Start with the opening note of the issued Section 03 44 00: confirm that the drawings give the design loads, the panel layout with openings, the panel sections, the reinforcement schedule, the connection details with end bearing and anchorage, any topping, the steel framing at openings, the hangers, and the location of fire-rated construction. Then check that the AAC strength class, the design standards, and the UL listing are stated by the designer rather than left to the shop drawings, that bearing, joint, and grout details match the section, that every opening and chase has a header or a manufacturer approval, and that the fabrication and acceptance text has been edited for an autoclaved product.
Assemble the review package
Gather the structural general notes with design loads, deflection limits, and the AAC strength class, the floor, roof, and wall panel layout plans with panel marks, spans, and openings, the panel sections and reinforcement schedule, the bearing and connection details at steel framing, concrete, and masonry supports with anchor bolts, plates, and straps, the joint details with grouted keyways and reinforcing bars, the opening and header details, the architectural wall sections, roof details, and UL design numbers for rated assemblies, the topping, roofing, and finish details, the MEP drawings with chases, sleeves, hangers, and penetrations in the panels, and the issued Section 03 44 00 with Sections 03 30 53, 05 05 23.16 or the welding requirements, 07 92 00, 09 90 00, and the structural steel and masonry sections. Follow one floor or roof panel from its bearing to its joints and one wall panel from base to top connection before assuming the others match.
WBDG publishes UFGS 03 44 00: Reinforced Autoclave Aerated Concrete Panels as a public guide-specification reference (accessed November 13, 2026). Use your project’s issued specification and amendments for the actual comparison; the guide specification does not automatically govern your project. The checklist below is an original suggested review workflow, not a reproduction of the UFGS requirements.
Eight checks to run against the issued set
Use one record per location or system. The CSV contains the same eight prompts plus fields for source revisions, observed evidence, the review owner, the decision, and closure references.
| Check | Sources to compare | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| What the drawings must show | Part 1 note (assumed loads including partitions, equipment, and topping; framing layout with openings; panel sections; welded wire reinforcing schedule; connections with end bearing minimums and anchorage devices; topping; openings with steel framing sizes; filler blocks; hangers for ceilings, ducts, piping, and fixtures; location of fire-rated construction) + Allowable Design Loads and Deflections (as indicated) + Forms and Reinforcement notes (dimensions, cross-sections, reinforcement, and cover indicated) + structural plans and details | Do the structural drawings give each item the opening note lists, in particular the concentrated loads from equipment and suspended systems, the deflection limits, the reinforcement and cover, the end bearing at each support type, and the hangers for ceilings, ducts, and piping, rather than leaving them for the panel manufacturer to assume, and do the panel spans on the layout stay within the span range the opening note describes for this section? |
| Strength class, design basis, and editions | Drawings (installation drawings indicate the AAC strength class from a list of three) + Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Properties (per the strength class under ASTM C1693) + Testing Structural Sections for Strength (cores judged against the strength for the class on the shop drawings and “Panel Schedule”) + Identification Markings (marks consistent with the Panel Schedule) + Design Methods (ACI 523.4R; ACI 530/530.1 Chapter 11 for walls; ASTM C1694 weld-point shear) + References (ACI 530/530.1, 2013) + Allowable Design Loads note (National Building Code, AIA CO-1, ANSI A58.1) + structural general notes | Do the structural general notes state the AAC strength class the design assumes, since the section has no bracket for it and lets the contractor’s installation drawings and a Panel Schedule that is neither a submittal nor a drawing requirement set the value acceptance is judged against, do the class designations match the edition of ASTM C1693 used, does the masonry code edition for wall design match the one the project’s building code adopts, and have the loads been taken from the project’s building code rather than the references in the note? |
| Fire-resistance listing and rated assemblies | UL Fire-Resistance Listing and Label (listing under Precast Concrete Units, CFTV; UL label) and note (location and classification of rated sections indicated) + Part 1 note (BXUV Fire Resistance Ratings and AIA CO-1; rating limits panel types, end restraint, topping, grouting, sealing, roof insulation, and roofing) + Grouting Materials, Grouting Connections, and Sealing Joints notes (fire agency requirements) + architectural life safety plans, wall types, and UL designs | Do the drawings show which floors, roofs, and walls are rated and the UL design for each, does the panel thickness, end restraint, joint grout, topping, and roof insulation drawn match that design, and since the paragraph asks for a listing under one UL category while the note points to another and to AIA CO-1, has the specifier said which listing the rated assemblies rely on? |
| Reinforcement, wire, corrosion protection, and cover | Reinforcement Bars (ASTM A615/A615M grades) + Cold-Drawn Steel Wire (ASTM A1064/A1064M and ASTM C1694 tables; corrosion-protective coating; effectiveness per ASTM C1694) + Reinforcement article and note (types, sizes, arrangement, and cover indicated; detailing and cover per ACI/MCP-3 and ACI 318) + SD-02 Reinforcement + Grouting Connections (reinforcing bars in wall and floor or roof joints) + panel sections and joint details | Does the reinforcement schedule distinguish the coated welded wire inside the panels from the bars placed in grouted joints, is the cover shown for the panel wire consistent with the corrosion protection the section requires, since the cover is sent to ACI 318 while design follows ACI 523.4R, and do the joint details give the bar size, length, and grout type the installation drawings must follow? |
| Bearing, connections, anchorage, and openings | Anchorage Items Embedded in Other Construction (setting drawings and templates; delivered before other construction) + Placing Floor or Roof Slab Sections (minimum end bearing; bearing pads or plates; grouting voids at sides and ends) + Placing Framing Sections (supplemental steel framing at openings) + Openings in Slab Structural Sections and notes (field-cut opening limits approved by the manufacturer before shop drawings; hung steel angle headers above a stated size; headers as detailed by the manufacturer) + Construction Activities Coordination (chases and routing marked by other trades) + Touchup Painting + framing plans and MEP drawings | Do the bearing details at steel beams, concrete ledges, and masonry walls show the end bearing, pads or plates, and anchorage the section requires, are the embedded anchors and plates shown on the concrete and masonry drawings so they are set before the panels arrive, are the steel headers at openings sized on the structural drawings, and have the duct, pipe, roof drain, and conduit penetrations and wall chases on the MEP drawings been sent to the panel manufacturer before shop drawings, as the openings note asks? |
| Joints, mortar, and grout | Placing Framing Sections (thin-bed mortar to ASTM C1660 between elements; leveling mortar by the manufacturer or the engineer of record) + Grouting Materials brackets (cement grout; premixed ferrous aggregate shrink-resistant grout to ASTM C1107/C1107M; epoxy-resin grout or adhesive) + Grouting Connections and Joints + Bituminous Joint Sealing Materials and note (keyed to single- or double-tee roof slabs) + Sealing Joints in Roof Slabs + Section 07 92 00 for exposed joints + joint and roof details | Does each joint detail name the mortar or grout the section keeps for it, and where a ferrous aggregate grout is used at joints that stay exposed to view or weather, has staining been considered, has the bituminous joint sealing paragraph been kept or deleted on the basis of the PAAC roof joints drawn rather than the tee slabs its note mentions, and do the exposed ceiling and wall joints carry a sealant from Section 07 92 00? |
| Fabrication text written for conventional precast | Fabrication articles (forms; batching and mixing to ASTM C94/C94M; air-entraining admixture; placing to avoid rock pockets; trowel finish; grout finish on exposed surfaces) + Finishing Formed Surfaces (repairable defects limited to areas not in bearing areas) + PAAC Element Patching (patches at bearing areas with manufacturer repair mortar) + Framing Sections note (columns, beams, girders, and joists) + Finishing Exposed-To-View note (Section 03 45 00) + Surface-Finish acceptance + architectural finish schedule | Has the specifier edited the fabrication articles that describe conventional cast concrete so they fit an autoclaved proprietary product, since the manufacturer’s recipe and ASTM C1693 control the material, since one paragraph forbids repairing defects in bearing areas and the next describes patches there, which rule applies to panel ends, and do the finish schedules say which panel faces stay exposed, are painted under Section 09 90 00, or receive another finish? |
| Erection sequence, loading, weather, tolerances, and acceptance | Pre-Installation Conference + Panel Loading (no loading of AAC wall panels before stated periods for floor or roof and concentrated loads, with no starting event) + Strength of Structural Sections at Installation + Installation Tolerances (metric and inch-pound limits that do not describe the same deviations) + thin-bed mortar cold and hot weather paragraphs + temporary bracing for wind + PAAC Framing Mock-up bracket (mortar joints, control joint and sealant, flashing, finishes) + Inspection and Acceptance (dimensional, surface, strength, cores, load test, welding) + erection notes and schedule | Does the erection sequence on the drawings or in the general notes say when floor, roof, and equipment loads may be placed on the wall panels and from what event the waiting period runs, which unit system’s installation tolerances govern, since the two do not match, is temporary bracing for wind addressed for tall wall panels, and does the mock-up include the flashing, control joint, and finishes that the wall sections show? |
Worked example: a one-story AAC warehouse with rated walls, roof panels on steel joists, and rooftop units
Illustrative example: a one-story storage building at an installation uses reinforced AAC wall panels for a fire-rated wall between two storage areas and AAC roof panels bearing on steel beams, with three rooftop units and several roof drains. The structural general notes give roof loads but no AAC strength class, no deflection limits, and no concentrated loads for the rooftop units. The issued Section 03 44 00 keeps all three grout types, the bituminous joint sealing paragraph with its tee slab note, and the fabrication articles unchanged. The roof panel layout shows no openings, while the mechanical drawings show curbs and drains through the panels. The life safety plan names a UL design for the rated wall, and the wall details show a joint grout that design may not list.
Ask the structural engineer to state the AAC strength class, the deflection limits, and the rooftop unit loads in the general notes, to show the roof openings with their steel headers, and to send the opening sizes to the panel manufacturer before shop drawings. Ask the specifier to keep the grout and joint sealing paragraphs that the details use, to edit the fabrication articles for an autoclaved product, to resolve the bearing-area patching rule, the panel loading start, and the tolerance units, and to name the UL listing the rated wall relies on, and confirm with the architect that the wall joint grout matches that UL design.
Avoid a false conflict
Section 03 44 00 covers reinforced AAC floor, roof, and wall panels. Topping and other cast-in-place concrete follow Section 03 30 53, solid precast wall panels and architectural finishes follow Section 03 45 00, small precast roof slabs over purlins follow Section 03 41 16.08, sealants in exposed joints follow Section 07 92 00 and the joint sealant guide, painting follows Section 09 90 00 and the painting guide, the supporting steel follows the structural steel section and the structural steel guide, unit masonry follows the masonry guide, and rated assemblies follow the project’s fire-resistance requirements and the fire-resistance guide, so check those before calling a requirement missing. Some of the section’s own wording needs resolving: no paragraph lets the designer state the strength class and the Panel Schedule it relies on is never defined, its bearing-area repair rules contradict each other, its loading periods have no starting event, its metric and inch-pound tolerances differ, its loads note and fire listing point to sources the References article does not carry or to a different UL category, its tee slab and framing notes and its fabrication articles were written for conventional precast concrete, and its cover requirement follows ACI 318 while design follows ACI 523.4R. Ask the specifier which wording the project intends before treating a difference as a design conflict.
When requirements disagree, follow the project’s document-control and clarification process. Do not assume that drawings always override specifications, or the reverse. Identify the exact sources and request an authorized decision.
Close the issue across the affected documents
Record the location or tag, drawing and specification references, issue dates, observed difference, and the decision needed. Assign an owner and keep the item open until the response identifies the governing requirement. Check the revised drawings and specification references together; a response email alone may leave the issued package inconsistent.
For the overall process, use the guide to drawing and specification conflicts. Mark an inapplicable checklist row with a reason, and distinguish a verified correction from a question that still needs design information.
Where Groundbook fits
Groundbook’s drawing and specification review helps investigate potential disagreements in the documents you supply. Include the relevant specification sections and drawing references, then verify the cited evidence with the responsible reviewers before acting on a finding.