Your FREE NASCLA Flashcards 2026 – 200+ Cards

Markup is profit as a % of cost; margin is profit as a % of the selling price. The two percentages are never equal.

Price = cost × (1 + markup %). A $500 cost with 40% markup = $700.

Price = cost ÷ (1 − margin %). A $500 cost at a 40% margin = $833.33.

Markup % = margin % ÷ (1 − margin %). A 30% margin needs about a 43% markup.

The measured count of every material and labor item required by the construction documents — the basis of an estimate.

An added allowance for material lost to cuts, breakage, and offcuts, so enough material is ordered.

A fixed sum carried in the estimate for an item whose final selection or cost is not yet known.

Job overhead (general conditions) is project-specific (superintendent, field office). General overhead is company-wide, spread across all jobs.

An allowance for unknown or unforeseen costs, sized to the project's risk.

Direct cost + job overhead + general overhead + contingency + profit (markup) = bid price.

By the cubic yard (CY); compute length × width × depth and apply a swell or shrinkage factor.

A lumber volume unit: 1 ft × 1 ft × 1 in. Lumber is often priced per thousand board feet (MBF).

The longest chain of dependent activities through a schedule and the shortest time to finish; its activities have zero float.

The time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project end date (total float) or the next activity (free float).

The time an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start of the next activity.

Fast-tracking overlaps activities planned in sequence (more risk). Crashing adds resources to critical-path activities (more cost).

Early finish = early start + duration.

When it has zero total float — any delay to it delays the whole project.

Whether the delayed activity was on the critical path (only those delays push the completion date).

A critical path method schedule that networks activities, durations, and dependencies to find the project's critical path.

A schedule network showing activities as boxes and their logical dependencies; activities sharing a predecessor can run in parallel.

The largest volume of bonded work a surety will back for a contractor; it grows with working capital and net worth.

Margin % = profit ÷ selling price. A $700 price with $200 profit = about 28.6% margin.

The cost to install one unit of work (e.g., per CY, per SF), multiplied by the takeoff quantity to price an item.

A price from a specialty trade contractor that the general contractor carries in its own bid to the owner.

Project-specific overhead — superintendent, trailer, temporary utilities, permits, cleanup — also called job overhead.

It is open book, but the time pressure means you cannot afford to look up basic business math — it must be automatic.

The quantity of work a crew completes per unit time (e.g., 600 SF/day), used to estimate activity durations.

Duration = total quantity ÷ daily production. 9,000 units ÷ 600/day = 15 crew-days.

A path with very little float that can become critical if its activities slip — watch it closely.

A written question to the design team to resolve conflicts or gaps in the construction documents.

When in conflict, the resolution comes through an RFI; specifications and figured dimensions generally govern over scaled drawings.

Gross profit divided by revenue (selling price), expressed as a percentage.

Lower general overhead means less must be added to direct cost, so the bid can be lower while still meeting margin.

Another name for a lump sum (fixed price) contract — one agreed sum for the defined work.

Labor, material, equipment, and subcontract costs for performing the actual work, before overhead and profit.

To sequence activities, set durations, find the critical path, and manage time and resources to the completion date.

29 CFR Part 1926 — the OSHA construction standards.

6 feet or more above a lower level (Subpart M).

Above 10 feet on most scaffold platforms.

15 feet (Subpart R).

5 feet of depth or more, unless entirely in stable rock (Subpart P).

At a break in elevation of 19 inches or more with no ramp or runway.

Must support 5,000 pounds per worker (or be designed by a qualified person with a safety factor of two).

1,800 pounds.

Someone who can identify hazards and has authority to take prompt corrective action to eliminate them.

Guardrail systems, safety nets, and personal fall arrest systems.

An area where certain work may proceed without conventional fall protection, with entry limited to authorized workers.

At least 6 feet from the edge (further where mechanical equipment is used).

Stable rock and Types A, B, and C — A is most stable, C is least.

1.5:1 (about 34°) — the flattest, because it is least stable.

At least 2 feet from the edge.

Special precautions (e.g., dewatering, support, or monitoring) before workers enter.

A competent person, who also inspects the excavation daily.

Fine dust released by cutting, grinding, or drilling concrete and masonry; OSHA limits exposure and requires dust controls.

Engineering controls — water (wet methods) or vacuum dust collection — plus a written exposure-control plan.

A required posting informing workers of their rights and protections under OSHA.

In approved, labeled containers and approved storage, away from ignition sources.

Personal protective equipment — gear (hard hats, eye/hearing/respiratory protection, gloves) the employer must provide for the hazard.

An intermediate member installed about halfway between the top rail and the walking surface where there is no wall.

A scaffold must support its own weight plus at least 4 times the maximum intended load.

Comply with the more protective (stricter) requirement.

A body harness, connector/lanyard, and anchorage that arrest a worker's fall and limit forces on the body.

Assessing actual employee exposures and keeping them below the permissible exposure limit, instead of the specified control table.

The exposure threshold (a time-weighted average) above which additional protections, such as monitoring, are triggered.

At hoist areas, holes, leading edges, ramps, runways, excavations, and overhand bricklaying, among others.

A net installed below a work area to catch a falling worker, an accepted form of fall protection.

Cutting the excavation sides into horizontal steps to protect against cave-ins, used in certain soils.

A support system (e.g., hydraulic or timber) that braces excavation walls to prevent cave-ins.

A protective structure that shields workers from a cave-in within the box, without supporting the walls.

When the excavation is made entirely in stable rock.

Falling or flying objects and electrical shock to the head, per OSHA PPE requirements.

Its construction, capacity, fall protection, and stability — before each shift and after any event affecting integrity.

A legal claim against improved private property securing payment for labor or materials actually incorporated into the work.

No — liens generally cannot attach to government-owned property; a payment bond protects workers there instead.

An early notice many states require to preserve lien rights, warning the owner a lien may be filed if unpaid.

The lien rights generally expire — recording deadlines are strict.

A conditional waiver takes effect only when payment clears; an unconditional waiver releases the rights immediately.

Labor, materials, or equipment actually incorporated into the improved property.

The principal (contractor), the obligee (owner), and the surety (bonding company).

A surety bond guaranteeing the winning bidder will enter the contract and post the required bonds.

A surety bond guaranteeing the project will be completed if the contractor defaults.

A surety bond guaranteeing subcontractors and suppliers are paid — important on public work where liens can't attach.

A surety expects to be repaid by the principal for any loss it pays; insurance spreads loss without expecting repayment.

The prime contractor failing to pay its subcontractors and suppliers.

A bond guaranteeing the completed work will be free from defects for a stated period after completion.

A federal law requiring performance and payment bonds on most federal construction contracts.

State counterparts to the Miller Act requiring bonds on state and local public construction.

A written, signed amendment to the contract that adds, deletes, or modifies scope and adjusts the contract price and time.

Without a signed change order, a contractor often cannot recover payment for field-directed extra work.

A change order that deletes scope and reduces the contract price.

A percentage (commonly 5–10%) withheld from each progress payment until completion, as leverage to ensure the work is finished.

To ensure the contractor completes the work and corrects defects before receiving full payment.

The owner's written authorization to start work; it often establishes the start of contract time.

One fixed price for fully defined scope; the contractor bears the risk that actual cost exceeds the price.

The owner reimburses actual cost plus a fee; lets work start before design is final, but the owner bears more cost risk.

A cost-reimbursable contract with a cap; overruns above the GMP fall on the contractor.

A set price per unit of work (e.g., per CY), used when quantities are uncertain but the work is well defined.

The contractor — the price is fixed regardless of actual cost.

Higher costs increase the contractor's fee, reducing the incentive to control cost.

Insurance covering employee medical costs and lost wages from job injuries; required for contractors with employees.

Property insurance covering a building under construction against fire, theft, and weather damage.

Third-party bodily injury and property damage claims arising from the contractor's operations.

So uncovered subcontractor-employee injuries do not become the general contractor's liability.

Offer, acceptance, consideration, legal capacity, and a legal purpose.

A rule requiring certain contracts to be in writing to be enforceable.

The order in which liens are paid from foreclosure proceeds; it can determine who gets paid first.

Subs may file liens against the property even though the owner already paid — hence lien waivers and joint checks.

A hidden physical condition differing materially from the contract documents, often grounds for a change order.

A statute setting deadlines for payments (and retainage release) on public, and sometimes private, projects.

Often the start of contract time, which matters when liquidated damages are tied to the completion date.

A pre-agreed daily amount the contractor owes for finishing late, tied to the contract completion date.

The party protected by the bond — usually the project owner.

The party whose obligation is guaranteed — the contractor who must perform or pay.

It allows construction to begin before the design is fully complete.

A contract paying for labor at set rates plus materials at cost, often for small or uncertain-scope work.

An express contract states its terms (written or spoken); an implied contract is inferred from conduct.

If the low bidder won't sign, the bid bond pays the owner the difference between that bid and the next acceptable one.

A lab test setting a soil's maximum dry density and optimum moisture content, used as the field compaction target.

The water content at which a soil reaches its maximum dry density under a given compaction effort.

Thinner layers let compaction energy reach the full depth of the layer for uniform density.

Lower achievable density — dry soil resists particle rearrangement (as does soil that is too wet).

A multiplier converting bank-measure (in-place) cut to compacted fill volume, since compaction removes voids.

Over-excavate and replace it with non-expansive structural fill.

A temporary sediment barrier; it must be trenched into the ground at the bottom or sediment escapes beneath it.

Driving a loaded truck over a subgrade to reveal soft, yielding areas that deflect or rut.

Produces denser, stronger, more durable concrete (but lower workability).

Add a water-reducing admixture — never just add water.

A measure of fresh concrete's consistency or workability, measured with the slump cone test.

Concrete with tiny intentional air voids that relieve freeze-thaw pressure, improving durability.

By breaking molded cylinders in a compression test (e.g., at 7 and 28 days).

The bar's nominal diameter in eighths of an inch — a No. 5 bar is 5/8 inch.

The minimum distance from reinforcing steel to the concrete surface, protecting the steel from corrosion.

With chairs and bolsters that support the bars at the specified height.

A faster concrete placement rate increases the lateral pressure the forms must resist.

To prevent the concrete from bonding to the forms so they strip cleanly.

Temporary supports placed under a slab after forms are stripped to carry construction loads.

To retain moisture so cement hydration continues, developing strength; methods include wet curing and curing compounds.

Freezing of the mix water can stop hydration and ruin strength.

It must pass between reinforcing bars and form faces and fit the member — typically tied to spacing and cover.

A lower maximum water-cement ratio (and often sulfate-resisting cement) for durability in sulfate soils.

It seals the surface to retain moisture for curing without continuous wetting.

Field dry density ÷ laboratory maximum dry density, expressed as a percent (e.g., 114 ÷ 120 = 95%).

Horizontal run to vertical rise — 1.5 feet out for every 1 foot down; for an 18-ft cut, 27 ft of run each side.

Grading that slopes away from a structure (e.g., 2% fall) so water doesn't pond against the foundation.

Benchmark elevation + backsight reading; subtract a foresight to find a new point's elevation.

A fixed reference point of known elevation used to establish other elevations on a site.

The consistency/workability of fresh concrete; the sample is rodded in three layers, 25 strokes each.

Vibrating or rodding to remove entrapped air so the concrete fills the forms and surrounds the rebar.

A planned, tooled or sawn joint that directs shrinkage cracking to a straight line.

Rolled blankets anchored over disturbed slopes protect against erosion while vegetation establishes.

A small barrier placed across a channel to slow concentrated stormwater and trap sediment.

A filter device at a curb inlet that keeps sediment from entering the storm drain during construction.

A Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan governing erosion and sediment controls on a disturbed site.

Type M (highest), S, N, then O (lowest).

Type O — a soft, low-strength mortar; a hard mortar would damage the brick.

Type S — high strength plus dependable flexural bond.

A concrete masonry unit (block) with hollow cells that can be reinforced and grouted vertically.

To let the wall shrink and move without random cracking; placed at height/thickness changes and near openings.

Drying shrinkage of the masonry, often where control joints are missing or misplaced.

Resist lateral wind and seismic loads, tying the veneer back to the backup wall.

They drain water collected in the cavity; if blocked, water backs up in the wall.

Adding water to restore workability to mortar that has stiffened — generally allowed within about two hours.

Defines mortar by the volume ratio of cementitious material, lime, and aggregate.

A triangular weld joining two surfaces at roughly a right angle; shown by a filled-triangle symbol.

A weld instruction placed below the reference line (on the arrow side) is made on the arrow side of the joint.

Weld all around — make the weld continuously around the entire joint.

The weld is a field weld, made on site rather than in the shop.

Pretensioning a high-strength bolt by rotating the nut a specified amount past snug-tight.

The condition where steel plies are in firm contact, typically from a few impacts of an impact wrench.

A washer that gives a visual confirmation a high-strength bolt has reached the required tension.

A wide-flange steel shape about 12 inches deep weighing 26 pounds per foot.

Transfer column base-plate loads into the concrete foundation; cast-in-place anchors are most reliable.

To provide uniform bearing that transfers the column load evenly to the foundation.

In platform framing, each floor is built as a platform before the walls above; balloon studs run full height past floors.

A beam over a wall opening that carries loads to jack studs against full-height king studs.

Studs that support the header at an opening, nailed to full-height king studs.

Laminated veneer lumber — an engineered beam of glued veneers that is straight, strong, and stable.

It disperses natural defects across many thin veneers, giving more uniform strength.

Where wood contacts concrete, masonry, or the ground (sill plates, ledgers, posts).

Hot-dipped galvanized or stainless — the copper-based treatment corrodes ordinary steel.

No — each member is engineered as part of the whole; cutting it can cause failure.

Temporary and permanent bracing that keeps installed trusses stable until the structure is complete.

The spacing measured from the center of one joist to the center of the next is 16 inches.

A continuous horizontal member tying the top of a stud wall together and distributing roof/floor loads.

Nominal 16-inch block (including mortar joint) means 24 ft of wall = 288 in ÷ 16 = 18 units per course.

A full-height stud beside an opening that the jack studs and header bear against.

Not on this exam's core, but engineered components like trusses and LVL must be installed as designed, never field-modified.

A thin metal connector anchoring brick veneer to wood-stud backup against lateral loads.

An opening at the base of a cavity wall letting collected water drain out; must stay clear.

A fluid concrete mix poured into CMU cells to bond and embed vertical reinforcing steel.

Bring plies into firm contact (snug), then rotate the nut a specified amount to pretension the bolt.

The pullout and load-transfer capacity of the anchor into the concrete foundation.

Guy cables and bracing that keep the partially erected frame stable until permanent connections are complete.

The opening width and the floor/roof loads above — wider spans and heavier loads need larger headers.

On the warm-in-winter (interior) side of the insulation, to stop indoor moisture from condensing in the wall.

An interior vapor retarder can trap inward-driven moisture — generally avoided there.

A vapor retarder slows vapor diffusion; an air barrier stops bulk air leakage — different jobs.

A measure of a material's resistance to conductive heat flow; higher means better insulation.

Heat loss through a conductive path (such as a stud) that bypasses the insulation.

Sheet material that directs water away from joints and intersections, like where a roof meets a wall.

A secondary water-shedding barrier installed on the deck beneath shingles; laps shed water downslope.

A low-slope roof covered by one prefabricated sheet (e.g., TPO, EPDM, PVC).

In hazardous locations — in and beside doors, low windows near floors, and shower/tub enclosures.

Heat-treated safety glass that breaks into small, relatively harmless pieces.

Reduces radiant heat transfer through the glass, lowering cooling (and heating) loads.

In the direction of egress travel, away from the occupied space.

Lever-style hardware operable with one hand without tight grasping, pinching, or twisting.

A self-closing or automatic-closing device and limited glazing area to keep its rating.

Fire-rated gypsum board with a core that resists fire, used in rated wall and ceiling assemblies.

Cement backer board — gypsum board fails when directly exposed to wet conditions.

The highest finish — a skim coat over the entire surface for uniformity under critical lighting.

The ceiling first, then the walls, so the wall boards help support the ceiling edges.

A metal or composite strip protecting an outside gypsum-board corner in high-traffic areas.

It equalizes the differing absorption of the paper face and the joint compound for a uniform finish.

A device that stops contaminated water from being siphoned back into the potable water supply.

A high-hazard backflow preventer used where cross-connection contamination risk is greatest.

A standardized measure of a plumbing fixture's probable demand, used to size supply and drainage.

They equalize air pressure so the trap seal isn't siphoned out, blocking sewer gas.

A device that captures fats, oils, and grease from kitchen wastewater before it enters the sewer.

A tank that absorbs the expansion of heated water in a closed system with a backflow preventer.

It short-cycles, reducing dehumidification and comfort — size from a proper load calculation.

Sensible load is temperature (dry heat); latent load is moisture that must be removed from the air.

Incomplete combustion can produce carbon monoxide in fuel-fired equipment.

40% of the conduit's cross-sectional area (NEC), to limit heat buildup.

To establish a low-impedance fault-current path so overcurrent devices clear faults safely.

No — they bond only at the service; downstream they must remain separated to avoid current on grounding conductors.

An overcurrent device protecting an individual circuit serving outlets, lighting, or equipment.

The maximum current the panel and its conductors are rated to carry safely.

A self-adhering underlayment at eaves/valleys that resists water from ice dams and wind-driven rain.

A flashing collar that seals where a vent pipe penetrates a sloped roof, lapped under the upslope shingles.

Resistance to absorbing water, since foundation insulation stays damp.

Hardware that returns a fire-rated door to the closed, latched position automatically.

Safety glazing made of glass bonded to a plastic interlayer that holds together when broken.

Installing sheets horizontally reduces total linear footage of joints to finish.

A grid holding lay-in tiles, giving a finished ceiling with access to the plenum above.

A small backflow device on a hose bibb preventing back-siphonage through a garden hose.

Resistance to airflow in a duct system; undersized ducts raise it, increasing noise and energy use.

A measure of a fixture's drainage load, summed to size sanitary drains for peak probable flow.

Keeping flow velocity high enough to carry solids without clogging (a minimum fall per foot).

The model code (NFPA 70) governing electrical installations, including conduit fill and grounding rules.

The assembly distributing power to branch circuits, each protected by an overcurrent device.

Comparing connected and demand loads to the panel rating to confirm capacity before adding equipment.