If you walk into a construction site in Kerala and ask for "Concrete," the contractor understands. But if you ask a computer software for "Concrete," it gets confused. Does it mean the foundation? The roof slab? The lintel? Or the pre-cast block?

In India, we have traditionally relied on PWD (Public Works Department) Data or DSR (Delhi Schedule of Rates) to organize our estimates. While these are great for government road projects, they are a mess for modern digital construction. They are unstructured, vary by state, and frankly, they don't talk to modern software like Revit or BIM.

That is why, when we built Griham, we made a controversial choice. We ignored the "Old Way" and adopted the Global Standard: CSI MasterFormat.

What is MasterFormat? (The "Dewey Decimal System" of Building)

Imagine going to a library where every book is thrown in a pile. That is a typical contractor's Excel sheet. Now imagine a library where every book has a specific code number. That is MasterFormat.

Created by the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) in the USA and Canada, MasterFormat is the standard "Coding Language" used by the world’s top architects and builders. It assigns a specific Number to every single material and task in a building.

• Division 03 is always Concrete.

• Division 04 is always Masonry.

• Division 26 is always Electrical.

It doesn't matter if you are building a villa in Kottayam, a skyscraper in Dubai, or a stadium in New York. 03 30 00 always means "Cast-in-Place Concrete."

The "16 vs. 50" Revolution

For decades, the world ran on 16 Divisions. It was simple. Division 15 was "Mechanical" (Plumbing + AC) and Division 16 was "Electrical."

But in 2004, construction changed. Buildings got "Smart." We added Data Cables, Fire Sprinklers, Security Systems, and Building Automation. The old 16 folders weren't enough. So, CSI exploded the system into 50 Divisions.

• They took "Mechanical" (Div 15) and split it into Plumbing (22) and HVAC (23).

• They added Integrated Automation (25) for smart homes.

• They added Electronic Safety (28) for CCTVs and alarms.

Why does this matter? Most Indian estimation software is stuck in the 1990s. They still clump everything together. Griham is built on the 50-Division Standard. We are ready for the future of Smart Homes and Complex Commercial Buildings from Day 1.

Why Is Griham Using a "Western" Standard for India?

You might ask: "Solvin, we are in Kerala. Why do we need an American code?"

The answer is Scale.

1. You Can’t "BIM" Without It Modern architects use Revit and BIM (Building Information Modeling). When you export a 3D model from Revit, it doesn't give you a PWD list. It gives you a MasterFormat list. By building Griham on this standard, we ensure that one day, you can drag-and-drop a 3D model into Griham, and it will instantly calculate the cost. No other local software can do that.

2. It Handles Complexity A PWD list is fine for a small house. But what if you land a project to build a Hotel? Suddenly, you need "Elevators" (Division 14), "Fire Sprinklers" (Division 21), and "Commercial Kitchen Equipment" (Division 11). If you use a basic Excel sheet, you will forget these items and lose money. MasterFormat forces you to check every category. It acts as a Checklist that prevents mistakes.

3. It Professionalizes You When you send a Griham Estimate to a client, and it is neatly organized into "Division 03: Concrete" and "Division 22: Plumbing," you don't look like a local contractor. You look like an Engineering Firm. Presentation matters. Trust matters.

The Future is Standardized

We didn't build Griham just to help you estimate a wall. We built it to help you build a Business. By adopting the Global Standard, we are giving every Draftsman and Engineer in India the power to work with the same precision as the biggest firms in the world.

So, the next time you see "Division 04" on your Griham Dashboard, know that you are speaking the same language as the engineers building the Burj Khalifa.

Welcome to the new standard of Indian Construction.

Join the WaitList to get early Access :https://griham.io/contact-us