet, binding all construction yarns together; the chain binder runs alternately over and under the weft binding and filling yarns, thereby pulling the pile yarn down and the stuff |
| Chain Hoist, Door | A chain in a grooved pulley or sheave with a chain hook used to hoist a large door. |
| Chain Link Fence | A fence made of a wire mesh fabric. |
| Chain Link Fence Manufacturer's Institute (CLFMI) | 1101 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 857-1140. |
| Chain Trencher | A self-propelled machine with blades attached to a continuous chain, used to excavate trenches. |
| Chain Warp | In carpet making, zigzag warp yarn that works over and under the shot yarns of the carpet, binding the backing yarns together; see Warp. |
| Chair | 1. A separate seat for one person, usually with four legs and a back. 2. A device used to support reinforcing bars while concrete is being poured. |
| Chair Rail | A wood molding separating the dado or wainscot from the upper wall; usually at a convenient height to prevent chair backs from abrading the wall. |
| Chair rail | Interior trim material installed about 3-4 feet up the wall, horizontally. |
| Chair, Hydrotherapy | A device for the immersion of a medical patient in water. |
| Chair, Lifeguard | A raised chair, equipped with a ladder, that affords a lifeguard an elevated view of a large area. |
| Chair, Reinforcing | Metal supports made of fabricated wire, made to hold reinforcing steel in place until concrete is poured. |
| Chalet | 1. A Swiss alpine dwelling with exposed structural elements and wide roof overhangs on front and sides. 2. A small suburban house or bungalow, in the chalet style, particularly with a broad roof overhang. |
| Chalk | 1.A form of natural calcium carbonate; see whiting. 2. A lump of soft limestone used by carpenters for impregnating a snap line. 3. A crayon for marking materials on a construction site or in a workshop. |
| Chalk line | A line made by snapping a taut string or cord dusted with chalk. Used for alignment purposes. |
| Chalk Line | A straight working line made by snapping a chalked cord between two points; also called a Snap Line; see Chalk Reel. |
| Chalk Rail | A trough mounted under a chalkboard to store chalk and erasers and to catch the chalk dust. |
| Chalk Reel | A carpenter's implement consisting of a string reel and chalk in a container, used as a method of chalking a snap line and storing the string. |
| Chalkboard | Panel for writing on with chalk or liquid chalk. |
| Chalking | 1. The decomposition of a paint film into a loose powder on the surface; mild chalking, accompanied by satisfactory color retention in tinted paint, is considered a desirable characteristic; heavy chalking which washes off to leave an unprotected surface |
| Chamber | A room or space; a bedroom. |
| Chamfer | A beveled surface cut on the corner of a piece of wood. |
| Chamfer Strip | An insert that is triangular or curved, placed in an inside corner to produce a rounded or flat beveled edge at the right angle corner of a construction member; also called Chamfering Strip. |
| Chamfering | The preparation of a contour other than for a square groove weld on the edge of a member for welding. |
| Chandelier | An ornamental branched hanging fixture for several candles or electric light bulbs. |
| Change Of State | Condition in which a substance changes from a solid to a liquid or a liquid to a gas caused by the addition of heat, or the reverse, in which a substance changes from a gas to a liquid, or a liquid to a solid, caused by the removal of heat. |
| Change order | A written document which modifies the plans and specifications and/or the price of the construction Contract. |
| Change Order | An order to change the work to be performed under a construction contract, usually given by an owner to a prime contractor or a by prime contractor to a subcontractor; a revision in the contract documents after the execution of the owner-contractor contra |
| Change Trailer | A temporary vehicle that is used by personnel on a jobsite. |
| Changes | Key changes. |
| Channel | A natural or man-made waterway that continuously or periodically passes water. |
| Channel Block | 1. A concrete masonry unit with a solid bottom and sides but no ends or webs, for use in a lintel. 2. A hollow unit with web portions depressed less than 1-1/4 inches to form a continuous channel for reinforcing steel and grout. |
| Channel Closure Strip | A U-shaped resilient strip used to close openings in metal panels and flashing. |
| Channel Door Frame | A U-shaped or L-shaped channel used as a door frame. |
| Channel Slab | A manmade watercourse of molded, layered, plain or reinforced concrete. |
| Channel Strap | A U-shaped or L-shaped iron plate used to connect two or more timbers. |
| Channel Valve | A valve which controls the flow of water from a natural or artificial water course. |
| Channel, Manhole | The bottom of a sanitary or stormwater manhole which creates a channel between the incoming and outgoing pipes. |
| Channels | 1. In asphalt paving, ruts or grooves that may develop in the wheel tracks of a pavement; may result from consolidation or lateral movement under traffic in one or more of the underlying courses, or by displacement in the asphalt surface layer itself; the |
| Channels, Carrying | The heaviest integral supporting member in a suspended ceiling; carrying channels, or main runners, are supported by hangers attached to the building structure, and in turn, support various grid systems and furring channels or rods to which lath is fasten |
| Channels, Furring | The smaller horizontal member of a suspended ceiling, applied at right angles to the underside of carrying channels and to which lath is attached; the smaller horizontal member in a furred ceiling; in general; the separate members used to space lath from |
| Chapel | . 1. A place for private worship in a large church or attached to a house or institution. 2. A room for services in a funeral home. |
| Character | A requirement by a loan officer to evaluate experience with similar jobs and locations, business reputation with lenders, suppliers, and subcontractors and reasonableness of bid. |
| Charcoal | An amorphous form of carbon consisting of a porous black residue from partially burnt wood, bones, or other substances; made by charring in a kiln from which air is excluded. |
| Charge | Amount of refrigerant placed in a refrigerating unit. |
| Charging Board | Specially designed panel or cabinet fitted with gauges, valves, and refrigerant cylinders used for charging refrigerant and oil into refrigerating mechanisms. |
| Charles' Law | For a constant pressure, the volume varies directly as the absolute temperature, and for constant volume, pressure varies directly as absolute temperature. |
| Chase | A framed enclosed space around a flue pipe or a channel in a wall, or through a ceiling for something to lie in or pass through. |
| Chase | A groove or indentation cut into masonry to accommodate electric or plumbing lines. |
| Chattel | Moveable personal property. |
| Check Cracks | See Craze Cracks. |
| Check dam | A structure placed bank to bank downstream from a headcut. |
| Check Valve | A device which allows fluid or air to pass through in only one direction; a valve which prevents the back-flow of water or other liquid by automatically closing. |
| Checking | 1. The pattern of irregular surface cracks on the top pour of an asphalt roof, a preliminary stage of alligatoring. 2. Cracks or fissures that appear with age in many exterior paint coatings; superficial at first, they may in time penetrate the coating en |
| Checking | Fissures that appear with age in many exterior paint coatings, at first superficial, but which in time may penetrate entirely through the coating. |
| Checkrail | A meeting rail sufficiently thicker than a window sash to fill the opening between the top and bottom sash made by the parting stop in the frame of double-hung windows; checkrails are usually beveled. |
| Checkrails | Meeting rails sufficiently thicker than a window to fill the opening between the top and bottom sash made by the parting stop in the frame of double~hung windows. They are usually beveled. |
| Checkroom Shelf | A horizontal mounted surface upon which objects can be stored and kept track of in a checkroom. |
| cheesecloth | A cheap, loose-woven cotton used for translucent curtains. In cities it will quickly lose its original whiteness and body and, although easily washed, muslin will shrink. This fabric also wrinkles badly. |
| Chemical Bond | 1. The bond produced by cohesion between separate laminates of similar crystalline materials; based on formation and subsequent interlocking of crystals. 2. The adherence of one plaster coat to another or to the base which implies formation of interlockin |
| Chemical Brown Stain | A chemical discoloration of wood which sometimes occurs during the air drying or kiln drying of several species apparently caused by the concentration and modification of extractives. |
| Chemical Extinguisher | A wheeled device or hand-held cylinder that contains chemicals to extinguish certain types of fires. |
| Chemical Feed | Injection of chemicals into pool water circulation for pollution control. |
| Chemical Piping | Piping which conveys concentrated chemical solutions from a feeding apparatus to the circulation piping. |
| Chemical Porcelain | Vitreous ceramic whitewares used for containing, transporting, or reacting of chemicals. |
| Chemical Refrigeration System | System of cooling using a disposable refrigerant; also called an expendable refrigerant system. |
| Chemical Resistance | The effect of specific chemicals on the properties of various materials with respect to concentration, temperature and time of exposure. |
| Chemical Toilet | A self-contained portable toilet, not attached to a sewer line, for temporary use on a construction site. |
| Chemically Active | 1. Of paint pigments, those which react with oil of vehicle to form soaps which influence toughness of film, and increase durability. 2. Pigments such as red lead which react with acids formed at metal surface to prevent rust. |
| Chemically Pure (CP) | Of the highest grade but not necessarily 100 percent pure. |
| Chenille | A pile fabric woven by the insertion of a prepared weft row of surface yarn tufts in a fur or caterpillar form through very fine but strong cotton catcher warp yarns, and over a heavy woolen backing yarn. |
| Cherry Veneer | A thin layer of cherry wood used as a finished surface material. |
| Chestnut Veneer | A thin layer of chestnut wood used as a finished surface material. |
| Chevron Bracing | That form of bracing wherein a pair of braces located either above or below a beam terminates at a single point within the clear beam span. |
| Chicken Ladder | A lightweight ladder that can be hung over the ridge for work on a steep roof. |
| Chicken Wire | Thin, galvanized, hexagonal, woven wire mesh mounted on an exterior wall as a base for stucco plaster. |
| Chill Factor | See Wind-chill. |
| Chilled Water System | A cooling system in which the entire refrigeration cycle occurs within a single piece of equipment; water is used to bring the heat from the space to the evaporator section of the chiller, and water is also used to carry the heat from the condenser to the |
| Chiller | A piece of equipment that produces chilled water for circulation through a building and contains a compressor, condenser and evaporator tank. |
| Chiller, Absorption | A water cooling system similar to a vapor compression chiller with the exception that it does not use a compressor, but uses thermal energy - low pressure steam, hot water, or other hot liquids to produce the cooling effect. |
| Chime | 1. An apparatus for chiming a bell or a set of bells. 2. An electrical device used as a door bell, actuated by a push button. |
| Chimney | A vertical, noncombustible structure with one or more flues to carry smoke and other gases of combustion into the atmosphere. |
| Chimney Breast | The projecting portion of a chimney, especially when projecting from the exterior wall of a building or into a room. |
| Chimney Brick | Brick used for the construction of chimneys because of its ability to withstand high temperatures without cracking. |
| Chimney Connector | Pipe connecting a heating appliance, such as a furnace, with the vertical flue. |
| Chimney Effect | Tendency of air or gas to rise when heated. |
| Chimney Flue | A channel or shaft in a chimney for conveying smoke and exhaust gases to the exterior atmosphere. |
| Chimney Lining | Fire clay or terra cotta material, or refractory cement, made to be built inside of a chimney. |
| Chimney Pot | An earthenware or metal pipe at the top of a chimney, narrowing the aperture and increasing the updraft. |
| Chimney Throat | The narrowest part of a fireplace chimney, adjacent to the smoke shelf; the location of the damper. |
| Chimney, Masonry | A vertical noncombustible structure with a flue or flues to remove smoke and other gases, constructed of shaped or molded masonry units. |
| China | A glazed or unglazed vitreous ceramic whiteware used for nontechnical purposes; designation of such products as dinnerware, sanitary ware, and art ware when they are vitreous. |
| China Clay | Kaolin. |
| China Process | The method of producing glazed ware by which the ceramic body is fired to maturity, following which the glaze is applied and matured by firing at a lower temperature. |
| China Wood Oil | Tung oil. |
| Chinese Blue | A form of iron blue. |
| Chinese Red | Chrome orange, deep. |
| Chink | To install fiberglass insulation around all exterior door and window frames, wall corners, and small gaps in the exterior wall. |
| chintz | Plain chintzes are used for contrasting welting, or even as the main fabric. Floral chintzes were originally block-printed, and then glazed with waxes and starch. Gradually the designs developed into the lush floral patterns so closely identified with Eng |
| Chip Board | A manufactured wood panel made out of 1"- 2" wood chips and glue. Often used as a substitute for plywood in the exterior wall and roof sheathing. Also called OSB (Oriented Strand Board) or wafer board. |
| Chip Cracks | See Eggshelling. |
| Chipboard | A paperboard used for many purposes that may or may not have specifications for strength, color, or other characteristics; normally made from paper stock with a relatively low density in the thickness of 0.006 inch and up. |
| Chipped | In tile work, caused by rough handling and confined to the corners and edges of the tile; the scaling or breaking off at the edges of fragments from the surface of a tile. |
| Chipping | . 1. Removing welding defects and surface slag by use of a chipping chisel. 2. Cleaning steel using special hammers. 3. Type of paint failure. |
| Chipping Hammer | A mason's hand tool, often capped with tungsten carbide for durability; used to chip excess material from the backs and edges of block, brick, stone, or tile. |
| Chisel Edge | A slanted factory edge on gypsumboard. |
| Chisel, Cold | See Cold Chisel. |
| Chisel, Wood | See Wood Chisel. |
| Chloramine | See Ammonia. |
| Chlordane | A chlorinated substance used as a pesticide. |
| Chlorinated Isocyanurate | Chlorine and cyanuric acid compound used to maintain chlorine level in pool water and prevent chlorine from dissipating in sunlight. See Conditioned Water. |
| Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride | A type of plastic used to make pipe to carry hot water and chemicals. |
| Chlorinated Rubber | A particular film former used as a binder, made by chlorinating natural rubber. |
| Chlorine | A poisonous greenish-yellow gaseous element of the halogen group, used for purifying water, bleaching, and the manufacture of many organic chemicals. |
| Chlorine Demand | The amount of chlorine necessary to oxidize all organic material present in pool water at a given moment or over a period of time. |
| Chlorine Residual | The amount of chlorine remaining in pool water after the chlorine demand has been satisfied at a given moment; this chlorine is available to oxidize other bacteria in water. |
| Chlorofluorocarbon | A compound that contains carbon, chlorine, and fluorine; known commonly as CFCs, they were widely used in refrigerators and aerosol sprays, but it is now known that they have harmful effects on the earth's atmosphere. |
| Chock | Heavy timber or wooden block, fitted under tires or wheels to prevent movement. |
| Choir | The part of a cathedral or large church between the altar and the nave. |
| Choir Loft | A gallery or balcony in a church to be occupied by a choir. |
| Choke Tube | Throttling device used to maintain correct pressure difference between high-side and low-side in refrigerating mechanism. Capillary tubes are sometimes called choke tubes. |
| Chopper, Food | A device that chops food and blends it into smaller pieces. |
| Chord | 1. One of the main members of a truss, braced by web members of the truss. 2. Perimeter member of a building or structure which resists lateral forces. |
| chou | Ornamental curtain detail consisting of a circular gathered piece of fabric designed to give the illusion of a curtain having been caught up. The name is derived from the French word for ìcabbage.î |
| Chroma | Saturation, purity, or intensity of color. |
| Chrome | Chromium. |
| Chrome Green | Mixture of chrome yellow and Prussian blue, one of industry's most important green pigments. |
| Chrome Orange | An orange pigment composed principally of basic lead chromate. |
| Chrome Yellow | Important inorganic yellow pigment made by mixing solutions of lead acetate and potassium bichromate; highly corrosion-inhibiting. |
| Chromium | A blue-white metallic element, used as a shiny decorative electroplated coating. |
| Chromium Oxide | See Chromium Oxide Green. |
| Chromium Oxide Green | Green pigment which is extremely permanent in color and has good resistance to both alkali and heat. |
| Chromometer | An instrument used to indicate the color of light liquids and oils; also called a Colorimeter. |
| Chronometer | A timepiece; a clock. |
| Chuck | An attachment for holding a tool in a machine, as a bit on a drill. |
| Chute | An inclined plane, sloping channel, or passage down or through which materials may pass. |
| Chute, Mail | See Mail Chute. |
| Chute, Trash | See Trash Chute. |
| CI | Cast iron. |
| Circle Cutter | An adjustable scribe tool for cutting circular patterns or openings for lighting fixtures and other devices in gypsum board. |
| Circuit | The path of an electric current from the source. |
| Circuit | The path of electrical flow from a power source through an outlet and back to ground. |
| Circuit Breaker | A device which looks like a switch and is usually located inside the electrical breaker panel or circuit breaker box. It is designed to (1) shut of the power to portions or all of the house and (2) to limit the amount of power flowing through a circuit (m |
| Circuit Breaker | An overcurrent protection device. |
| Circuit Protector | A device that will open an electrical circuit in the event of an overload, thus protecting operating equipment and other components from damage. |
| Circuit Vent | This is a group plumbing vent that extends from the front of the last fixture of the horizontal group to the vent stack; this type of vent may be used when the circuit carries the drainage of from two to eight urinals, water closets, stall showers, or sin |
| Circuit, Parallel | See Parallel Circuit. |
| Circuit, Pilot | See Pilot Circuit. |
| Circuit, Series | See Series Circuit. |
| Circular Mil | A unit of length used in wire sizes. |
| Circular Saw | A power saw with a circular cutting blade, either in the form of a portable hand tool or a stationary table saw. |
| Circulating Fireplace | A fireplace that has cold air intakes and hot air outlets into and out of a heat exchanger that is built into the firebox to enhance the effectiveness of a fireplace as a heating system. |
| Circulation Path | An exterior or interior way of passage from one place to another for pedestrians, including, but not limited to, aisles, walks, hallways, courtyards, stairways, and stair landings. |
| Circulation Piping System | The piping between a pool, spa or hot tub structure and the mechanical equipment; usually includes suction piping, face piping and return piping. |
| Circulation Pump | A pump that moves fluids in a piping system such as in a domestic hot water system or in a hot water heating system. |
| Circulation System | Entire flow arrangement of fittings, pipework, and equipment. |
| Circumference | The enclosing boundary of a circle or other figure enclosed by a curve. |
| Cirrus shade | Honeycomb shade by Levolor. |
| CISPI | Cast Iron Soil Pipe Institute. |
| Cistern | A tank for storing water. |
| Citronella Oil | An oil with a peculiar odor, obtained from a species of grass grown in Asia. |
| City Hall | A building housing city government administrative offices. |
| Civil Engineer | An engineer who designs public works such as roads, harbors, piping, earthwork, and waterworks. |
| Cladding | 1. Metal exterior building surfacing panels. 2. In welding, see Surfacing. |
| Cladding Panel | A panel applied to a structure to provide durability, weathering, corrosion and impact resistance. |
| Clamp | A mechanical device used to hold two or more pieces of material together. |
| Clamp, Beam | A device which holds a horizontal structural member to a vertical member. |
| Clamp, Ground Rod | The device that attaches the main ground wire to a cold water pipe in an electrical system. |
| Clapboard | A type of wood siding consisting of narrow boards thicker on one side than the other. |
| Clarified Sewage | Sewage from which part or all of the suspended matter has been removed. |
| Clarity | The transparency of pool water. |
| Class "A" | Optimum fire rating issued by Underwriter's Laboratories on roofing. The building codes in some areas require this type of roofing for fire safety. |
| Class "C" | Minimum fire rating issued by the Underwriters' Laboratories for roofing materials. |
| Class A, B, C, Roofing | Roof covering materials classified according to their resistance to fire when tested in accordance with ASTM E108; Class A being the highest and Class C the lowest. |
| Classic miniblinds | Contract aluminum miniblind made by Bali. |
| Classified Product | A product labeled and listed by an approved laboratory having a factory follow-up and inspection service. |
| Classroom | A room or building housing a class of students; part of a school. |
| Classroom Lock | A doorknob in a classroom that has the ability to be locked from the inside. |
| Classroom Lockset | An assembly mounted in a door in a classroom that contains both a lockable doorknob and deadbolt. |
| Claw Hammer | A hammer with one end of the head forked for extracting nails. |
| Clay | 1. A natural mineral aggregate, consisting essentially of hydrous aluminum silicates; it is plastic when sufficiently wetted, rigid when dried, and vitrified when fired to a sufficiently high temperature; used in the manufacture of brick. 2. A heavy soil |
| Clay | Cohesive soil whose individual particles are not visible to the unaided human eye. Soil can be molded into a ball that will not crumble. |
| Clay Brick | A type of brick manufactured from fine-grained materials mainly from hydrated silicates of aluminum; soft and cohesive when moist, but becomes hard when baked or fired. |
| Clay Brick Floor | Hard, baked or fired brick used in flooring applications. |
| Clay Coping | The use of clay to form a cap or finish on top of a wall, pier, pilaster, or chimney. |
| Clay Court | A type of surface used for athletic competition, usually tennis or track. |
| Clay Floor Tile | Quarry tile that is fired and used for flooring. |
| Clay Pipe | Pipe used for drainage systems and sanitary sewers made of earthenware and glazed to eliminate porosity. |
| Clay Tile | 1. Earthenware tile that is fired; formed for use on roofs and floors. 2. Quarry Tile. |
| Clay Tile Partition | An assembly of hollow clay units for constructing interior partitions; the surface is often grooved to receive plaster. |
| Clean | 1. Free of foreign material. 2. In sand or gravel, lack of binder. |
| Clean out | An opening providing access to a drain line. Closed with a threaded plug. |
| Clean out | Removable drainage fitting which permits access to the inside of drainage piping for the purpose of removing obstructions. |
| Clean Out Holes | Openings in first course of one wythe of a brick wall, or cutouts in face shell of first course of block wall, to enable cleaning out of mortar protrusions and droppings. |
| Clean Room | A dust-free environment that is required for some types of manufacturing, assembly, or fabrication. |
| Clean Surface | One free of contamination. |
| Cleaner | 1. Detergent, alkali, acid, or other cleaning material; usually water or steam borne. 2. Solvent for cleaning paint equipment. |
| Cleaning Masonry | The final removal of excess grout, excess concrete, and construction soil from an exterior masonry structure. |
| Cleanout | An opening to the bottom of a space of sufficient size and spacing to allow the removal of debris; in plumbing, a fitting in a pipeline which can be easily accessed to remove foreign objects or provide an opening to insert cleaning type devices. |
| Cleanout Door | Cast iron door located at base of chimney to allow access for cleaning the ash pit. |
| Cleanout Plug | A removable plug in a pipe fitting to enable cleaning a drainage pipe from blockages. |
| Cleanout, Storm Drain | An opening to a storm drain that allows for the removal of debris. |
| Clear Ceramic Glaze | A colorless or colored transparent ceramic glaze; same as Ceramic Color Glaze except that it is translucent or slightly tinted, with a gloss finish. |
| Clear Dimension | The dimension between opposing inside faces or walls of an opening or a room; also called Clear Opening. |
| Clear Opening | See Clear Dimension. |
| Clear Span | The horizontal distance between supports of any structural member. |
| Clearance Pocket | In a compressor, a small space in a cylinder from which compressed gas is not completely expelled; also called Clearance Space; for effective operation compressors are designed to have as small a clearance space as possible. |
| Clearance Space | See Clearance Pocket. |
| Clearing | An area that has all vegetation and objects removed. |
| Clearstory | Clerestory. |
| Cleat | A small strip or block of material, usually wood, which is fastened to a secure surface and used for attachment or as a toe hold or stopping device for another supporting member. |
| Cleavage | The natural tendency of certain materials, especially of stones and crystals, to fracture or split in certain definite directions determined by the molecular or physical structure of the material. |
| Cleavage Membrane | A layer of 15 lb. roofing felt, or an equivalent type of construction paper or polyethylene sheeting, used to isolate a wire reinforced mortar bed for tile from the concrete substrate. |
| Cleavage Membrane | In tile setting, a membrane such as saturated roofing felt, building paper, or 4 mil polyethylene film installed between the backing and mortar bed to permit independent movement of the tile finish. |
| Cleft, Natural | See Natural Cleft. |
| Clerestory | An upper row of windows in a high ceiling room, above the level of a lower adjoining roof; also called clearstory. |
| Clerk of the Works | Architect's representative on the jobsite; an obsolete term; now called Architect's Project Representative. |
| Clevis Hanger | A U-shaped metal hanger with the ends drilled to receive a pin or bolt used for attaching or suspending parts or piping. |
| Clevis Pin | The bolt or pin used to complete the connection in a Clevis Hanger. |
| CLFMI | Chain Link Fence Manufacturer's Institute. |
| Cliff | A high, steep face or rock; a precipice. |
| Clinch | To turn over or flatten the protruding point of a nail to prevent withdrawal. |
| Clinker | Generally a fused or partly fused by-product of the combustion of coal, but also including lava and portland-cement clinker, and partly vitrified slag and brick. |
| Clinker Brick | A very hard-burned brick whose shape is distorted or bloated due to nearly complete vitrification. |
| Clinometer | A device for measuring angles of slope or inclination. |
| Clip Course | The course of bricks that is resting on a clip joint. |
| Clip Joint | A brick masonry joint that is thicker than usual to bring that particular course up to a necessary height; the joint should not be any thicker than 1/2 inch. |
| Clip ties | Sharp, cut metal wires that protrude out of a concrete foundation wall (that at one time held the foundation form panels in place). |
| Clipped Header | In brick masonry, a bat placed to look like a header for purposes of establishing a pattern; also called a false header. |
| Clips | A classification of devices usually made of wire or sheet metal used to attach various types of lath to supports or to secure adjacent lath sheets. |
| cloakpin | A brass disc, often ornamented with ormolu, used to hold back curtains either by draping them behind the disc or by winding them around it. It is attached to the wall by a turned stem. |
| Clock Receptacle | An electrical outlet box for the connection and support of a clock. |
| Clock System | A clock which controls the mechanical or electrical devices in a building or facility. |
| Clock-Timer, Hospital | A clock system in a hospital which can be set at different time gradients to announce, with sound, the passage of a specific amount of time. |
| Cloister | A covered passage on the side of a court. |
| Close Nipple | The shortest length of a given size pipe which can be threaded externally from both ends; used to closely connect two internally threaded pipe fittings. |
| Close-Coupled Toilet | A toilet directly connected to its water tank. |
| Close-Grained Wood | Wood with narrow, inconspicuous annual rings; wood having fine fibers and small closely spaced pores. |
| Closed Circuit | 1. Electrical circuit in which electrons are flowing. 2. A television or telephone system where the signal is transmitted by wire to a restricted number of receivers. |
| Closed Circuit Telephone | See Closed Circuit, 2. |
| Closed Circuit Television | See Closed Circuit, 2. |
| Closed Container | Container sealed by means of a lid or other device so that neither liquid nor vapor will escape from it at ordinary temperatures. |
| Closed Joint | In welding, a zero root opening. |
| Closer | 1. A Door Closer. 2. The last masonry unit laid in a course. 3. A partial masonry unit used at the corner of a course to adjust the joint spacing, sometimes spelled Closure. |
| Closet | A storage cabinet or room. |
| Closet Bend | An elbow drainage fitting connecting a water closet to a branch drain. |
| Closet Flange | The fitting attached to a subfloor onto which the toilet bowl is attached. |
| Closet Pole | A horizontal, round member or rod installed in a closet to provide a place to hang clothes. |
| Closet, Cedar | See Cedar Closet. |
| Closing Entries | Entries made at the end of the financial period to close all temporary accounts (income and expense) and to transfer the net profit (or loss) to the owner's equity or retained earnings account. |
| Closing the Ledger | The operation of closing all income and expense accounts at the end of the period and transferring the net profit (or loss) to the capital or surplus accounts. |
| Closure | In brick masonry, supplementary or short length units used at corners or jambs to maintain bond pattern; see Closer, 3. |
| Closure Strip | A resilient strip, used to close openings created by joining metal panels and flashing. |
| Clothes Hanger Rod | See Closet Pole. |
| Clothing Locker | A cabinet with a lockable door used for storing clothes. |
| Clothing Presser | A two-part mechanical ironing board that removes wrinkles from clothing with heated, compressive force. |
| Cloud | 1. A defect in the title to real estate or property; when a property has a cloud on it, it is difficult to sell or complete escrow. 2. A marking on a drawing consisting of a billowing line surrounding portions of the drawing involved in a change, usually |
| Cluster Development | A system of close grouping of residential units leaving larger portions of open land around the group. |
| Clutch, Magnetic | See Magnetic Clutch. |
| CM | 1. Construction manager. 2. Construction management. 3. Center-Matched. |
| CMAA | Crane Manufacturers Association of America. |
| CMACN | Concrete Masonry Association of California and Nevada. |
| CMU | Concrete Masonry Unit. |
| CMU Grout | Concrete masonry unit grout. |
| CO | 1. Carbon monoxide. 2. Cleanout. |
| CO | An abbreviation for "Certificate of Occupancy". This certificate is issued by the local municipality and is required before anyone can occupy and live within the home. It is issued only after the local municipality has made all inspections and all monies |
| CO2 | Carbon dioxide. |
| CO2Extinguisher | A portable fire-fighting device which dispenses carbon dioxide to extinguish small fires. |
| CO2Indicator | Instrument used to indicate the percentage of carbon dioxide in stack gases. |
| CO2Sprinkler System | An overhead sprinkler system containing Carbon Dioxide, installed and set to turn on when excess heat or smoke activates built-in sensors. |
| Coagulant | A chemical compound, usually alum, used in swimming pools for the purpose of gathering and precipitating suspended matter. |
| Coagulate | To change from a liquid into a dense mass; solidify; curdle. |
| Coagulation | Precipitation of colloids into a single mass; usually caused by excessive heat or catalytic agents. |
| Coal Hopper Door | Steel door to allow for addition of coal to burning chamber. |
| Coal Tar | A dark brown to black cementitious material produced by the destructive distillation of bituminous coal. |
| Coal Tar Bitumen | Coal Tar Pitch. |
| Coal Tar Epoxy Paint | Paint in which the binder or vehicle is combination of coal tar with epoxy resin. |
| Coal Tar Felt | (See TARRED FELT). |
| Coal Tar Pitch | A roofing pitch made from the distillation of bituminous coal; used mainly in dead-level or low-slope roofs; coal-tar pitch comes in a narrow range of softening points from approximately l40° F to l55° F. |
| Coal Tar Solvent | Derived from the distillation of coal tar. |
| Coal Tar Urethane Paint | Paint in which the binder or vehicle is a combination of coal tar with polyurethane resin. |
| Coalesence | In welding, the growing together, or growth into one body, of the base metal parts. |
| Coarse Aggregate | A general term for aggregate of such size that it is substantially retained on a sieve of specified size, commonly 4.75 mm |
| Coarse Aggregate | Concrete aggregate over 1/4-inch diameter; crushed stone, gravel, slag, or other inert materials. |
| Coarse Strainer | Basket within a pipeline to trap large debris before the pump. |
| Coarse-Graded Aggregate | One having a continuous grading in sizes of particles from coarse through fine with a predominance of coarse sizes. |
| Coarse-Grained Wood | Wood with wide conspicuous annual rings in which here is considerable difference between springwood and summerwood; wood with large pores such as oak, ash, chestnet, and walnut; also called Coarse-Textured and Open-Grained. |
| Coarse-Textured Wood | See Coarse-Grained Wood. |
| Coast | The strip of land, of indefinite width (up to several miles), that extends from the shoreline inland to the first major change in terrain features. |
| Coat | 1. A thickness, covering or layer of plaster applied in a single operation. 2. See Caot of Paint. |
| Coat of Paint | One layer of dry paint, resulting from a single wet application; single layer of paint spread at one time and allowed to harden. |
| Coat Rack | A piece of furniture that is used to hang coats. |
| Coated Base Sheet | A felt that has been impregnated and saturated with asphalt and then coated on both sides with harder, more viscous asphalt to increase its impermeability to moisture; a parting agent is incorporated to prevent the material from sticking in the roll. |
| Coated Roof | A roof, usually flat, that has an asphaltic material applied to it to seal against the elements. |
| Coating | A layer or covering applied to a surface. |
| Coating In | Applying a coat of paint. |
| Coaxial Cable | A cable composed of two concentric conductors separated by an insulating layer; used for transmitting low voltage electronic signals. |
| Cobalt Blue | Blue pigment, stable in color; made by heating a mixture of cobalt oxide and aluminum hydrate. |
| Cobalt Drier | Powerful drier which is soluble in all drying oils; known as surface dryer. |
| Cobble | 1. To make or put together hastily. 2. A small naturally rounded stone of a size used for paving; a Cobblestone. |
| Cobblestone | A Cobble. |
| Cobwebbing | Premature drying of a liquid surface causing a spider web effect. |
| Cock | A device, as a faucet or valve, to regulate the flow of a liquid. |
| Cockle | A crease-like wrinkle or small depression in gypsum board face paper usually running in the long or machine direction; also called a wrinkle. |
| Code | 1. A set of regulations which has been adopted by a governmental unit for the purpose of protecting the public health and safety. 2. The identification marking on the back of sheets of gypsum board; denotes manufacturing plant, date, time, and other detai |
| Code Blue System | An electronic warning device installed in hospital rooms or health care facility rooms used to notify caregivers of health emergencies in the building. |
| Code Installation | Refrigeration or air conditioning installation which conforms to the local code and/or the national code for safe and efficient installations. |
| Code Side | See Back, 3. |
| Coefficient | 1. A multiplier in any algebraic expression. 2. A multiplier that measures a property of a material or operation. |
| Coefficient of Conductivity | Measure of the relative rate at which different materials conduct heat; copper is a good conductor of heat and, therefore, has a high coefficient of conductivity. |
| Coefficient of Cubical Expansion | See Coefficient of Volumetric Expansion. |
| Coefficient of Expansion | Change in unit length, area or, volume for one degree rise in temperature. |
| Coefficient of Friction | The mathematical relationship between the weight of an object and the force required to slide it, considering the characteristics of the two materials, the angle of the surfaces, and the angle of the force. |
| Coefficient of Heat Expansion | The rate of heat loss in BTU per hour through 1 square foot of a wall or other building surface when the difference between the indoor and outdoor air temperatures is 1 degree F; U-Value. |
| Coefficient of Linear Expansion | The change in unit length for a rise in temperature of 1°F. |
| Coefficient of Performance (COP) | Ratio of work performed or accomplished as compared to the energy used. |
| Coefficient of Static Friction | The ratio of the limiting friction to the normal pressure (the weight of the moving body). |
| Coefficient of Thermal Expansion | Change in unit length, area, or volume per degree change of temperature. |
| Coefficient of Volumetric Expansion | The change in unit volume for a rise in temperature of 1°F; also called Coefficient of Cubical Expansion. |
| Coffee House | A place serving coffee and other refreshments. |
| Coffee Room | A room where workers can make and drink coffee, tea, and other refreshments. |
| Coffee Urn | A device used for the brewing, storage, and serving of coffee, to keep it fresh and hot. |
| Coffer | A recessed panel in a ceiling or dome. |
| Cofferdam | A watertight enclosure from which water is pumped to expose the bottom of a body of water and permit construction. |
| Coffered Ceilings | Ornamental ceilings made up of sunken or recessed panels. |
| Cog | A gear tooth. |
| Cohesion | The act or condition of sticking together tightly; tendency to cohere; attractive force between polymers of similar nature which tends to hold them together; property of holding a film together; the soil quality of sticking together. |
| Cohesive Failure | Rupture of an adhesive joint, such that the separation appears to be within the adhesive. |
| Cohesive Soil | A soil, such as clay, the particles of which will adhere to one another by means of cohesive and adhesive forces. |
| Cohesive soil | Microscopic soil particles that have natural resistance to being pulled apart at their point of contact. |
| Coil | A winding arrangement of a conductor around a core to convert low voltage to high voltage as in a transformer or to create a magnetic field as in a solenoid. |
| Coil Deck | Insulated horizontal partition between refrigerated space and evaporator space. |
| Coiled Pipe | Tubing in rows, layers, or windings in steam heating, water heating, refrigeration condensers, and evaporators. |
| Coin Dryer | A coin-operated public appliance for the drying of clothes. |
| Coin Washer | A coin-operated public appliance for the washing of clothes. |
| Cold | The absence of heat; a temperature considerably below normal. |
| Cold air return | The ductwork (and related grills) that carries room air back to the furnace for re-heating. |
| Cold Applied | Roofing products that do not have to be heated before application, unlike tar or asphalt. |
| Cold Chisel | A hand tool made from a steel bar with a sharpened tip for chipping concrete, stone, and similar materials. |
| Cold Color | See Cool Color. |
| Cold Formed Steel | Process of shaping steel without using heat. |
| Cold Joint | 1. A visible lineation which forms when the placement of concrete is delayed; the concrete in place hardens prior to the next placement of concrete against it. 2. Any point in a tile installation when tile and setting bed have terminated and the surface h |
| Cold Joint Lines | Visible lines on the surfaces of formed concrete indicating the presence of joints where one layer of concrete had hardened before subsequent concrete was placed. |
| Cold Junction | That part of a thermoelectric system which absorbs heat as the system operates. |
| Cold Mix (CM) (Premix/Fullgrade) | An asphalt which when cold will remain workable for up to 2 weeks. Contains diesel and kerosene. (Used for pot holes, general patching, emergency repairs and temporary road reinstatement.) |
| Cold Patch | A roof repair done with cold applied material. |
| Cold Planing | A mechanical method of cold milling a pavement surface to restore the road to a specified grade and profile by removing corrugations, ruts and other surface imperfections in preparation for resurfacing. |
| Cold Rolled Steel | Steel rolled to its final form at a temperature at which it is no longer plastic. |
| Cold Wall | Refrigerator construction which has the inner lining of refrigerator serving as the cooling surface. |
| Cold Water Paint | The paint in which the binder or vehicle portion is composed of casein, glue or a similar material dissolved in water; usually employed on concrete, masonry or plaster surfaces. |
| Cold Worked Steel | Steel formed at a temperature at which it is no longer plastic, as by rolling or forging. |
| Cold-Checking | Checking caused by low temperature. |
| Cold-Pressed Plywood | Interior-type plywood manufactured in a press without external applications of heat. |
| Cold-Process Roofing | A built-up roof consisting of layers of coated felts bonded with cold-applied asphalt roof cement and surfaced with a cutback or emulsified asphalt roof coating. |
| Cold-Setting Resin Glue | A resin-base glue that comes in powder form and is mixed with water. |
| Coliseum | A large sports stadium or building designed like the Roman Coliseum for public entertainments. |
| Collage | An artistic composition in which various materials such as photographs, pieces of fabric, metals, and wood are arranged and glued to a backing. |
| Collapse | To cave or fall in or give way; failure of a structure. |
| Collar | A compression ring around a small circular opening. |
| Collar | Preformed flange placed over a vent pipe to seal the roofing above the vent pipe opening. Also called a vent sleeve. |
| Collar Beam | A horizontal beam near the top of a trussed rafter system attached to opposing rafters to resist their spreading; also called a Collar Tie or a Collar Beam. |
| Collar beam | Nominal 1- or 2-inch-thick members connecting opposite roof rafters. They serve to stiffen the roof structure. |
| Collar Joint | The vertical mortar joint between wythes of masonry. |
| Collar Tie | See Collar Beam. |
| Collateral | Property pledged or in the possession of a creditor to guarantee payment of an obligation by a debtor. |
| Collector | 1. In structural analysis, a force transfer element that collects loads from a diaphragm (horizontal element) and transfers them to the shear walls (vertical element). 2. Any of a wide variety of devices (flatplate, concentrating, etc.) used to collect so |
| Collector Efficiency | The ratio of heat energy extracted from a collector to the quantity of solar energy striking the cover expressed in percent. |
| Collector Elements | Elements that serve to transmit the inertial forces with the diaphragms to members of the lateral-force- resisting systems. |
| Collector Streets | Connecting roads between arterial streets, not necessarily continuous, to discourage through traffic; intersections often controlled by traffic lights; parking permitted under various conditions; pedestrian crossing controlled. |
| Collet | A metal band, flange, or ferrule. |
| Colloid | A mixture containing ultramicroscopic particles of one substance scattered evenly throughout another; also known as a dispersion. |
| Colloidal Suspension | A substance divided into fine particles which remains in permanent suspension in a liquid. |
| Collusion | A secret combination or conspiracy between two or more persons having a fraudulent or deceitful purpose; the illegal practice of contractors agreeing to submit higher bids so that a chosen contractor's bid will be low. |
| Colonial Base | An architectural style of a board or molding used against the bottom of walls to cover the joint with the floor and to protect the walls from dents and scuffs. |
| Colonial Molding | A style of molding from eighteenth century English Georgian, reproduced and incorporated into buildings in America. |
| Colonnade | A set of columns occurring at regular intervals. |
| Color | The visual appearance of objects and light sources in terms of hue, lightness, and saturation for objects and hue, brightness, and saturation for light sources; a hue as contrasted with black, white, and gray. |
| Color Man | In painting, the individual, either the journeyman or contractor, who is an expert in tinting and matching colors. |
| Color Pigments | Pigments such as blue, red, etc. which absorb a portion of the light which falls upon them and reflect or return to the eye certain groups of light bands which enable us to recognize various colors. |
| Color Retention | When a paint product exposed to the elements shows no signs of changing color it is said to have good color retention. |
| Color, Complementary | See Complementary Color. |
| Color, Primary | See Primary Color. |
| Color-Fast | Non fading. |
| Color-In-Japan | A paste formed by mixing a color pigment with Japan drier; used principally for tinting. |
| Color-In-Oil | A paste formed by mixing a color pigment in linseed or other vegetable oil; used principally for tinting. |
| Colored Finishes | Plaster finish coats containing integrally mixed color pigments or colored aggregates. |
| Colored Grout | Commercially prepared grout consisting of carefully graded aggregate, portland cement, water dispersing agents, plasticizers, and color fast pigments. |
| Colorimeter | See Chromometer. |
| Coloring Strength | The relative strength or ability of pigments to color base material which is white or light in color. |
| Colossus | A statue of colossal size or proportions. |
| Columbarium | A structure containing vaults for cinerary urns. |
| Column | 1. A structural member used primarily to support axial compression loads and with a height of at least three times its least lateral dimension; an upright structural member acting primarily in compression. 2. A square, rectangular, or cylindrical support |
| Column | A vertical structural compression member which supports loads. |
| Column | In architecture: A perpendicular supporting member, circular or rectangular in section, usually consisting of a base, shaft, and capital. In engineering: A vertical structural compression member which supports loads acting in the direction of its longitud |
| Column Base | 1. The part which forms the bottom of a vertical supporting pillar. 2. The plate beneath a column that distributes the load. |
| Column Base Plate | The part of a structure on which the column base is set. |
| Column Cage | As assembly of vertical reinforcing bars and ties for a concrete column. |
| Column Cap | See Capital, 2. |
| Column Capital | The uppermost member of a column crowning the shaft and taking the weight of the beam or girder. |
| Column Cover | A structure that forms the uppermost part of a column. |
| Column Fireproofing | The act or process of applying fire-retardant materials to a column. |
| Column Footing | Concrete support for a column; commonly known as individual footing, generally square or rectangular in shape. |
| Column Formwork | The mold or sheathing that forms the outline of a column into which the concrete is placed or poured. |
| Column Furring | Strips of wood or metal applied to a column to provide a fastening surface for a finish covering. |
| Column Pier | A foundation member of plain or reinforced concrete to support a column. |
| Column Reinforcing | The embedded steel bars to strengthen a concrete column. |
| Column Spiral | A continuous coil of steel reinforcing used in a concrete column. |
| Column Strip | The zone of a two-way concrete floor or roof structure that is centered on a line of columns. |
| Column Tie | A single loop of steel bar, usually bent into a rectangular configuration, used to tie the reinforcing cage in a concrete column. |
| Column, Concrete | A long, relatively slender, supporting pillar made from concrete and reinforcing steel. |
| Column, Precast | A column that has been cast and cured in other than its final position. |
| Column, Sheetrock | A column made from gypsum wallboard. |
| Column, Timber | Structural lumber, five inches or more in its least dimension used as a vertical compression member. |
| Column, Wood | Vertical wood structural member, usually carrying a beam. |
| Columniation | The arrangement of columns in a building. |
| Comb Board | See Saddle Board. |
| Combination Column | A column in which a structural steel member, designed to carry the principal part of the load, is encased in concrete which carries the remainder of the load. |
| Combination doors or windows | Combination doors or windows used over regular openings. They provide winter insulation and summer protection and often have self storing or removable glass and screen inserts. This eliminates the need for handling a different unit each season. |
| Combination Doors or Windows | Doors or windows with self- storing or removable glass and screen inserts; the need for handling a different unit each season is thus eliminated. |
| Combination Frame | In light wood framing, a combination of the principal features of the full and balloon frames. |
| Combination Receptacle | An electrical fixture with an outlet for plugging in an electrical appliance, along with an electric switch for operating another circuit. |
| Combination Switch | A switch that includes a switch and a receptacle. |
| Combined Chlorine | Chlorine combined with other substances; though available to disinfect pool water; chlorine in this form is less effective than free chlorine. |
| Combined Footing | A concrete footing which supports two or more columns. |
| Combined Stress | The combination of axial and bending stresses in a structural member. |
| Combined Water | The water, chemically held as water of crystallization, by the calcium sulphate dihydrate, or hemihydrate crystal. |
| Combustible | Capable of being burned. |
| Combustion | Burning; consumption by fire; the development of light and heat from the chemical combination of a substance with oxygen. |
| Combustion air | The duct work installed to bring fresh, outside air to the furnace and/or hot water heater. Normally 2 separate supplies of air are brought in: One high and One low. |
| Combustion chamber | The part of a boiler, furnace or woodstove where the burn occurs; normally lined with firebrick or molded or sprayed insulation. |
| Comfort Chart | Chart used in air conditioning to show the dry bulb temperature, humidity and air movement for human comfort conditions. |
| Comfort Cooler | System used to reduce the temperature in the living space in homes; these systems are not complete air conditioners as they do not provide complete control of heating, humidifying, dehumidification, and air circulation. |
| Comfort Zone | Area on psychrometric chart which shows conditions of temperature, humidity, and sometimes air movement in which most people are comfortable. |
| Comfortex | Blind and shade fabricator. Products include Symphony, Softline, Softline DeLux, Solo, Ensemble, Perfect Pitch, Woodwinds, Shangri-La, and others. (21 Elm Street, Maplewood, NY 12189) |
| Commerce | 1. The exchange or buying and selling of commodities, especially on a large scale involving transport within a country or between countries. 2. The principles and techniques of business and office systems. |
| Commercial Carpet | Carpet that is highly resistant to heavy traffic. |
| Commercial Door | A type of door used for strength and durability in commercial building applications. |
| Commercial Facilities | Facilities that are intended for nonresidential use and whose operations will affect commerce, including factories, warehouses, office buildings, and other buildings in which employment may occur. |
| Commercial Matching | Matching of colors within acceptable tolerances, or with a color variation that is barely detectable to the naked eye. |
| Commercial Standard (CS) | U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Govt. Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. |
| Commercially Acceptable Standards | Of workmanship, the standard of work produced by the average competent craftworker, allowing a reasonable amount of imperfections; not perfect. |
| Commingling of Funds | To combine funds belonging to different accounts into a single account |
| Commission | 1. The professional fee paid to a broker or agent for services, usually calculated as an agreed percentage of the sales or lease consideration. 2. A fee paid to an agent or employee for transacting a piece of business or performing a service. |
| Commissioning | Start-up of a building that includes testing and adjusting HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and other systems to assure proper functioning and adherence to design criteria; also includes the instruction of building representatives in the use of the building sy |
| Commitment | 1. A legally enforceable agreement to do something in the future. 2. A pledge by a lending institution to make a real estate loan under certain stated conditions. |
| Commode | 1. A chest of drawers. 2. A chamber pot concealed in a chair with a hinged cover. |
| Common Bolt | An ordinary carbon steel bolt. |
| Common Bond | Brickwork laid with each five courses of alternating stretchers followed by one course of headers. |
| Common Brick | Inexpensive brick, not selected for appearance, that is used as filler or backing. See Building Brick. |
| Common Enemy Doctrine | The legal doctrine that flood waters are a common enemy and that property owners may fight to protect their property regardless of the damage to neighboring property. |
| Common Rafter | A rafter that is square with the plate and extends to the ridge. |
| Common Seal-P Trap | A P-trap with a water seal depth of 2 to 4 inches. |
| Common Vent | A vent that connects at the junction of two fixtures, acting as a vent for both fixtures. |
| Common Waster Pipe | Used when there are two sets of bathroom fixtures on opposite sides of a wall with their drain connections opposite each other; the fixtures may drain into the same waste and also have dual vents; fixtures which are directly across from each other may hav |
| Communication | An act or instance of transmitting information. |
| Communication Cable | A cable fortransmission of telephone, television, and computer signals. |
| Communication Circuit | A circuit which is part of a central station system; such circuits include telephone, telegraph, district messenger, inter-communications, public address systems, fire and burglar alarms, watchmen and sprinkler supervisory circuits with their associated o |
| Communication Manhole | Any of various types of manholes used in the installation of communication conduits or cables. |
| Community Kitchen | A room in a hotel or lodging house used or intended to be used by the occupants of two or more guest rooms for cooking or preparing food. |
| Community Shopping Center | An intermediate size of Shopping Center. |
| Commutator | Part of rotor in electric motor which conveys electric current to rotor windings. |
| Compact Borrow | Fill acquired from excavation that has been compacted. |
| Compacted Concrete | Freshly poured concrete that has been packed tighter by vibration, tamping, or a combination of both to remove voids. |
| Compacted Yards | Cubic measurement of soil or rock after it has been placed and compacted in a fill. |
| Compaction | A process of increasing the density of the Asphalt by rolling or using other vibrating compactors. |
| Compaction | The process whereby the volume of freshly placed material is reduced or flattened by vibration or tamping, or some combination of these; reduction in bulk of fill by rolling, tamping or soaking; insufficient compaction of asphalt pavement courses may resu |
| Compaction Tile | A hard tile surfacing unit made from a mixture of chemicals; the finished surface can be the mixture of chemicals or can be marble chips to create a terrazzo finish; the unit is made hard by the set of the chemicals and the product is not fired as in the |
| Compactor | 1. A mechanical device that compresses objects into smaller units. 2. A machine in an industrial setting that compacts or compresses materials. 3. A machine in a kitchen that compresses or compacts materials by using hydraulic weight, force or vibration. |
| Companion Flange | A pipe connection device that is machined and drilled to match another flange on a pipe or fitting. |
| Comparative Negligence | The legal doctrine that wrongdoers should pay damages proportional to their fault. |
| Compartment Kiln | A kiln in which the total charge of lumber is dried as a single unit; it is designed so that, at any given time, the temperature and relative humidity are essentially uniform throughout the kiln; the temperature is increased as drying progresses, and the |
| Compartment, Shower | See Shower Compartment. |
| Compass | 1. A drafting tool; an adjustable device for drawing circles; similar to a dividers but with a point on one leg and a pen or pencil on the other; often called compasses or a pair of compasses. 2. A Magnetic Compass. |
| Compatibility | Ability to mix with or adhere properly to other components or substances. |
| Compensating Errors | Errors that are small in magnitude and in which the pluses and minuses (overs and unders) tend to offset each other; compare with Cumulative Errors. |
| Compensatory Damages | An amount calculated to compensate a party for economic loss caused by the wrongful act of another. |
| Competitive Bidding | The process of two or more contractors submitting proposals for the same work at the same time. |
| Complementary Color | A color that combined with its complement yields gray; complementary pairs include red-green, yellow-violet, and blue-orange. |
| Complete Fusion | In welding, fusion which has occurred over the entire base- metal surfaces exposed for welding. |
| Completion Bond | A bond guaranteeing to the lender that the project will be completed free of liens. |
| Completion Date | The date stipulated in the construction contract for substantial completion. |
| Completion of Construction | When the work of the construction contract is complete. |
| Component | 1. A constituent part or ingredient. 2. One of two or more forces which, acting together, have the same effect as a single force, called the resultant. |
| Component Depreciation | A method of computing depreciation of property by its individual parts rather than as a whole. |
| Composite | An order of Greek architecture consisting of elements of the Ionic and the Corinthian orders. |
| Composite Beam | A beam that is composed of two different materials; for example, a wood and steel beam, or a steel beam and concrete slab, in which the two act as one. |
| Composite Board | A board that is made of several compressed materials; used for sheathing, wallboard, or as an insulation or acoustical barrier. |
| Composite Column | A column in which a steel or cast-iron structural member is completely encased in concrete containing spiral and longitudinal reinforcement. |
| Composite Concrete Flexural Composition | A precast concrete member and cast-in-place reinforced concrete so interconnected that the component elements act together as a flexural member. |
| Composite Decking | A type of decking construction made up of different materials, such as concrete, wood, and steel. |
| Composite Metal Decking | Corrugated steel decking manufactured in such a way that it bonds securely to the concrete floor fill to form a reinforced concrete deck. |
| Composite Steel Deck Shoring | Shoring used on composite steel decks during the placement of concrete. |
| Composite Wall | A masonry wall that incorporates two or more different types of masonry units, such as clay bricks and concrete blocks. |
| Composition | 1. The factors or parts of any substance or material. 2. The quantitative or qualitative makeup of any chemical. |
| Composition Roofing | Any asphaltic roofing. |
| Composition Shingles | Shingles made or formed from composition roofing material. |
| Compound Gauge | Instrument for measuring pressures both above and below atmospheric pressure. |
| Compound Refrigerating Systems | System which has several compressors or compressor cylinders in series; used to pump low-pressure vapors to condensing pressures. |
| Compreg | Wood in which the cell walls have been impregnated with synthetic resin and compressed; this process reduces swelling and shrinking and increases density and strength; compare with Impreg. |
| Comprehensive General Liability | Insurance policy covering comprehensive general liability. |
| Compression | 1. Force which tends to crush adjacent particles of a material together and cause overall shortening in the direction of its action; stress which tends to shorten a member. 2. The increase of pressure on a fluid by using mechanical energy. |
| Compression Bars | Steel used to resist compression forces. |
| Compression Block | An extremely short wooden column. |
| Compression Connector | A connecting device which when attaching uses a force that pushes together and squeezes. |
| Compression Coupling | A connecting device which creates a force that pushes together and crushes. |
| Compression Elbow | A connecting device which joins two pipes at 90 degrees which uses a force that pushes together and crushes. |
| Compression Failure | Deformation of the wood fibers resulting from excessive compression along the grain in direct end compression or in bending; it may develop in standing trees due to bending by wind or snow or to internal longitudinal stresses developed in growth, or it ma |
| Compression Faucet | One designed to stop the flow of water by the action of a flat washer closing against a seat. |
| Compression Fitting | Bends, couplings, crosses, elbows, tees, and unions which use a force when connecting that pushes together and squeezes a metal or rubber gasket. |
| Compression Gasket | A synthetic or rubber strip or washer that seals by being squeezed tightly. |
| Compression Gauge | An instrument used to measure positive pressures, those above atmospheric pressures, only; these gauges are usually calibrated from 0 to 300 psig (0-21.1 kg./cm2). |
| Compression Lug | A connector for fastening the end of a wire to a terminal that uses a force that pushes together and crushes. |
| Compression Ratio | In a refrigeration compressor, the ratio of the volume of the clearance space to the total volume of the cylinder, in refrigeration it is also used as the ratio of the absolute low-side pressure to the absolute high-side pressure. |
| Compression Reinforcement | Steel reinforcing bars in a reinforced beam that are placed near the top of the beam to assist in resisting compressive forces. |
| Compression Ring | A structural element, circular in plan, which is in compression because of the action of the rest of the structure; for a dome, it would occur as a collar around a circular opening, or oculus, at the top; for a suspended roof, it would be around the outsi |
| Compression Splice | A connection of two similar materials by a force which tends to shorten a member. |
| Compression Strength | The ability of a structural material to withstand compression forces; the measured maximum resistance of a concrete or mortar specimen to axial loading; expressed as force per unit cross-sectional area; or the specified resistance used in design calculati |
| Compression Valve | One designed to stop the flow of water by the action of a flat washer closing against a seat. |
| Compression web | A member of a truss system which connects the bottom and top chords and which provides downward support. |
| Compression Wood | Abnormal wood formed on the lower side of branches and inclined trunks of softwood trees; compression wood shrinks excessively lengthwise, as compared with normal wood. |
| Compressive Strength | The measured resistance of a concrete or mortar specimen to axial loading expressed as pounds per square inch of cross-sectional area; the maximum compressive stress which material, such as portland cement, concrete, or grout is capable of sustaining. |
| Compressor | A machine that compresses gases or air; pump of a refrigerating mechanism which draws a low pressure on the cooling side of the refrigerant cycle and squeezes or compresses the gas into the high-pressure or condensing side of the cycle. |
| Compressor | A mechanical device that pressurizes a gas in order to turn it into a liquid, thereby allowing heat to be removed or added. A compressor is the main component of conventional heat pumps and air conditioners. In an air conditioning system, the compressor n |
| Compressor Displacement | Volume, in cubic inches, represented by the area of the compressor piston head or heads multiplied by the length of the stroke. |
| Compressor Seal | Leakproof seal between crankshaft and compressor body in open type compressors. |
| Compressor, External Type | See Compressor, Open Type. |
| Compressor, Hermetic | See Hermetic Compressor. |
| Compressor, Multiple Stage | Compressor having two or more compressive steps. Discharge from each step is the intake pressure of the next in series. |
| Compressor, Open Type | Compressor in which the crankshaft extends through the crankcase and is driven by an outside motor; also called External Drive Compressor. |
| Compressor, Reciprocating | See Reciprocating Compressor. |
| Compressor, Rotary | Compressor which uses vanes, eccentric mechanisms or other rotating devices to provide pumping action. |
| Compressor, Single Stage | Compressor having only one compressive step between low-side pressure and high-side pressure. |
| Computer Cable | Coaxial cable which transmits computer signals. |
| Computer Floor | Special flooring designed to prevent electrostatic buildup and sparking in a computer room; usually elevated above the existing floor, to facilitate the running of wires between the components in the room. |
| Computer Hardware | All of the physical equipment, including the input units (keyboard and mouse), processing unit, and output units (screen, and printer). |
| Computer Language | A code used to write a computer program. |
| Computer Software | The programs that make a computer function. |
| Computer-Room AC | An air-conditioning unit used in a computer room. |
| Computerese | Arcane jargon used by computer technologists. |
| Concave | Curved or rounded inward like the inside of a bowl; the opposite of convex. |
| Concave Fillet Weld | A fillet weld having a concave face. |
| Concave Joint | In masonry, a mortar joint formed with a special tool or a bent iron rod; this joint is weather resistive and inexpensive. |
| Concavity | The maximum distance from the face of a concave fillet weld perpendicular to a line joining the toes. |
| Concealed | Rendered inaccessible by the structure or finish of the building. |
| Concealed Grid | A suspended ceiling framework that is completely hidden by the tiles or panels it supports. |
| Concealed Picture Mold | A recessed horizontal slot in a plaster wall, formed by a sheet metal screed, used to hang pictures and other objects. |
| Concealed Z Bar | A hidden z-shaped bar that is used as a wall tie. |
| Concentrated Load | A load which acts at one point or small area of a structure or member. |
| Concentrating Collector | A device that uses reflective surfaces to concentrate the sun's rays onto a smaller area, where they are absorbed and converted to heat energy. |
| Concentration | 1.The strength of a solution. 2. A concentrated mass or thing. |
| Concentric | Having a common center or axis. |
| Concrete | A mixture of portland cement, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate, admixtures, air, and water. |
| Concrete | The mixture of Portland cement, sand, gravel, and water. Used to make garage and basement floors, sidewalks, patios, foundation walls, etc. It is commonly reinforced with steel rods (rebar) or wire screening (mesh). |
| Concrete Accessory | An implement or device used in the formwork, pouring, spreading, or finishing of concrete surfaces. |
| Concrete Admixture | A substance added to concrete to aid in imparting color, control workability, help in waterproofing, control setting, and to entrain air. |
| Concrete Beam | A horizontal structural member which transversely supports a load and transfers the load to vertical members, made of a composite material consisting of sand, coarse aggregate, cement and water. |
| Concrete block | A hollow concrete 'brick' often 8" x 8" x 16" in size. |
| Concrete Block | A hollow concrete masonry unit made from portland cement and suitable aggregates such as sand, gravely crushed stone, bituminous or anthracite cinders, burned clay or shale, pumice, volcanic scoria, air-cooled or expanded blast furnace slags with or witho |
| Concrete Block Bar Supports | Precast concrete blocks, with or without tie wires used to support bars above the sub-grade or to space bars off vertical forms and above horizontal forms. |
| Concrete Block Removal | The act or process of demolition of a concrete block structure. |
| Concrete board | A panel made out of concrete and fiberglass usually used as a tile backing material. |
| Concrete Brick | A solid concrete masonry unit the same size and proportion as a clay brick. |
| Concrete Burlap | A curing concrete surface that has had a coarse fabric of jute, hemp, or less commonly, flax applied, for use as a water-retaining covering. |
| Concrete Column | A long, relatively slender, supporting pillar made from concrete and reinforcing steel. |
| Concrete Cover | The distance from a reinforcing bar to the outside of a concrete member; also referred to as fireproofing, clearance, or concrete protection. |
| Concrete Cutting | Scoring or cutting of concrete or masonry with a saw equipped with a carborundum blade; commonly done by specialty subcontractors with customized equipment. |
| Concrete Dowel | A pin of reinforcing steel embedded in concrete to strengthen two pieces where they join or to create a place where other pieces can be fastened to it. |
| Concrete Filled Pile | A long slender construction element filled with concrete, driven in the ground for the purpose of supporting a load. |
| Concrete Finish | The act or process of the final compaction and finishing operations of curing concrete. |
| Concrete Finish, Board | Wooden boards placed in the concrete formwork as for liners to provide a wood-pattern finish to the completed reinforced concrete. |
| Concrete Headwall | The end of a culvert or drain constructed of concrete. |
| Concrete Manhole | A vertical access shaft from the surface to the underground, constructed of concrete. |
| Concrete Masonry Association of California and Nevada (CMACN) | |
| Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU) | See Concrete Block. |
| Concrete Mat | A grid of metal reinforcement for concrete foundations, slabs, or mats. |
| Concrete Mix | The amount of each material specified, portland cement, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate, admixture, and water. |
| Concrete Nail | A hardened steel nail that may be driven into concrete or masonry. |
| Concrete Parking Barrier | A concrete structure placed to act as a barrier against vehicular encroachment. |
| Concrete Paving | The use of concrete to make a hard surface in areas such as walks, roadways, ramps, and parking areas. |
| Concrete Pile | A precast slender reinforced concrete member that is embedded in the soil, by driving or inserting into a predrilled hole. |
| Concrete Pipe | Pipe manufactured from concrete; the manufacturing is done in a plant under controlled conditions; usually used for drainage but may also be used for sanitary sewers. |
| Concrete Placement | The placing and finishing of concrete during a continuous operation; also known as pouring. |
| Concrete plain | Concrete either without reinforcement, or reinforced only for shrinkage or temperature changes. |
| Concrete Plank | A solid or hollow-core, flat-beam used for floor or roof decking; usually precast and prestressed. |
| Concrete Planter | A concrete reservoir to hold soil for plantings. |
| Concrete Pole | A vertical member made of concrete. |
| Concrete Post | A vertical structure made of concrete which carries stresses in compression. |
| Concrete Pump | An apparatus which forces concrete to the placing position through a pipeline or hose. |
| Concrete Receptor | A precast concrete structure which forms the drain area of a shower. |
| Concrete Reinforcement | Steel rods that are embedded in wet concrete to give additional strength. |
| Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute (CRSI) | 933 North Plum Grove Road, Schaumburg, Illinois 60173-4758, (708) 517-1200. |
| Concrete Removal | The act or process of demolition of old concrete into manageable pieces. |
| Concrete Repair | To restore concrete by replacing a section or repairing what is broken. |
| Concrete Restoration | The rebuilding of the surface of concrete to approach as nearly as possible the original form. |
| Concrete Saw Cut | A cut in hardened concrete utilizing diamond or silicone-carbide blades or discs. |
| Concrete Sheet Piling | A row of concrete piles driven in close contact to provide a tight wall to resist the lateral pressure of water, adjacent earth or other materials. |
| Concrete Sleeper | Strips of wood placed on a rough concrete floor to which the finished wood floor is nailed. |
| Concrete Testing | Testing to determine the plasticity or strength of concrete. |
| Concrete Topping | A rich mixture of fine aggregate concrete used to top concrete floor surfaces for durability, safety and appearance. |
| Concrete Waterproofing | An act or process of adding a material to concrete to make it impervious to water or dampness. |
| Concrete, Fibrous | See Fibrous Concrete. |
| Concrete, Field | See Field Concrete. |
| Concrete, Foamed | See Foamed Concrete |
| Concrete, Green | See Green Concrete |
| Concrete, Lightweight | Concrete that has substantially lower weight than that made from gravel or crushed stone. |
| Concrete, Normal Weight | See Normal Weight Concrete. |
| Concrete, Plain | See Plain Concrete. |
| Concrete, Precast | Concrete parts that are cast on- or off-site and, after curing and hardening, are installed in their final position of use. |
| Concrete, Prestressed | See Prestressed Concrete. |
| Concrete, Pumped | See Pumped Concrete. |
| Concrete, Reinforced | See Reinforced Concrete. |
| Concrete, Structural Lightweight | Concrete containing lightweight aggregate, not exceeding 115 pounds per cubic foot. |
| Concrete, Terrazzo | See Terrazzo. |
| Concurrent | The point at which the line of action of several forces meet. |
| Concurrent Heating | The application of supplemental heat to a structure during a welding or cutting operation. |
| Condemnation | A procedure by which private property is acquired for public use by the legal process of eminent domain. |
| Condensate | A product obtained by cooling vapors of a substance being distilled. |
| Condensate line | The copper pipe that runs from the outside air conditioning condenser to the inside furnace ( where the a/c coil is located). |
| Condensate Pump | A pump that removes water or condensation from an air-cooling unit. |
| Condensation | Beads or drops of water (and frequently frost in extremely cold weather) that accumulate on the inside of the exterior covering of a building. Use of louvers or attic ventilators will reduce moisture condensation in attics. A vapor barrier under the gypsu |
| Condensation | In a building: Beads or drops of water (and frequently frost in extremely cold weather) that accumulate on the inside of the exterior covering of a building when warm, moisture-laden air from the interior reaches a point where the temperature no longer pe |
| Condensation | The process of changing from a gaseous to a liquid state, especially as applied to water; liquid drops which form when a vapor is chilled below its boiling point; water droplets that deposit on surfaces whose temperature is below the dew point. |
| Condensation Drain | A drain pipe to carry off water condensed from the atmosphere. |
| Condense | Action of changing a gas or vapor to a liquid. |
| Condenser | A heat exchanger in a refrigeration cycle used to discharge heat to the outside; commonly used types are water cooled, air cooled, and evaporative; condenser water is normally circulated through a cooling tower through which heat is distributed to the atm |
| Condenser Comb | Comb-like device, metal or plastic, used to straighten the metal fins on condensers or evaporators. |
| Condenser Fan | Forced air device used to move air through air- cooled condenser. |
| Condenser, Air-Cooled | Heat exchanger which transfers heat to surrounding air. |
| Condenser, Water Cooled | Heat exchanger designed to transfer heat from hot gaseous refrigerant to water. |
| Condensing Pressure | Pressure inside a condenser at which refrigerant vapor gives up its latent heat of vaporization and becomes a liquid; this varies with the temperature. |
| Condensing Temperature | Temperature inside a condenser at which refrigerant vapor gives up its latent heat of vaporization and becomes a liquid; this varies with the pressure. |
| Condensing Unit | Part of a refrigerating mechanism which pumps vaporized refrigerant from the evaporator, compresses it, liquefies it in the condenser and returns it to the refrigerant control. |
| Condensing unit | The outdoor component of a cooling system. It includes a compressor and condensing coil designed to give off heat. |
| Condensing Unit Service Valves | Shutoff valves mounted on condensing unit to enable service technicians to install or service unit. |
| Conditioned Air | Air that has been heated, cooled, humidified, or dehumidified to maintain an interior space within the comfort zone; also called Tempered Air. |
| Conditioned Water | In swimming pools, water treated with cyanuric acid or chlorinated isocyanurate to prevent chlorine from dissipating in sunlight. |
| Conditions, Convenants, and Restrictions (CC and Rs) | The standards that define how a property may be used and the protections the developer makes for the benefit of all owners in a subdivision. |
| Condominium | Individual ownership of a unit in a multi-unit development, as dwellings, offices, storage, or manufacturing spaces; also includes ownership of an interest, in common with other owners, of common areas and facilities that serve the structure. |
| Conductance | 1. The property of a material to conduct electric current. 2. A property of a material to conduct heat; a property of a slab of material equal to the quantity of heat, in BTU. per hour, that flows through 1 square foot of the slab, when a 1 degree F. temp |
| Conduction | The direct transfer of heat energy through a material. |
| Conductive | Having the quality or power of conducting or transmitting heat, electricity, or static electricity. |
| Conductive Floor | Flooring material specifically designed to prevent electrostatic buildup and sparking. |
| Conductive Mortar | A tile mortar to which specific electrical conductivity is imparted through the use of conductive additives. |
| Conductive Terrazzo | A type of tile that prevents electrostatic buildup and sparking, that is made from specific conductive materials. |
| Conductive Tile | Tile made from special body compositions or by methods that result in specific properties of electrical conductivity while retaining other normal physical properties of ceramic tile. |
| Conductivity | The rate at which heat is transmitted through a material. |
| Conductivity (k) | Ability of a substance to conduct or transmit heat or electricity; the reciprocal of resistivity, 1/r. |
| Conductor, Aluminum | An aluminum wire or cable for transmitting electrical current. |
| Conductor, Copper | A copper wire or cable for transmitting electrical current. |
| Conductor, Stranded | A number of fine wires twisted around a center wire or core, used as a single electric conductor. |
| Conductors | 1. Pipes for conducting water from a roof to the ground or to a receptacle or drain; downspout. 2. Any electrical wire used to convey electricity. |
| Conduit | A protective sleeve or pipe commonly used for individual electrical conductors. |
| Conduit Bushing | A threaded metal or plastic pipe connector used to connect conduit to a box or other housing where the hole is not threaded. |
| Conduit Cap | A cap placed on the end of a length of conduit to protect the threads or terminate the conduit run. |
| Conduit Locknut | A threaded connector used where conduit enters an electrical box or other housing where the hole in not threaded; the locknut is screwed onto the threaded end of the conduit on the outside of the box and connected to a bushing on the inside of the box unt |
| Conduit Plug | A fitting that is screwed into the ends of conduit or conduit fittings. |
| Conduit, Aluminum | A pipe constructed of a light alloy material used to enclose electric wires to protect them from damage. |
| Conduit, electrical | A pipe, usually metal, in which wire is installed. |
| Conduit, EMT | See EMT Conduit. |
| Conduit, Flexible | See Flexible Conduit. |
| Conduit, Galvanized | See Galvanized Conduit. |
| Conduit, Plastic Coated | Asee Plastic Coated Conduit. |
| Conduit, PVC | See PVC Conduit. |
| Conduit, Steel | See Steel Conduit. |
| Cone | 1.A solid figure with a circular (or other curved) plane base, tapering up to a point. 2. The dry fruit of a conifer; a pine cone. 3. The conical part of a gas flame next to the orifice of the tip. |
| Cone, Slump | See Slump Cone. |
| Conference Room | A room for meetings. |
| Configuration | An arrangement of parts or elements in a particular form or figure. |
| Congo Gum | A gum resin obtained from the Congo region of Africa. |
| Conifer | Any evergreen of a group usually bearing cones; conifers produce softwood lumber. |
| Connection | The union, or joint, of two or more distinct elements. |
| Connection, Bus Duct | See Bus Duct Connection. |
| Connector Set Screw | A screw on a connector fitting that when tightened connects two components together. |
| Connector, Compression | See Compression Connector. |
| Connector, Die Cast | A connecting device that has been cut, formed and threaded by die tools. |
| Conrad Imports | Fabricator of woven grass and reed shades. Exclusive, unique, and expensive. (575 10th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103) |
| Consent of Surety | A written consent of the surety to pay the final payment to the contractor, reduce or eliminate the retainage, or make any change in the contract conditions. |
| Conservation | The careful preservation and protection of something, such as a building or the environment. |
| Conservatism | A principle of accounting, the object of which is to place each asset item on the balance sheet at a conservative figure or low end of its price range. |
| Conservatory | A greenhouse for tending and displaying plants. |
| Consideration | A benefit (or money) coming from a promisee to a promisor in exchange for the promisor's agreement to perform an act. |
| Consistency | 1. The fluidity or viscosity of a liquid or paste; resistance of a product to flow. 2. The degree of plasticity of fresh concrete or mortar; the normal measure of consistency is slump for concrete and flow for mortar. 3. The degree of fluidity or plastici |
| Consistency, Normal | Of gypsum plaster or gypsum concrete, see Normal Consistency. |
| Console | 1. An ornamental bracket supporting a shelf. 2. A cabinet or panel containing controls and switches for operating lighting, sound, television, or radio equipment. |
| Consolidation | Process of working fresh concrete so that a closer arrangement of particles is created and the number of voids is decreased or eliminated. |
| Consolidation Compaction | This is usually accomplished by vibration of newly placed concrete to its minimum practical volume, to mold it within form shapes and around embedded parts and reinforcement and to eliminate voids other than entrained air. |
| Consortium | A combination of companies organized to invest in an enterprise usually too large for them individually. |
| Constant | A component of a relationship between variables that does not change its value. |
| Constant Air Volume System | Air handling system that provides a constant air flow while varying the temperature to meet heating and cooling needs. |
| Constrictor | Tube or orifice used to restrict flow of a gas or a liquid. |
| Construct | Make by putting materials or parts together; build; erect. |
| Constructibility | The capacity of a certain design of being developed into construction. |
| Construction | 1. The act or process of building. 2. Buildings and structures that have been built. 3. The method by which the carpet is made (loom or machine type) and other identifying characteristics, including pile rows per inch, pitch, wire height, number of shots, |
| Construction Change Directive | A document that directs a change in the work of the project, prepared by the architect and signed by the owner and architect. This change can adjust the contract sum and/or contract time. This document may be used in the absence of the contractor's agreem |
| Construction Contract | A legal document which specifies the what-when-where-how-how much and by whom in a construction project. A good construction contract will include: |
| Construction Documents | The drawings and specifications that describe the construction requirements. |
| Construction Documents Phase | One of the standard phases of architectural service (Schematic Design Phase, Design Development Phase, Construction Documents Phase, Bidding or Negotiation Phase, and Construction Phase-Administration of the Construction Contract). |
| Construction dry-wall | A type of construction in which the interior wall finish is applied in a dry condition, generally in the form of sheet materials or wood paneling as contrasted to plaster. |
| Construction drywall | A type of construction in which the interior wall finish is applied in a dry condition, generally in the form of sheet materials or wood paneling as contrasted to plaster. |
| Construction Industry Arbitration Rules | Arbitration rules administrated by the AAA and referred to in AIA's standard agreements for construction and architectural services. |
| Construction Joint | The contact between the placed concrete and concrete surfaces, against or upon which concrete is to be placed and to which new concrete is to adhere, that has become so rigid that the new concrete cannot be incorporated integrally by vibration with that p |
| Construction Lender | An institution or individual that lends money to a borrower for the purpose of constructing improvements on property. |
| Construction Lime | An industrial form of calcium oxide that is added to give it cling or adhesion. |
| Construction Loan | A short term interim loan to pay for the construction of a building. |
| Construction Management | Activities over and above normal architectural and engineering services, conducted during the predesign, design, and construction phases, that contribute to the control of time and cost. |
| Construction Manager | A person or entity who provides construction management services, either as an advisor or as a contractor. |
| Construction Phase-Administration of the Construction Contract | One of the standard phases of architectural service (Schematic Design Phase, Design Development Phase, Construction Documents Phase, Bidding or Negotiation Phase, and Construction Phase-Administration of the Construction Contract). |
| Construction Schedule | A time table setting out the times for starting and completing each of the operations required for the construction of a building or other project. |
| Construction, frame | A type of construction in which the structural components are wood or depend upon a wood frame for support. |
| Construction, frame | A type of construction in which the structural parts are wood or depend upon a wood frame for support. In codes, if masonry veneer is applied to the exterior walls, the classification of this type of construction is usually unchanged. |
| Constructive Notice | The giving of notice by recording it in the office of the county recorder or placing it in a newspaper. |
| Consultant | One who provides services as an advisor. |
| Consumable Insert | See Backing Filler Metal. |
| Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) | Washington, DC 20207, (301) 492-6800. |
| Contact Ceiling | A ceiling which is secured in direct contact with the construction above without use of furring. |
| Contact Cement | Neoprene rubber-based adhesive which bonds instantly upon contact of parts being fastened. |
| Contact Fireproofing | See Fireproofing. |
| Contact Splice | A means of connecting reinforcing bars by lapping in direct contact. |
| Contaminant | 1. A substance that taints, infects, or pollutes; an impurity. 2. In a refrigeration system, substances such as dirt, moisture, or other matter foreign to refrigerant or refrigerant oil in system. |
| Contaminated | 1. No longer as originally manufactured or no longer pure because of contact with some foreign substance. 2. In tile work, stained tile as a result of carton and tile being saturated by moisture, oils, solvents or other materials. |
| Contingency Allowance | A sum in a construction budget to cover unforeseen expenses. |
| Continuity | 1. Uninterrupted electrical path in a circuit. 2. Degree of being intact or pore free. |
| Continuity tester | A device that tells whether a circuit is capable of carrying electricity. |
| Continuous Beam | A beam that is supported by more than two supports. |
| Continuous Cycle Absorption System | System which has a continuous flow of energy input. |
| Continuous Duty | In an electrical system, a requirement of service that demands operation at a substantially constant load for an indefinitely long time. |
| Continuous Footing | A concrete footing that supports a wall or two or more columns; the footing can vary in width and depth, also called a Strip Footing. |
| Continuous High Chairs | Welded wire bar supports consisting of a top longitudinal supporting wire with evenly spaced legs welded thereto and used to support bars near the top of slabs. |
| Continuous Hinge | A hinge designed to be the same length as the moving part (cabinet door or lid) to which it is applied; also called Piano Hinge. |
| Continuous Load | An electrical load where the maximum current is expected to continue for three hours or more during any one period of time. |
| Continuous Mix Plant | A manufacturing facility for producing asphalt paving mixtures that proportions those aggregate and asphalt constituents into the mix by a continuous volumetric proportioning system without definite batch intervals. |
| Continuous Ridge Vent | A screened, water-shielded ventilation opening that runs continuously along the ridge of a gable roof. |
| Continuous Vent | A vertical vent pipe that is a continuation of the waste drain. |
| Continuous Waste | Two (2) or more fixtures that use a single trap. |
| Continuous Waste and Vent | A vertical vent pipe that is in a continuous line with the waste line; below the point where the fixture drains into the pipe is the waste line; above this point is the vent. |
| Contour Interval | The difference in vertical measurement between adjacent contour lines on a topographic map. |
| Contour Lines | The lines connecting points of equal elevation on a topographic map. |
| Contour Map | See Topographic Map. |
| Contract | An agreement or covenant between two or more persons in which each is bound to do or refrain from doing some act, and each acquires a right to what the other promises. |
| Contract Award | An owner's notice to a contractor that a bid has been accepted and a contract will be entered into. |
| Contract Bonds | Performance Bond and Payment Bond, required by some construction contracts. |
| Contract Documents | The documents that comprise a construction contract, consisting of the agreement between owner and contractor, the conditions of the contract (general, supplementary, and other), drawings, specifications, and addenda issued before the contract is signed; |
| Contract of Adhesion | A contract offered to a person of inferior bargaining position who has no effective means of negotiating more favorable terms. |
| Contract of Sale | See Land Contract. |
| Contract Sum | The amount stated in the contract for the owner to pay to the contractor for doing the work of the contract. |
| Contract Time | The amount of time stated in the contract for substantial completion of the work of the contract. |
| Contraction | 1. Becoming smaller from any cause. 2.A shrinking in size when something gets colder. 3. Reduction in the size of a business. |
| Contraction Joint | Formed, sawed, or tooled groove in a structure to create a weakened plane and regulate the location of cracking resulting from the dimensional change of different parts of the structure. |
| Contractor | A company licensed to perform certain types of construction activities. In most states, the generals contractor's license and some specialty contractor's licenses don't require of compliance with bonding, workmen's compensation and similar regulations. So |
| Contractor | An electrical relay to provide power to electrical equipment; an electrically operated switch, usually by a coil or solenoid, containing one or more sets of contacts which control one or more circuits. |
| Contractor | One who enters into a contract for construction of a building or part of a building; a builder. |
| Contractor CM | A construction manager who acts as a contractor and who may guarantee the construction cost. |
| Contractor Manager | The role of the contractor as a business manager. |
| Contractor's Level | Builder's level. |
| Control Circuit | In a control apparatus or system, the circuit which carries the electric signals directing the performance of the controller, but does not carry the main power. |
| Control Joint | An intentional linear discontinuity in a structure or component, designed to form a plane of weakness where cracking or movement can occur in response to various forces so as to minimize or eliminate cracking elsewhere in the structure; see Control Joint |
| Control joint | Tooled, straight grooves made on concrete floors to "control" where the concrete should crack. |
| Control Panel | A panel, cabinet, or enclosure containing two or more controllers, contractors, relays, or other control devices for the control of electrical circuits, equipment, apparatus or system. |
| Control System | All of the components required for the automatic control of a process variable. |
| Control Valve | A mechanical device used to regulate an operation or function; a valve which regulates the flow or pressure of a medium which affects a controlled process; such valves are operated by remote signals from independent devices using any of a number of contro |
| Control, Compressor | See Motor Control. |
| Control, Defrosting | See Defrosting Control. |
| Control, Low Pressure | Low pressure Control. |
| Control, Motor | See Motor Control. |
| Control, Pressure Motor | High or low-pressure control connected into the electrical circuit and used to start and stop motor. It is activated by demand for refrigeration or for safety. |
| Control, Refrigerant | See Refrigerant Control. |
| Control, Temperature | See Temperature Control. |
| Controller | A device, or group of devices, which serves to govern in some predetermined manner the electric power delivered to the apparatus to which it is conducted. |
| Controls | 1. A mechanism used to regulate or guide the operation of a machine, apparatus, or system. 2. A functional area of management established to inform the manager when the actual experience of the business is different from that which was planned and to help |
| Conurbation | The growing together of previously separate towns creating a large community. |
| Convection | Currents created by heating air, which then rises and pulls cooler air behind it. Also see radiation. |
| Convection | Heat transferred by fluid motion. |
| Convection Oven | An oven operating by the principal of heat transfer through automatic heated air circulation. |
| Convection, Forced | See Forced Convection. |
| Convection, Natural | See Natural Convection. |
| Convector | A heat exchange device that uses the heat in steam, hot water, or an electric resistance element to warm the air in a room; also called a radiator. |
| Conventional Installation | The method of installing ceramic tile with portland cement mortar. |
| Conventional Light-Frame Construction | A type of construction whose primary structural elements are formed by a system of repetitive wood-framing members. |
| Conventional loan | A mortgage loan not insured by a government agency (such as FHA or VA) |
| Conventional Loan | A mortgage not insured by the FHA or guaranteed by the VA. |
| Converter | That which causes change to different state; catalyst; curing agent; promoter. |
| Convertibility | The ability to change a loan from an adjustable rate schedule to a fixed rate schedule. |
| Convex | A protruding rounded surface, curved or rounded like the exterior of a sphere or circle. |
| Convex Fillet Weld | A fillet weld having a convex face. |
| Convexity | The maximum distance from the face of a convex fillet weld perpendicular to a line joining the toes. |
| Conveyance | The transfer of property from one owner to another, usually by deed. |
| Conveying System | A device used to move material from one place to another, including elevators, escalators, moving walks, dumbwaiters, and conveyors. |
| Cooking Unit, Counter-Mounted | An assembly of one or more domestic surface heating elements for cooking purposes designed for flush mounting in, or supported by, a counter, and which assembly is complete with inherent or separately mountable, controls and internal wiring; see Oven, Wal |
| Cool Colors | Hues or colors in which blue-green predominates; so termed because of the association with ice, water, and sky; also called Cold Colors. |
| Cooled Loop Run-Around | A method of heat recovery from exhaust air which uses finned-tube coils installed in the incoming and exhaust air supply. |
| Cooler | Heat exchanger which removes heat from a substance. |
| Cooler, Bottle | See Bottle Cooler. |
| Cooler, Nail | A nail with special size and head configuration for use in gypsum board applications. |
| Cooler, Water | See Water Cooler. |
| Cooling Coil | A heat exchange between a cooling element and the air stream; the cooling medium may be chilled water or refrigerant gas. |
| Cooling load | The amount of cooling required to keep a building at a specified temperature during the summer, usually 78° F, regardless of outside temperature. |
| Cooling Tower | A structure in which warm water is circulated for cooling by evaporation by exposure to the air; the water is cooled to the wet bulb temperature of the air. |
| Cooper | A barrel maker. |
| Cooperage | 1. Barrels and kegs. 2. A place where barrels are made. |
| Cooperation | 1. The act of working together for the common good. 2. A behavioral aspect of management; this is achieved by leadership and should be encouraged by management. |
| Coordinates | A system of magnitudes to fix the position of a point, line, or plane. |
| COP | Coefficient of Performance. |
| Copals | Group of resinous substances exuding from various tropical trees; collected from living trees and also dug from the ground as a fossil; includes resins such as amber, congo, kauri, manila, Pontianak, West India gum, and zanzibar. |
| Cope | To cut or shape the end of a molded wood member so it will cover and fit the contour of an adjoining piece of molding; see Scribe and Scribing. |
| Coped | Removing the top and bottom flange of the end(s) of a metal I-beam. This is done to permit it to fit within, and bolted to, the web of another I-beam in a "T" arrangement. |
| Coped joint | Cutting and fitting woodwork to an irregular surface. |
| Coped Joint | See Scribing, 2. |
| Coped joint | See Scribing. |
| Coping | 1. The material or units used to form a cap or finish on top of a wall, pier, pilaster, or chimney; a protective cap at the top of a masonry wall; it should be waterproof and weather resistant and sloped to shed water. 2. Perimeter edging around a swimmin |
| Coping Saw | A handsaw with a very narrow blade held under tension in a U-shaped frame; used for cutting curves in wood. |
| Coping, Clay | See Clay Coping. |
| Coping, Limestone | The use of limestone to form a cap or finish on top of a wall, pier, pilaster, or chimney. |
| Coping, Precast | A precast concrete member used to form a cap or finish on top of a wall, pier, pilaster, or chimney. |
| Copolymer | A product of copolymerization; substance obtained when two or more types of monomers polymerize. |
| Copolymerization | Simultaneous polymerization of two compounds which have properties different from polymer obtained with either monomer separately; see Polymerization. |
| Copper | a common reddish metallic element that is ductile and malleable and one of the best conductors of heat and electricity. |
| Copper Bellows | A flexible joint in copper piping that can expand or contract to allow for thermal fluctuations. |
| Copper Braid | Three or more strands of copper intertwined. |
| Copper Development Association (CDA) | 260 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016, (212) 251-7200. |
| Copper Piping | Pipe and tubing manufactured of copper, classified as Type K, L or M. Type K being the thickest walled, Type M, the thinnest walled. |
| Copper Plating | Abnormal condition developing in some units in which copper is electrolytically deposited on some compressor surfaces. |
| Copper Sulfate | 1. A chemical compound, CuSO4, used in fungicides, electroplating solutions, textile dyeing, and as a timber preservative 2. An algaecide declining in popularity because of its toxicity and incompatibility with some other compounds found in swimming pools |
| Copper Sulfate Test | In test for Mill Scale, copper color indicates absence of mill scale when steel is swabbed with 5 to 10 percent solution. |
| Copperas | See Ferrous Sulphate. |
| Copyright | The exclusive legal right to publish or sell artistic compositions. |
| Corbel | 1.A masonry unit such as brick or stone which projects beyond the unit below; a spanning device in which masonry units in successive courses are cantilevered slightly over one another; a projecting bracket of masonry or concrete. 2. A projection from the |
| Corbel | The triangular, decorative and supporting member that holds a mantel or horizontal shelf. |
| Corbel out | To build out one or more courses of brick or stone from the face of a wall, to form a support for timbers. |
| Corbel Out | To construct a corbel of brick or stone. |
| Cord | 1. A small, very flexible insulated electrical cable. 2. A flexible thick string or thin rope consisting of woven thin strands. 3. A volume measure of cut firewood of 128 cubic feet (3.63 cubic meters). |
| Cord lock | The mechanism of a shade or blind which allows the product to stop at any given point. |
| Cord Pendant | A cord hanging freely in the air in a vertical position, which has a fixed connection to a permanent wiring enclosure at the upper end and having a suitable cord connection body or lampholder attached to the lower end. |
| Cord, Electric | See Electric Cord. |
| Cordierite Porcelain | A vitreous ceramic whiteware for technical application in which cordierite, 2MgO 2Al2O3 - 5SiO2is the essential crystalline phase. |
| cording set | Equipment for drawing curtains with a pull cord. |
| Cordless Tool | A handtool, such as a drill or screwdriver, containing a rechargeable battery. |
| corduroy | Hard-wearing cloth usually of cotton but sometimes of synthetic yarns with a cotton backing-cloth. Equally spaced cords run down the length of the fabric and are obtainable in different widths. |
| Cordwood | Wood cut in 4 foot or shorter lengths to be used as fuel; see Cord. |
| Core | 1. In plywood, the center of the panel; it may be either veneer or lumber. 2. A cylindrical piece of an underground formation cut and raised by a rotary drill with a hollow bit. 3. A hollow space within a concrete masonry unit formed by the face shells an |
| Core | A sample taken from the compacted asphalt for testing. Usually for density testing. |
| Core Barrel | A hollow cylinder containing a socket and choker springs for holding a section of drilled rock. |
| Core Bracing | Vertical elements of a lateral bracing system such as the walls for stairs, elevators, or duct shafts. |
| Core Cock | A type of valve through which the flow of water is controlled by a circular core or plug that fits closely in a machined seat; the core has a part bored through it to serve as a water passageway; also called Plug Valve. |
| Core Drilling | The process of drilling which extracts a cylindrical sample of concrete, rock or soil; sometimes used to install pipe or conduit through an existing concrete or masonry wall. |
| Core Hardness | The resistance of the core to penetration by a steel punch as measured by ASTM C 473 hardness test. |
| Core Separation | A split in the gypsumboard core often accompanying an over calcined condition. |
| Core Stock | A solid or discontinuous center ply used in panel-type glued structures such as solid or hollowcore doors. |
| Core, Air | See Air Core. |
| Core, Magenetic | See Magnetic Core. |
| Coreboard | A gypsum board product used primarily in shaftwall systems, normally 1 inch thick or less, either laminated or homogenous, usually manufactured in 24 widths and lengths as per job requirements; may have either square, rounded, or tongue and groove edges. |
| Cored Block | See Gypsum Block. |
| Cored Brick | A brick in which the holes consist of less than 25% of the section. |
| Cored Plug | A wooden plug inserted into a drilled hole where a nail, screw or other fastener has been driven. |
| Cored Slab | A concrete slab that has been drilled with holes for the installation of plumbing pipe or conduit. |
| Cored Tile | See Gypsum Tile. |
| Coring Concrete | To drill concrete to obtain samples for testing or to drill a hole in concrete masonry for conduits or pipe. |
| Corinthian | The order of Greek architecture characterized by ornate decoration and flared capitals with acanthus leaves. |
| Cork Running Track | Compressed cork particles used as the base in a running track. |
| Cork Tile | A flooring material made of a thin sheet of cork cut into a tile shape and attached by adhesive. |
| Cork Wall Covering | Cork particles that are bound and pressed into sheets and used to deaden sound and add insulation value. |
| Corner Bead | 1. A metal or plastic strip used to form a neat, durable edge at an outside corner of two walls of plaster or gypsum board. 2. A small, usually curved, wood mold for covering an inside corner. |
| Corner bead | A strip of formed sheet metal placed on outside corners of drywall before applying drywall 'mud'. |
| Corner bead | A strip of formed sheet metal, sometimes combined with a strip of metal lath, placed on corners before plastering to reinforce them. Also, a strip of wood finish three-quarters-round or angular placed over a plastered corner for protection. |
| Corner Block | A large triangular piece of wood or metal used for added strength at the corners of frames or where legs and rails join, see Glue Block. |
| Corner Boards | Boards used as trim for the corners of a house or other frame structure and against which the ends of the siding are finished. |
| Corner boards | Used as trim for the external corners of a house or other frame structure against which the ends of the siding are finished. |
| Corner braces | Diagonal braces at the corners of frame structure to stiffen and strengthen the wall. |
| Corner braces | Diagonal braces at the corners of the framed structure designed to stiffen and strengthen the wall. |
| Corner Bullnose | A type of ceramic tile bullnose trim with a convex radius on two adjacent edges. |
| Corner Cabinet | A cabinet wall unit that extends down two walls from the inside corner point. |
| Corner Guard | Type of molding that is mounted on outside corners in a room or space for finishing and for the protection of the corner from damage. |
| Corner Joint | A joint between two members located approximately at right angles to each other in the form of an L or 90 degrees. |
| Corner Lath | See Corner Reinforcement. |
| Corner Post | 1. A vertical post located in the corner of a timber structure. 2. A glazing mullion in the corner of a structure that retains glazing in both walls. |
| Corner Protection | The act or process of attaching molding to the outside corner of two walls for protection from bumping. |
| Corner Reinforcement | Plaster reinforcement used at re-entrant or internal angles to provide continuity between two intersecting plaster planes, usually a strip of diamond mesh metal lath bent to form a right angle; also called Cornerite or Corner Lath. |
| Corner Studs | The arrangement of studs on a corner of a wood frame building that provides nail backing for the lathing or finishes both inside and out. |
| Corner Tool | In gypsum wallboard finishing, an angular finishing knife to allow the simultaneous application of joint treatment to both sides of a 90 degree interior angle. |
| Corner Weld | Weld in a joint between two members located approximately at right angles to each. |
| Cornerite | Metal-mesh lath cut into strips and bent to a right angle. Used in interior corners of walls and ceilings on lath to prevent cracks in plastering. |
| Cornerite | See Corner Reinforcement. |
| Cornerstone | 1. A stone in a corner of a wall. 2. A ceremonial stone with names of the sponsors, designers, and constructors and the date of construction. |
| Cornice | 1. The exterior detail at the meeting of a wall and a roof overhang. 2. A decorative molding at the intersection of a wall and a ceiling. 3. The molded projection which finishes the top of the wall of a building. |
| cornice | A decorative molding at the top of a wall, just below the ceiling. Also a pelmet-like construction above a curtain arrangement. |
| cornice | A decorative structure with a flat surface, mounted above a window to hide the curtain rod and the top of the curtain or drapery. Made from painted plywood or from plywood or buckram covered with fabric, it can have either a straight or a shaped edge. Unl |
| Cornice | Overhang of a pitched roof , usually consisting of a fascia board, a soffit and appropriate trim moldings. |
| Cornice | Overhang of a pitched roof at the cave line, usually consisting of a facie board, a soffit for a closed cornice, and appropriate moldings. |
| Cornice Molding | Molding that is used to form a projection at the top of a wall; a crowning member at the top course of a wall. |
| cornice pole | A curtain pole with rings, used for heavy curtains. |
| Cornice return | That portion of the cornice that returns on the gable end of a house. |
| corona | A crown or ring usually of metal, forming the main support of bed drapes, centrally mounted on the wall above the bed. |
| Corporation | A group of people authorized by law to act as an individual; an artificial being, created by the State through a charter to engage in a particular kind of business. |
| Corridor | A passage or hallway from which doors lead into rooms. |
| Corrosion | Chemical reaction that causes deterioration of metal. |
| Corrosion-Resistant | Ability of a metal to withstand the effects of corrosion; corrosion resistant metals include any nonferrous metal or any metal having an unbroken surfacing; also includes nonferrous metal or steel with not less than 10 percent chromium or with not less th |
| Corrosive Flux | A flux with a residue that chemically attacks the base metal; it may be composed of inorganic salts and acids, organic salts, and acids of activated rosins or resins. |
| Corrugated Fastener | A type of nail used to hold butt joints together; the slight taper of the corrugations tend to pull the joint together. |
| Corrugated Glass | Glass that is in a corrugated shape and is translucent but not transparent. |
| Corrugated Panel | Metal or fiberglass sheeting formed into alternating ridges and valleys in parallel and applied as siding on a building or structure. |
| Corrugated Roof | Metal or fiberglass formed into alternating ridges and valleys in parallel and mounted on rafters to serve as sheet roofing. |
| Corrugations | In asphalt paving, a type of pavement distortionion; a form of plastic movement typified by ripples across the pavement surface; these distortions usually occur at points where traffic starts and stops, on hills where vehicles brake on the downgrade, on s |
| Corundum | Extremely hard crystallized alumina, used as an abrasive. |
| Cost | The amount paid or charged for something; price. |
| Cost Approach | A real estate appraisal method by which the replacement cost is estimated and then reduced by the accumulated depreciation. |
| Cost Estimate | A preliminary statement of approximate cost, determined by one of the following methods. 1. Area and volume method; cost per square foot or cubic foot of the building. 2. Unit cost method; cost of one unit multiplied by the number of units in the project; |
| Cost Plus Contract | A type of construction contract where the contract price is the sum of the costs of labor, materials, and subcontracts plus a fixed or percentage fee. |
| Cost Plus Fee Agreement | A construction contract where the contractor is paid stipulated direct and indirect costs plus a fee. Also called cost plus. |
| Cottage | A small, simple house, especially in the country. |
| Cotter Pin | A longitudinally split pin which is inserted into a pre-drilled hole at the end of a rod-type fastener; the two ends of the cotter pin are then spread apart to resist removal of the pin. |
| cotton | A natural fabric, made from fibers in the boll of the cotton plant. |
| cotton | Available in a wide range of weights and finishes. The unmixed version creases easily but a cotton/synthetic mixture can be more practical. Furnishing cottons should always be used, as dressmakerís cotton is simply not strong enough. |
| cotton duck | A cream cotton varying in weight from 7 to 15 oz. per sq. yd. (200 to 425 g. per sq. m.). Heavier varieties are hard to penetrate with a needle and so are ideal for no-sew curtains as they need no lining and the edges can be pinked and glued. Widths range |
| cotton lawn | A finely woven cotton, with a very smooth finish. |
| cotton sateen | The most popular form of curtain lining. It is usually buff- colored but white lining looks better if it is being used with fabric printed on a white ground. Colored linings chosen to contrast or coordinate with the curtaining can also look attractive. |
| cotton sateen lining | Comes in various qualities and prices but it is usually a tight- weave fabric called cotton sateen. A more expensive lining will retain its body after cleaning and will help the curtains or shades to hang well. Cheap lining can become limp with age and cl |
| Coulomb | An SI unit of electric charge, equal to the quantity of electricity conveyed in one second by a current of one ampere. |
| Coumarone-Indene Resins | Resins derived as by-products in making coke from coal. |
| Council of American Building Officials (CABO) | 5303 Leesburg Pike, #798, Falls Church, Virginia 22401, (703) 931-4533. |
| Count | A number identifying yarn size or weight per unit of length, or length per unit of weight, depending on the spinning system used, such as denier, woolen, worsted, cotton, or jute systems. |
| Counter | A table or case over which transactions are made or work is done. |
| Counter EMF | Tendency for reverse electrical flow as magnetic field changes in an induction coil. |
| Counter flashing | A metal flashing usually used on chimneys at the roofline to cover shingle flashing and used to prevent moisture entry. |
| Counter Griddle | A cooking device that has been installed in a kitchen counter. |
| Counter Lavatory | A sink that is installed in a counter top of a base cabinet. |
| Counter Top Range | A burner assembly mounted on the top of a kitchen counter allowing for additional cabinet space below. |
| Counter, Laboratory | See Laboratory Counter. |
| Counterbalance | A weight or force that balances another |
| Counterboring | Enlarging a hole so that the head of a screw or bolt inserted in it can be completely covered. |
| Counterbrace | Bracing installed in opposite directions. |
| Counterflashing | A flashing usually used on chimneys at the roofline to cover shingle flashing and to prevent moisture entry. |
| Counterflashing | An inverted L-shaped metal strip built into a wall to overlap base flashing and make a roof or wall watertight; also called Cap Flashing. |
| Counterflow | Flow in opposite direction. |
| Counterfort | A buttress or portion projecting from a wall and upward from the foundation to provide additional resistance to thrusts. |
| Counterfort | A foundation wall section that strengthens (and generally perpendicular to) a long section of foundation wall |
| Countersink | A funnel-shaped enlargement of a drilled hole to allow a screw head to be flush with the surface of the drilled material. |
| Countersunk Plug | A wooden peg used to fill a drilled hole in a wooden surface. |
| Countertop | The work surface placed on base cabinets in a kitchen, lavatory, or laboratory. |
| Country Wood | A Hunter Douglas basswood blind, with 1" and 2" slats. |
| Couple | Where a pair for forces of equal magnitude acting in parallel but opposite directions are capable of causing rotation. |
| Coupling | A pipe fitting containing female threads on both ends; used to join two or more lengths of pipe in a straight run or to join a pipe and fixture. |
| Coupling Set Screw | A screw used to secure a fitting in place. |
| Coupling, Compression | A connecting device which when attaching uses a force that pushes together and squeezes. |
| Coupling, Split | A coupling that is split longitudinally and is assembled and secured with screws. |
| Coupling, Threaded | A fitting for joining two lengths of pipe that is threaded for connection to another fitting with connecting threads. |
| Coupling, Threadless | A fitting for joining two lengths of pipe that is slid over for connection by soldering, welding or cementing. |
| Course | 1. In masonry, a continuous layer of bricks or block. 2. A continuous row of shingles in a roof. 3. Any layer in a waterproofing system. |
| Course | A row of shingles or roll roofing running the length of the roof. Parallel layers of building materials such as bricks, or siding laid up horizontally. |
| Course Textured Wood | Wood with large pores, such as oak, ash, chestnut, and walnut. |
| Courtyard | A court or enclosure adjacent to a building. |
| Cove | A trim tile unit having one edge with a concave radius; used to form a junction between the bottom wall course and the floor or to form an inside corner. |
| Cove Base | A flexible strip of plastic or synthetic rubber used to finish the junction between floor and wall. |
| Cove Base, Glazed | Cove base tile that has a ceramic coating that is hard, thin, and glossy. |
| Cove Base, Sanitary | A trim tile having a concave radius on one edge and a convex radius with a flat landing on the opposite edge; used as the only course of tile above the floor tile. |
| Cove Base, Tile | Tile that is placed in the bottom course of a tiled wall. |
| Cove molding | A molding with a concave face used as trim or to finish interior corners. |
| Cove Molding | Molding that is concave-shaped; used to cover interior angles, such as that between the ceiling and a wall. |
| Coved Stair Riser | A concave-shaped surface on the vertical part of a stairway riser where the riser meets the horizontal or stair tread. |
| Covenant | A promise. |
| Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&Rs) | The basic rules establishing the rights and obligations of owners of real property within a subdivision in relation to other owners within the same tract and in relation to an association of owners organized for the operation and maintenance of property o |
| Cover | Concrete cover. |
| Cover, Catch Basin | A cast iron plate or grate on top of a receptacle or reservoir that catches water runoff or aids in drainage. |
| Cover, Manhole | A heavy, usually round, steel or iron cover used to gain access to underground work through a manhole. |
| Cover, Pool | A tarp used to cover a pool when not in use. |
| Coverage | 1. The scope of an insurance policy. 2. Amount of surface a given quantity of paint will cover. 2. The ability of paint to conceal the surface being painted. 3. The surface area to be continuously coated by a specific roofing material after allowance is m |
| Coverage | Refers to the area (m²) covered by one ton of asphalt or the volume of seal per square metre. |
| covered cornice board | A narrow strip of buckram or plywood covered with fabric and tacked to the front edge of a valance shelf to hide a curtain rod or shade mounting board. |
| Covered Electrode | In arc welding, a filler-metal electrode consisting of a metal core wire with a relatively thick covering which provides protection for the molten metal from the atmosphere and improves the properties of the weld metal and stabilizes the arc. |
| Covering Power | 1. Of paint, the ability to cover the surface to which it is being applied. 2. Of ceramic tile, the ability of a glaze to uniformly and completely cover the fired surface. |
| Covering Up | Burying, sealing, or otherwise covering work before it has been inspected. |
| Coverplate | A sheet of glass or transparent plastic that sits above the absorber in a flatplate solar collector. |
| CP | Chemically Pure. |
| CPA | Certified Public Accountant. |
| CPE | Chlorinated polyethylene, a type of single-ply roofing material. |
| CPM | Critical Path Method. |
| CPSC | Consumer Product Safety Commission. |
| CPSE | A type of single-ply roofing material, a self-curing non-vulcanized elastomer. Available as a liquid coating or a membrane sheet. May be reinforced with polyester scrim or laminated to felt backing. |
| CPVC | Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride. |
| Cr | Credit. |
| CRA | California Redwood Association. |
| Crab | A hand device used for stretching carpet in a small area where a power stretcher or knee kicker cannot be used. |
| Crack | 1. To break, split, snap apart or develop fissures. 2. A fracture in the monolithic surface of gypsum board. 3. A separation or fracture occurring in a roof membrane or in a roof deck, generally caused by thermally induced stress or substrate movement; al |
| Crack Control Reinforcement | Reinforcement in concrete construction designed to prevent cracks, often effective in limiting them to uniformly distributed small cracks. |
| Crack Length Method | A method of calculating the quantity of infiltration air into a building; this method requires specific information about dimensions and construction details of windows, doors, and other openings. |
| Crack Monitor | A two piece adhesive paper pattern that may be attached to a building wall over a crack to record differential structural movement, over time, of the wall on each side of the crack. |
| Crack Patch | To repair a crack in a surface by using plaster, concrete, asphalt, etc. |
| Crack Repair | To patch a crack in a surface by using such materials as plaster, concrete, or asphalt. |
| Crack Sealing | To close the opening between two materials to prevent moisture or air from passing through. |
| Crackage | Joint in a structure which permits movement of a gas or vapor through it, even under a small pressure difference. |
| Cracking | Form of paint failure in which breaks in film extend through all coats down to building material. |
| Cracking a Valve | Opening a valve a small amount. |
| Crackle Finish | A finish in which alligatoring is produced, allowing the undercoat to show through the cracks. Cracking is produced by rapid drying of topcoat over slow drying undercoat. |
| Cracks | Break in the surface of the pavement. There are a number of factors that can cause cracking. Different types of cracks are; Block, Crocodile, Reflection, Shrinkage and Slippage. |
| Craft | An occupation or trade requiring artistic skill and manual dexterity. |
| craft knife | Tool with a sharp, V-shaped, replaceable blade, useful for cutting heavy buckram or any other very stiff materials. |
| Craft Union | A labor union whose membership is limited to workers in the same trade or craft. |
| Craftsman | A person skilled in a trade or handicraft; an artisan; sometimes called Craftsperson. |
| Craftsmanship | Quality of work done in a trade or handicraft. |
| Crane | A machine for raising, shifting and lowering heavy weights by means of a projecting swinging arm or with the hoisting apparatus supported on an overhead track. |
| Crane Jib | The projecting arm of a crane. |
| Crane Manufacturers Association of America (CMAA) | 8720 Red Oak Boulevard., #201, Charlotte, North Carolina 28217, (704) 522-8644. |
| Crane Mobilization | To assemble and put a crane into movement to work at a construction site. |
| Crane, Travelling | See Travelling Crane. |
| Crank Throw | Distance between center line of main bearing journal and center line of the crankpin or eccentric. |
| Crankshaft Seal | Leakproof joint between crankshaft and compressor body. |
| Cratering | Formation of holes or deep depressions in paint film. |
| Crawl space | A shallow space below the living quarters of a basementless house, normally enclosed by the foundation wall. |
| Crawl space | A shallow space below the living quarters of a house, normally enclosed by the foundation wall and having a dirt floor. |
| Crawl Space Insulation | Insulation that is applied between the first floor joists just above the ground. |
| Crawler Crane | A crane mounted on a pair of tracks used to support and propel the crane. |
| Crawling | 1. A parting and contraction of the glaze on the surface of a ceramic surface during drying or firing, resulting in unglazed areas bordered by coalesced glaze. 2. Varnish defect in which poor adhesion of varnish to surface in some spots causes it to crawl |
| Crawlspace | Space under a floor or in an attic that is accessible by crawling. |
| Craze Cracks | Fine, random fissures or cracks which may appear in a plaster surface caused by plaster shrinkage; also called check cracking; these cracks are generally associated with a lime finish coat that has not been properly gauged or troweled. |
| Crazing | 1. Minute, interlacing cracks on the surface of a finish. 2. Hairline cracks in paint film. 3. The cracking which occurs in fired glazes or other ceramic coatings due to critical tensile stress. |
| Cream Paper | A highly sized and calendered paper used as the face paper in the manufacture of gypsum board. |
| Credit | 1. A person's financial standing. 2. The sum of money at a person's disposal in a bank or other financial institution. 3. The power to obtain goods or services before payment, based on the trust that payment will be made. 4. A reputation for solvency and |
| Credit rating | A report ordered by a lender from a credit agency to determine a borrower's credit habits. |
| Creditor | Persons or companies to whom money is owed. |
| Creditor’s Equity | The claims of outsiders against the business; the amounts that the business owes to persons or companies other than the owners. |
| Creek | A small river. |
| Creep | 1. A permanent, inelastic, deformation in a material due to changes in the material caused by the prolonged application of structural stress; plastic deformation that proceeds with time when certain materials, such as concrete, are subjected to constant, |
| Creep, Seismic | See Seismic Creep. |
| Crematorium | A building containing a furnace for cremating the dead; Crematory. |
| Crematory | See Crematorium. |
| Creosote | A brownish oily liquid obtained by distillation of coal tar, used as a wood preservative. |
| Creosote Oil | Distillate, heavier than water, from coal tar, used largely as a wood preservative. |
| Creosote Stain | Creosote, made mostly from wood and coal tars, mixed with linseed oil and drier and thinned with benzine or kerosene. |
| Creosoted Pole | A wooden pole that has been impregnated with creosote to help with its preservation. |
| Crescendo | Roman-styled shade made by Graber. |
| Crescent | 1. The curved sickle shape of the waning moon, with a convex and a concave edge. 2. Anything of this shape. |
| Crescent Wrench | An adjustable wrench. |
| Crest | 1. Of a weir, the surface over which the liquid flows. 2. The ridge of a roof. |
| cretonnes | A boldly printed cotton fabric available with glaze or twill, suitable for curtains and upholstered furniture. It is more hard- wearing than chintz. |
| Crew Trailer | A trailer provided on a job site for use by workers. |
| crewelwork | Originally hand-embroidered in chain, stem or herringbone stitch onto white cotton or wool in designs such as a tree of life or flowers and leaves and used for early English and American bed hangings. It is now available by the meter and is suitable for w |
| CRI | Carpet & Rug Institute. |
| Cricket | A chimney flashing on the uphill side, resembling a small roof ridge, to divert the rainwater around the chimney. |
| Cricket | A second roof built on top of the primary roof to increase the slope of the roof or valley. A saddle-shaped, peaked construction connecting a sloping roof with a chimney. Designed to encourage water drainage away from the chimney joint. |
| Cricket | A small drainage-diverting roof structure of single or double slope placed at the junction of larger surfaces that meet at an angle, such as above a chimney. |
| Crimping | Method of texturizing staple and continuous filament yarn to produce irregular alignment of fibers and increase bulk and covering power; also facilitates interlocking of fibers, which is necessary for spinning staple fibers into yarn. |
| Crimping Pool | A hand operated tool to apply metal corner beads or fasten steel studs to track by clinching part of metal. |
| Cripple | Short vertical "2 by 4's or 6's" frame lumber installed above a window or door. |
| Cripple Rafter | The fillers in a roof framing system which connect the valley and hip rafters. |
| Cripple Stud | 1. A short wood stud occurring in less than full height walls. 2. A short wood stud occurring over door or window headers or under window dsills. |
| Crisper | Drawer or compartment in refrigerator designed to provide high humidity along with low temperature to keep vegetables, especially leafy vegetables, cold and crisp. |
| Criterion | (Pl. criteria) A standard on which a judgment or decision may be based. |
| Critical Path Method (CPM) | A construction scheduling system. |
| Critical Pressure | Compressed condition of refrigerant which gives liquid and gas the same properties. |
| Critical Temperature | Temperature at which vapor and liquid have same properties. |
| Critical Vibration | Vibration which is noticeable and harmful to structure. |
| Crook | The distortion of lumber in which there is a deviation, in a direction perpendicular to the edge, from a straight line from end-to-end of the piece. |
| Crooked Edges | A curvature of the sides, either convex or concave, measured along the sides of flat surface. The degree of crook is the departure from the straight line between two corners, expressed in percentage of length. |
| Cross | A pipe fitting with four female threaded openings at right angles to one another. |
| Cross Brace | Bracing with two intersecting diagonals; slender diagonal member within a framed wall or partition, to support the wall or partition and to withstand structural loads imposed by wind and suction loads, building loads, movement, and deflection of structure |
| Cross Break | A crack or separation of wood cells across the grain of a board; may be caused by unequal shrinkage or by external forces. |
| Cross bridging | Diagonal bracing between adjacent floor joists, placed near the center of the joist span to prevent joists from twisting. |
| Cross Connection | 1. The improper interconnection of potable and contaminated water piping. 2. The improper interconnection of electrical or communication wiring. |
| Cross Examination | Questions framed to undermine the testimony of a witness. |
| Cross Fitting | A plumbing fitting consisting of two short pipes meeting at right angles on a pipe run. |
| Cross Furring | Term used to denote furring members attached to other structural components to support lath in suspended ceilings; generally 3/4 inch steel channels or pencil rods. |
| Cross Grain | Wood incorporated into a structure in such a way that its direction of grain is perpendicular to the principal loads on the structure. |
| Cross Hair | The fine vertical and horizontal lines used for sighting of an optical instrument such as a transit or builder's level. |
| Cross Joint | See Butt Joint, 4. |
| Cross Peen Hammer | A hammer where the face opposite the flat face is shaped for cutting or grooving metal; the peen is flat and parallel to the handle. |
| Cross Slope | A slope that is perpendicular to the direction of travel. |
| Cross Tee | Short metal "T" beam used in suspended ceiling systems to bridge the spaces between the main beams. |
| Cross-bridging | Diagonal bracing between adjacent floor joists, placed near the center of the joist span to prevent joists from twisting. |
| Cross-Cut Saw | A hand saw whose teeth are designed for cutting across the wood grain. |
| Cross-Grained Wood | Wood in which the fibers deviate from a line parallel to the sides of the piece; cross grain may be either diagonal or spiral grain or a combination of the two. |
| Cross-Seam | Seam made by joining the ends of carpet together. |
| Cross-Section | A drawing representing an orthogonal slice through an object. |
| Cross-Sectional Area | The area of a section of a member taken at right angles to its axis, such as a steel angle or beam, expressed in square units as square inches or square millimeters. |
| Cross-Spray | Spraying first in one direction and second at right angles. |
| Crossarm | A horizontal member attached to a utility pole at a 90° angle, used to support cables. |
| Crossarm Pole | A vertical pole which supports a railroad warning cross-arm on a pivot, which descends when an oncoming train trips an electrical signal to stop oncoming traffic on either side of the railroad tracks. |
| Crossband | 1. To place the grain of layers of wood at right angles in order to minimize shrinking and swelling. 2. In plywood of three or more plies, a layer of veneer whose grain direction is at right angles to that of the face plies. |
| Crosslinking | A particular method by which chemicals unite to form films. |
| Crosslot Bracing | Horizontal compression members running from one side of an excavation to the other, used to support sheeting. |
| Crow Hop | Tile joints that are out of alignment. |
| Crowbar | An iron or steel bar with a flattened wedge at one end, used for prying. |
| Crowding the Line | The laying of the brick so that the line is not free of the brick wall; this will cause the line to be inaccurate and the wall may bulge or overhang. |
| Crown | 1. In gypsum wallboard installation, the buildup of joint compound over a joint to conceal the tape; the higher the crown the wider the compound must be feathered to make the joint less visible; also called Crowned Joint or Hump Joint. 2. The increased el |
| Crown Glass | Glass sheet formed by spinning an opened globe of heated glass. |
| Crown Molding | A decorative type of molding used to make ceiling to wall transitions. |
| Crown molding | A molding used on cornice or wherever an interior angle is to be covered, especially at the roof and wall corner. |
| Crown molding | A molding used on cornice or wherever an interior angle is to be covered. |
| Crown Venting | A vent connection no longer permitted on modern installations, consisting of a vent pipe connected at the top or crown of the curve which forms the trap. |
| Crown Weir | The lower part of the outlet of a plumbing fixture trap. |
| Crowned Joint | See Crown, 1. |
| CRSI | Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute. |
| CRT | Cathode Ray Tube. |
| Crucible | A heat-resistant vessel for melting or calcining materials that require high temperatures. |
| Cruciform | Forming or arranged in a cross; said of the floor plan of a church with nave and transepts. |
| Crumbs | Ragged chunks of gypsum on cut outs or cut ends of gypsum wallboard. |
| Crushed Gravel | The product resulting from artificial crushing of gravel with substantially all fragments having at least one fracture face. |
| Crushed Marble | Marble that has been crushed to smaller and more uniform sizes so substantially one face of each stone is fractured. |
| Crushed Rock | An aggregate made from crushed rock, as distinct from crushed gravel. |
| Crushed Stone | The product resulting from the artificial crushing of rocks, boulders, or large cobblestones substantially all faces of which have resulted from the crushing operation. |
| Crusher Run | Gravel, rock, boulders, or blasted rock that has been reduced in size by a machine, but has not been sorted for size; the total unscreened product of a stone crusher. |
| Crust | The outer part of the earth, the lithosphere, the outer 80 kilometers of earth's surface made up of rocks, sediment, and basalt; general composition is silicon-aluminum-iron. |
| Cryogenic Fluid | Substance which exists as a liquid or gas at ultra-low temperatures, minus 250° F. or lower. |
| Cryogenics | 1.The branch of physics dealing with the production and effects of extremely low temperatures. 2. Refrigeration which deals with producing temperatures of minus 250° F. and lower. |
| Crypt | A vault under the main floor of a church. |
| Cryptometer | An instrument used to measure the opacity of paint. |
| Crystal Pleat | Honeycomb shade made by Graber. |
| Crystalline Glaze | 1. Glazed tile with an extra heavy glaze produced for use on counter tops and light duty floor surfaces where abrasion or impacts is not excessive. 2. A glaze that contains microscopic crystals. |
| Crystallizing Lacquer | Novelty finish which crystallizes forming unusual crystal and floral patterns as it dries. |
| CS | Commercial Standard. |
| CSA | Canadian Standards Association. |
| CSTC | Ceiling Sound Transmission Class. |
| CTI | Ceramic Tile Institute. |
| Cubage | The cubic contents of a vessel, space, or building, expressed in cubic units, such as cubic feet or cubic meters; also called Cubature. |
| Cubature | See Cubage. |
| Cubicle Adapter | A device for connecting partitions into different positions. |
| Cubicle, Hospital | See Hospital Cubicle. |
| Cubicle, Office | See Office Cubicle. |
| Cul De Sac | A dead end road no more than 400 feet long with a turn-around of no less than 80 feet in diameter. |
| Culling | Sorting of the brick for quality, size and color. |
| Culls | The rejected bricks in culling. |
| Cultured Marble | A plastic imitation marble for interior use. |
| Culvert | A drain pipe or small bridge for drainage under a road or structure. |
| Culvert | Round, corrugated drain pipe (normally 15" or 18" in diameter) that is installed beneath a driveway and parallel to and near the street. |
| Culvert Formwork | The temporary support for the pouring, placing and curing of a concrete drain pipe constructed under a road or embankment to provide a waterway. |
| Culvert Reinforcement | The placing of metal or steel bars in concrete forms for drainage systems or pipe; usually refers to a box culvert shape constructed under a road or embankment to provide a waterway. |
| Cumulative Errors | Errors that are always positive or always negative, as contrasted with compensating errors. |
| Cup | A distortion of a board in which there is a deviation flatwise from a straight line across the width of the board. |
| Cupola | A small domed structure adorning a roof. |
| Cupped Taper | In gypsum wallboard, a condition where the outer edge of the taper is in the same plane as the surface causing a ridge to appear in the tapered edge. |
| Cupping | A type of warping that causes boards to curl up at their edges. |
| Cuprous | Of or like copper. |
| Curb | 1. A protective rim. 2. A concrete edging raised above a roadway and forming the edge of a drainage gutter. |
| Curb | The short elevation of an exterior wall above the deck of a roof. Normally a 2 by 6 box (on the roof) on which a skylight is attached. |
| Curb and Gutter | Concrete or stone structure that forms the edging of a sidewalk, separating it from the paved street; the adjacent, usually integral, gutter provides a drainage channel. |
| Curb Cock | A valve placed on the water service usually near the curb line; also called the Curb Stop. |
| Curb Cut | An interruption of a curb at a driveway pedestrian way. |
| Curb Form | A retainer or mold with the necessary shape to make a concrete curb. |
| Curb Formwork | The temporary support for a freshly placed or poured curb system. |
| Curb Granite | Extremely hard rock used in a curb system; available in sections. |
| Curb Inlet | The opening in a curb through which water flows and drains. |
| Curb Inlet Frame | The steel or metal framing surrounding an opening in a curb through which water flows and drains. |
| Curb Ramp | A sloping pedestrian way, intended for pedestrian traffic, which provides access between a walk or sidewalk to a surface located above or below an adjacent curb face. |
| Curb Removal | The act or process of the demolition of a curb into manageable pieces. |
| Curb Roof | See Gambrel Roof. |
| Curb stop | Normally a cast iron pipe with a lid (@ 5" in diameter) that is placed vertically into the ground, situated near the water tap in the yard, and where a water cut-off valve to the home is located (underground). A long pole with a special end is inserted in |
| Curb Stop | See Curb Cock. |
| Curb, Terrazzo | A curb made of decorative mosaic material made by embedding small pieces of marble or granite in mortar and polishing. |
| Cure | 1. The process of concrete hardening, rubber vulcanizing, or adhesive achieving its maximum strength. 2. To change the properties of an adhesive by chemical reaction, which may be condensation, polymerization, or vulcanization, and thereby develop maximum |
| Curing | Maintenance of humidity and temperature of freshly placed concrete during some definite period following placing, casting, or finishing to assure satisfactory hydration of the cementitious materials and proper hardening of the concrete; the hardening of c |
| Curing Agent | Hardener; promoter. |
| Curing Blanket | A built-up covering of sacks, matting, hessian, straw, waterproof paper, or other suitable material placed over freshly finished concrete to prevent premature dehydration. |
| Curing Compound | A liquid that can be applied as a sprayed coating to the surface of newly placed concrete to retard the loss of water or, in the case of pigmented compounds, also to reflect heat so as to provide an opportunity for the concrete to develop its properties i |
| Curing Concrete | To control the humidity and temperature of freshly finished concrete to assure the proper drying and hardening of the concrete. |
| Curing Paper | Waterproof paper placed over freshly finished concrete, to help control the humidity and temperature, aiding in the proper curing of concrete. |
| Curing Period | The amount of time that concrete should be kept damp after placing, usually about a week. |
| Curing Temperature | The temperature to which an adhesive or an assembly is subjected to cure the adhesive. |
| Curing, Electrical | See Electrical Curing. |
| Curing, Steam | See Steam Curing. |
| Curling | The distortion of an originally essentially linear or planar member into a curved shape such as the warping of a slab due to creep or to differences in temperature or moisture content in the zones adjacent to its opposite faces. |
| Curly-Grained Wood | Wood in which the fibers are distorted so that they have a curled appearance, as in birdseye wood; the areas showing curly grain may vary up to several inches in diameter. |
| Current | 1. Electrical flow through conductors, measured in amperes. 2. Belonging to the present time, as current week or month. |
| Current | The flow of water through a stream channel. |
| Current Assets | Cash and other assets that can be easily and quickly converted to cash, usually within one year. |
| Current Liabilities | Liabilities to be paid within a certain time, usually one year. |
| Current Ratio | The ratio of current assets to current liabilities. |
| Current Regulator | An automatic electrical control device for maintaining a constant current in the primary of the welding transformer. |
| Current Relay | Device which opens or closes a circuit; made to act by a change of current flow in that circuit. |
| Current-Limiting Overcurrent Protective Device | A device which, when interrupting a specified circuit, will consistently limit the short-circuit current to a specified magnitude substantially less than that obtainable in the same circuit if the device was replaced with a solid conductor having comparab |
| Curtain | 1.A single layer of vertical and horizontal reinforcing bars in a wall. 2. Window drapery. |
| curtain | A window covering to floor- or sill-length, usually with fullness in the width, which is sometimes hung alone or on one side of a window but more often is used in pairs. It hangs from a rod or pole by means of hooks or tabs or is slotted onto a rod. A ter |
| curtain cornice | Decorative board, often carved, painted or gilded, placed above curtain heading or pelmet. |
| Curtain Drain | See Intercepting Drain. |
| curtain lining | Thin fabric, usually cotton, used to line curtains. |
| Curtain Rod | A horizontal bar that supports window coverings. |
| Curtain Wall | An exterior non-bearing wall between columns, sometimes containing windows or are all glass. |
| Curtain, Gym | See Gym Curtain. |
| Curtilage | The ground or yard surrounding a house up to the boundary fence. |
| Curvature Factor | A factor applied to the allowable bending stress of glue-laminated beams where a curved portion occurs. |
| Curvature Friction | The friction resulting from bends or curves in the specified prestressing tendon profile. |
| Curved Curb Form | A curve shaped support for the placing, pouring and curing of a concrete curb. |
| Curved Stair Terrazzo | Terrazzo tile used in a curved stair system. |
| Curved Wall Form | A curved shaped support for the placing, pouring, and curing of concrete in a curved wall system. |
| Cushion-Edged Tile | Tile on which the facial edges have a distinct curvature that results in a slightly recessed joint. |
| Cushioning, Carpet | See Carpet Padding. |
| Cusp | A projecting point between small arcs in Gothic tracery. |
| Custom and Usage | The way the majority of those in the trades and professions commonly conduct themselves in doing their particular work. |
| Custom Door | A door that has been manufactured to fit a specific size opening or manufactured from specific materials. |
| CustoMiser | 5 gauge 1" contract aluminum miniblind made by Bali. |
| Cut | Dispersion of a certain number of pounds of shellac or resin per gallon of volatile liquid; for example, a 4 pound cut of shellac contains 4 pounds of dry shellac and 1 gallon of alcohol. |
| Cut and Cover | A work method which involves excavation in the open, and placing of a temporary roof over it to carry traffic during further work. |
| Cut and Fill | Excavated material removed from one location and used as fill material in another location. |
| Cut End | The end of the gypsum board with the exposed core. |
| Cut in the Sash | Painting the window sash; ordinarily done with a brush, often called a sash tool, which permits the painter to get a clean edge. |
| Cut Joints | Masonry bed and head joints cut flush with trowel. |
| Cut Loop Pile | In carpet making, pile surface in which the tufts have been cut to reveal the fiber ends. |
| Cut Out | 1. A mechanical or electrical device used to break an electrical circuit because of an overload. 2. An opening in a wall or surface for access. 3. A piece stamped out of metal. 4. An opening in a countertop for access or installation of a piece of equipme |
| Cut Stock | Softwood stock comparable to dimension stock in hardwoods; see Dimension Stock. |
| Cut Stone | Building stone cut to size and shape for specific applications and designated locations in a building or structure. |
| Cut-Back Bitumen | A mixture and a cutter eg. Kerosene. See also cutter. |
| Cut-In | The temperature value or the pressure value at which the control circuit closes. |
| Cut-in brace | Nominal 2-inch-thick members, usually 2 by 4's, cut in between each stud diagonally. |
| Cut-in brace | Nominal 2-inch-thick members, usually 2 by 4’s, cut in between each stud diagonally. |
| Cut-Out | Temperature value or pressure value at which the control circuit opens. |
| Cutback | Asphalt or tar that has been diluted with solvents and oils so the resulting material becomes fluid. |
| Cutback Asphalt | Asphalt cement which has been liquefied by blending with petroleum solvents, as for the RC and MC cutback asphalts; upon exposure to atmospheric conditions the solvents evaporate, leaving the asphalt cement to perform its function. |
| Cutbank | The outside bank of a bend, often eroding and across the stream from a point bar. |
| Cutoff | A channel cut across the neck of a bend. |
| Cutoff | In roofing installation, the procedure to prevent lateral water or moisture entering the insulation where it terminated at the end of the work day; usually a felt strip hot-mopped to the deck and to the insulation edge and to the horizontal insulation sur |
| Cutting Attachment | A device which is attached to gas welding torch to convert it into an oxygen-cutting torch. |
| Cutting Tip | That part of an oxygen-cutting torch from which the gases issue. |
| Cutting Torch | A nozzle or device used in oxygen cutting for controlling and directing the gases used for preheating and the oxygen used for cutting the metal. |
| Cuttings | In hardwoods, a portion of a board or plank having the quality required by a specific grade or for a particular use; obtained from a board by crosscutting or ripping. |
| CW | Cold Water. |
| Cyanic | Containing blue or pertaining to blue color. |
| Cyanuric Acid | Acid used in pool water to prevent chlorine loss. |
| Cybernetics | The science of communications and automatic control systems in both machines and living things. |
| Cycle | 1. One complete performance of an electrical oscillation or current alternation. 2. A series of events or operations which have the tendency to repeat in the same order. |
| Cyclone | A storm or system of winds that rotate about a center of low atmospheric pressure. |
| Cyclopean Aggregate | Concrete aggregate where the individual pieces are over 100 pounds. |
| Cyclotron | An apparatus in which charged atomic and subatomic particles are accelerated by an alternating electric field while following an outward spiral or circular path in a magnetic field. |
| Cylinder | 1. The surface traced by a straight line moving parallel to a fixed straight line and intersecting a fixed planar closed curve. 2. Of a lock, the cylindrical-shaped assembly containing the tumbler mechanism and the keyway. 3. A device which converts fluid |
| Cylinder Glass | Glass sheet produced by blowing a large, elongated glass cylinder, cutting off its ends, slitting it lengthwise, and opening it into a flat rectangle. |
| Cylinder Piling | Concrete filled steel pipes or tubes, driven through the ground to reach bedrock and used as a foundation for tall buildings and in underpinning. |
| Cylinder Plug | The round part of a door lock containing the keyway and rotated by the key to transmit motion to the bolt. |
| Cylinder Test | A test to determine the compressive strength of concrete. |
| Cylinder, Refrigerant | Refrigerant Cylinder. |
| Cylindrical Commutator | Commutator with contact surfaces parallel to the rotor shaft. |
| Cylindrical Lock | A door lock that can be installed in a cylindrical hole rather than in a mortise; also called a Tubular Lock. |
| Cyma | A type of cove molding in which the surface of the face changes from concave to convex; a Cyma Recta or Cyma Reversa; commonly made of wood, plaster, or masonry. |
| Cyma Recta | An ogee molding combining a concave curve with a convex curve; when the concave curve is on top and the convex curve is on the bottom it is a cyma recta; see Cyma Reversa. |
| Cyma Reversa | An ogee molding combining a concave curve with a convex curve; when the convex curve is on top and the concave curve is on the bottom it is a cyma reversa; see Cyma Recta. |