Roofing Article

A

AAMA: American Architectural Manufacturers Association
ACI: American Concrete Institute
ACIL: American Council of Independent Laboratories
AFA: American Fiberboard Association
AGC: Associated General Contractors of America
AHA: American Hardboard Association
AIA: American Institute of Architects
ANSI: American National Standards Institute
APA: American Plywood Association
APP: See Atactic Polypropylene.
ARMA: Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association
ASA: American Subcontractors Association
ASC: Associated Specialty Contractors
ASHI: American Society of Home Inspectors
ASHRAE: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating & Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc.
ASTM: American Society for Testing and Materials
AWPA: American Wood Preservatives Association
AWS: American Welding Society

B

BOCA: Building Officials and Code Administrators, International, Inc.
BOMA: Building Owners & Managers Association, International
BUR: An acronym for Built-Up Roof. See Built-Up Roof.
BTU: An acronym for British Thermal Unit. The heat energy necessary to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit, a joule.

C

CABO: Council of American Building Officials
CCF: 100 cubic feet.
CERL: Construction Engineering Research Laboratory
CG&E: See Chopped Glass and Emulsion.
CPA: Copolymer Alloy.
CPE: Chlorinated Polyethylene.
CRREL: Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory
CSI: Construction Specifications Institute
CSM: ASTM designation for Chlorosulfonated polyethylene. (See CSPE.)
CSPE: Chlorosulfonated polyethylene.

E

ECH: Polyepichlorohydrin. See also Epichlorohydrin.
EPDM: Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer.
EVT: Equiviscous Temperature

F

FM: Short for Factory Mutual Research Corporation.

G

G-90: A coating weight for galvanized sheet metal, 0.90 ounces of zinc per sq. ft., measured on both sides of the sheet.

H

HVAC: Acronym for Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning.

I

ICBO: International Conference of Building Officials, responsible for The Uniform Building Code.
IRWC: Institute of Roofing and Waterproofing Consultants
ISANTA: International Staple, Nail & Tool Association

M

MBMA: Metal Building Manufacturers Association
MCA: Metal Construction Association
MIMA: Mineral Insulation Manufacturers Association
MRCA: Midwest Roofing Contractors Association

N

NAHB: National Association of Home Builders
NICA: National Insulation Contractors Association
NIST: National Institute of Standards and Technology
NRCA: National Roofing Contractors Association.
NTRMA: National Tile Roofing Manufacturers Association

O

ORNL: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
OSB: Oriented Strand Board - Often used as roof sheathing in place of plywood.

P

pH: A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution, numerically equal to 7 for neutral solutions, increasing with increasing alkalinity and decreasing with increasing acidity. The pH scale commonly in use ranges from 0 to 14.
PIMA: Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association
PMR: See Protected Membrane Roof.
PVC: Polyvinyl Chloride.

R

R-Value: The measure of a material’s resistance to heat flow. The higher a material’s R-value, the more it insulates. For more information on R-Value, click on the term.
RCI: Roof Consultants Institute
RCMA: Roof Coatings Manufacturers Association
RDCA: Roof Deck Contractors Association
RIEI: Roofing Industry Educational Institute
RMA: Rubber Manufacturers Association

S

SBCCI: Southern Building Code Congress International, Inc.
SBS: Styrene Butadiene Styrene.
SDI: Steel Deck Institute
SI: The international system of weights and measures (metric system). Système International [d'Unit[eacute]s]
SMACNA: Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association
SPF: Sprayed Polyurethane Foam.
SPF Compounds: Refers to the Isocyanate and resin components used to make polyurethane foam.
SPI: The Society of the Plastics Industry
SPI/SPFD: The Society of the Plastics Industry/Sprayed Polyurethane Foam Division
SPRI: Single Ply Roofing Institute
SWRI: Sealant, Waterproofing and Restoration Institute

T

TIMA: Thermal Insulation Manufacturers Association
TPA: Tri-Polymer Alloy.

U

U-Value: The overall coefficient of heat transfer of an assembly measured in BTUs per square foot, per degrees Fahrenheit difference in temperature per hour.
UBC: Uniform Building Code.
UL: Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.
UL Label: A label that has been stamped on certain materials by authority of Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. indicating that the material has met certain performance criteria.

Z

Z Bar or Z Section: A piece of steel formed in the shape of a "Z."