A specification is an explicit set of requirements to be satisfied by a material, product, or service.

A technical specification may be developed privately, for example by a corporation, regulatory body, military, etc. They can also be developed by standards organizations which often have more diverse input and usually develop voluntary standards: these might become mandatory if adopted by a government, business contract, etc.

Use

In engineering, manufacturing, and business, it is vital for suppliers, purchasers, and users of materials, products, or services to understand and agree upon all requirements. A specification is a type of a standard which is often referenced by a contract or procurement document. It provides the necessary details about the specific requirements.

Specifications may be written by government agencies, standards organizations (ASTM, ISO, CEN, etc), trade associations, corporations, and others.

A product specification does not necessarily prove the product to be correct. Just because an item is stamped with a specification number does not, by itself, indicate that the item is fit for any particular use. The people who use the item (engineers, trade unions, etc) or specify the item (building codes, government, industry, etc) have the responsibility to consider the available specifications, specify the correct one, enforce compliance, and use the item correctly. Validation of suitability is necessary.

An example of a US Federal specification is FIPS-PUB 159, Detail Specification for 62.5-μm Core diameter/125-μm Cladding Diameter Class Ia Multimode Optical Fibers.

See: Verification and validation

Content

A specification might include:

• Descriptive title, number, identifier, etc. of the specification
• Date of last effective revision and revision designation
• A logo (trademark recommended) to declare the document copyright, ownership and origin
• Table of Contents (TOC), if the document is too long, i.e. more than five pages.
• Person, office, or agency responsible for questions on the specification, updates, and deviations.
• The significance, scope or importance of the specification and its intended use.
• Terminology and definitions to clarify the meanings of the specification
• Test methods for measuring all specified characteristics
• Material requirements: physical, mechanical, electrical, chemical, etc. Targets and tolerances.
• Performance testing requirements. Targets and tolerances.
• Drawings, photographs, or technical illustrations
• Workmanship
• Certifications required.
• Safety considerations and requirements
• Environmental considerations and requirements
• Quality requirements, Sampling (statistics), inspections, acceptance criteria
• Person, office, or agency responsible for enforcement of the specification.
• Completion and delivery.
• Provisions for rejection, reinspection, rehearing, corrective measures
• References for which any instructions in the content maybe required to fulfill the traceability and clarity of the document ISO 690
• Signatures to specify the authors, or writers and reviewers if the document is to be circulated internally and stored electronically Title 21 CFR Part 11
• Change record to summarize the chronological development, revision and completion if the document is to be circulated internally