Documents & records
Product data submittal
Also called: cut sheets, product data sheets
Product data is the manufacturer's own documentation — cut sheets, catalog pages, performance and rating data, installation instructions — submitted so the design team can confirm the intended product satisfies the spec before it's ordered. Unlike a shop drawing, it isn't drawn for this project; it's the standard published data for an off-the-shelf item. It's the most common submittal type on most jobs.
Why it matters
The spec sets performance and quality; product data is how a sub demonstrates the specific make and model clears that bar. Installing off unreviewed product data, or substituting an unequal product, is a frequent path to a nonconformance and to missing information at closeout.
What proves it
At inspection, the approved product data is what you check the installed item against — model number, finish, listing or rating, dimensions. A photo of the actual product tag or nameplate matched to the approved data sheet confirms the physical item is the one that was approved, and that same data folds into the O&M manual at turnover.
Related terms
- SubmittalThe product data, shop drawings or samples a contractor sends for review to confirm what will be installed matches the spec before it's ordered.
- Shop drawingA fabricator's or installer's detailed drawing showing exactly how a component will be made and installed, submitted for review before fabrication.
- Submittal registerThe master log that tracks every required submittal, its review status and its due date across the whole job.
- Operation and maintenance (O&M) manualThe compiled package that tells the owner how to run and maintain the installed systems — equipment data, warranties, parts and service intervals.
- Punch listThe running list of incomplete or defective work a contractor has to fix before an area is accepted and closed out.
- Nonconformance report (NCR)A formal record raised when installed work does not meet the drawings, specs or an accepted standard, and the plan to resolve it.
Knowing the term is step one. Proving it is the job.
RTI holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and the photos are attached, then chains the record so it can be proven untouched later.