SIST ISO 6707-1:2019

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 6707-1
Fifth edition
2017-11
Buildings and civil engineering
works — Vocabulary —
Part 1:
General terms
Bâtiments et ouvrages de génie civil — Vocabulaire —
Partie 1: Termes généraux
Reference number
©
ISO 2017
© ISO 2017, Published in Switzerland
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
Ch. de Blandonnet 8 • CP 401
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland
Tel. +41 22 749 01 11
Fax +41 22 749 09 47
copyright@iso.org
www.iso.org
ii © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
Annex A (informative) Alphabetical index of US synonyms .92
Bibliography .99
Alphabetical index of terms .100
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see the following
URL: www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 59, Buildings and civil engineering works,
Subcommittee SC 2, Terminology and harmonization of languages.
This fifth edition cancels and replaces the fourth edition (ISO 6707-1:2014), which has been technically
revised. It also incorporates and revises ISO 2444:1988, which is therefore cancelled.
The main changes compared to the previous edition are as follows:
— substantial changes in the definitions of majority of the terms have been made;
— some terms and definitions from ISO 2444 (modified where necessary) have been incorporated;
— entries have been renumbered so that all terms and definitions are in Clause 3;
— the indicator for national terms, e.g. US, has been moved from before to after the term;
— GB-admitted (non-preferred) terms have been assigned to appropriate entries, rather than given in
an annex;
— certain terms have been moved to ISO 6707-2, where appropriate;
— a nucleus of modular coordination terms from ISO 1791:1983 have been added.
A list of all parts in the ISO 6707 series can be found on the ISO website.
iv © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

Introduction
With the growth in the number of international construction projects and the development of the
international market for construction products, there is an increasing need for agreement on a common
language in the domain.
This document is a first step toward a complete set of general terms for use by the construction
industry. It will be updated as further terms and definitions are agreed upon.
This document includes terms and concepts that are commonly used in documentation governing
construction work, as well as terms used to specify products and works. It is important to note that
when used in legislation, some general construction terms have a narrower interpretation and hence,
the definition given in this document will not apply.
The adoption of this document by the various national construction industries will improve
communication in the design, execution, and maintenance of construction works within those industries.
Its use in other standards will aid harmonization and provide a basis for specialist terminology.
Structure of this document
Entries are presented under convenient headings. The terms are arranged within categories to allow
ready comparison of related concepts.
International preferred terms are listed in boldface type. Where a preferred term is specific to
a particular English-speaking country, e.g. the United States of America, etc., it is given below the
international preferred term and is annotated with the respective country code. Where no preferred
terms are listed indicating usage in a specific geographical location, this signifies that the international
preferred term is the accepted term in English-speaking countries. A term beneath the preferred
term(s) not given in boldface type is an admitted (non-preferred) synonym. A country code is assigned
to an admitted term if it is specific to an English speaking country.
Where the international term is not used in the US or Canada, five dots (….) are placed where the US
term would normally appear.
In most countries, synonyms and alternative spellings exist for the international preferred terms used
in this document. US synonyms and alternative spellings are given in Annex A.
Where a given preferred term designates more than one concept, each concept has been treated in
a separate entry and a note to entry included to indicate that a homograph exists and to provide a
reference to the other term entry.
Where terms are used in definitions to designate concepts that are defined elsewhere in this document,
the relevant terms are presented in italics and the term number is given after the relevant term.
To facilitate the locating of any term given in the document, irrespective of preference or country of
origin, the alphabetical index lists all preferred and admitted terms.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 6707-1:2017(E)
Buildings and civil engineering works — Vocabulary —
Part 1:
General terms
1 Scope
This document contains the terms and definitions of general concepts to establish a vocabulary
applicable to buildings and civil engineering works.
It comprises:
a) fundamental concepts, which can be the starting point for other, more specific, definitions;
b) more specific concepts, used in several areas of construction and frequently used in standards,
regulations and contracts.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
3.1 Terms relating to types of buildings and civil engineering works
3.1.1 Base terms
3.1.1.1
construction works
construction, US
everything that is constructed or results from construction operations
Note 1 to entry: In the US, there are homographs for the term “construction”. See 3.3.5.6 and 3.5.1.1.
3.1.1.2
civil engineering works
civil engineering project, US
construction works (3.1.1.1) comprising a structure (3.1.1.4), such as a dam (3.1.2.22), bridge (3.1.3.19),
road (3.1.3.1), railway (3.1.3.3), runway, utilities, pipeline (3.1.2.30), or sewerage system (3.3.4.40), or
the result of operations such as dredging, earthwork (3.5.1.6), geotechnical processes (3.5.2.3), but
excluding a building (3.1.1.3) and its associated site (3.1.1.6) works
Note 1 to entry: Associated siteworks are excluded except that in US civil engineering projects, they are included.
3.1.1.3
building
construction works (3.1.1.1) that has the provision of shelter for its occupants or contents as one of its
main purposes, usually partially or totally enclosed and designed to stand permanently in one place
Note 1 to entry: There is a homograph for the term “building”. See 3.5.1.4.
3.1.1.4
structure
construction works (3.1.1.1) having a structure (3.3.1.2)
Note 1 to entry: There is a homograph for the term “structure”. See 3.3.1.2.
3.1.1.5
external works
sitework, US
construction works (3.1.1.1) or landscape work on land (3.8.1) associated with, and adjacent to, civil
engineering works (3.1.1.2) or a building (3.1.1.3)
3.1.1.6
site
area of land (3.8.1) or water where construction work (3.5.1.1) or other development is undertaken
3.1.2 Civil engineering works
3.1.2.1
earthworks
result of change of terrain
3.1.2.2
excavation
result of digging, lifting, and removing earth, fill (3.4.4.9), or other material (3.4.1.2) from the ground
(3.4.2.1)
3.1.2.3
embankment
section of earthworks (3.1.2.1), often formed by cut (3.1.2.5) or fill (3.4.4.9), where the finished ground
level (3.7.2.68) is above or below original ground level (3.7.2.67) and whose length (3.7.2.10) usually
greatly exceeds its width (3.7.2.8)
3.1.2.4
bund
berm, US
low embankment (3.1.2.3)
3.1.2.5
cut
material (3.4.1.2) excavated in bulk
Note 1 to entry: There is a homograph for the term “cut”. See 3.1.2.6.
3.1.2.6
cut
void that results from bulk excavation (3.1.2.2) of material (3.4.1.2)
Note 1 to entry: There is a homograph for the term “cut”. See 3.1.2.5.
2 © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

3.1.2.7
cut and fill
earthwork (3.5.1.6) technique for lessening or increasing a variation in ground level (3.7.2.67) by using
material (3.4.1.2) excavated from higher ground (3.4.2.1) to raise the level (3.7.2.39) of lower ground or
the reverse
3.1.2.8
adit
nearly level tunnel (3.1.3.18) driven to underground workings
3.1.2.9
made ground
fill, US
ground (3.4.2.1) that has been formed by using material (3.4.1.2) to fill in a depression or to raise the
level (3.7.2.39) of a site (3.1.1.6)
Note 1 to entry: In the US, there is a homograph for the term “fill”. See 3.4.4.9.
3.1.2.10
bund wall
retaining earthworks, US
wall (3.3.2.46) that forms an enclosure around a storage tank and is used to retain the contents in the
event of tank failure
3.1.2.11
dumpling
mound, US
large mass of ground (3.4.2.1) intended to be excavated but temporarily left as a support during
construction work (3.5.1.1)
3.1.2.12
trench
horizontal or slightly inclined long, narrow open excavation (3.1.2.2), usually with vertical sides
3.1.2.13
shaft
vertical or steeply inclined excavation (3.1.2.2), usually of limited cross-section in relation to its depth
(3.7.2.7)
3.1.2.14
borrow pit
area within which earthwork (3.5.1.6) takes place in order to produce material (3.4.1.1) for earthworks
(3.1.2.1)
3.1.2.15
borehole
hole, usually vertical, bored to determine ground (3.4.2.1) conditions, for extraction of water, other
liquids, or gases, or measurement (3.5.1.22) of groundwater level (3.7.2.39)
3.1.2.16
retaining wall
wall (3.3.2.46) that provides lateral support to the ground (3.4.2.1) or that resists pressure from a mass
of other material (3.4.1.2)
3.1.2.17
diaphragm wall
wall (3.3.2.46) made of concrete (3.4.4.15) constructed in a trench (3.1.2.12) temporarily supported by
bentonite (3.1.2.18) suspension
Note 1 to entry: There is a homograph for the term “diaphragm wall”. See 3.3.1.63.
Note 2 to entry: In the US, there are homographs for the term “diaphragm wall”. See 3.3.1.61 and 3.3.1.63.
3.1.2.18
bentonite
clay formed by the decomposition of volcanic ash swelling as it absorbs water
3.1.2.19
water tower
civil engineering works (3.1.1.2) that comprise a large water tank raised above ground level (3.7.2.67)
3.1.2.20
silo
structure (3.1.1.4) for the storage of a large volume of loose material
3.1.2.21
breakwater
mole, GB
long structure (3.1.1.4) in a body of water designed to protec
...

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-september-2019
Nadomešča:
SIST ISO 2444:1997
SIST ISO 6707-1:2015
Stavbe in gradbeni inženirski objekti - Slovar - 1. del: Splošni izrazi
Buildings and civil engineering works -- Vocabulary -- Part 1: General terms
Bâtiments et ouvrages de génie civil -- Vocabulaire -- Partie 1: Termes généraux
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: ISO 6707-1:2017
ICS:
01.040.91 Gradbeni materiali in gradnja Construction materials and
(Slovarji) building (Vocabularies)
01.040.93 Nizke gradnje (Slovarji) Civil engineering
(Vocabularies)
91.010.01 Gradbeništvo na splošno Construction industry in
general
93.010 Nizke gradnje na splošno Civil engineering in general
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 6707-1
Fifth edition
2017-11
Buildings and civil engineering
works — Vocabulary —
Part 1:
General terms
Bâtiments et ouvrages de génie civil — Vocabulaire —
Partie 1: Termes généraux
Reference number
©
ISO 2017
© ISO 2017, Published in Switzerland
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
Ch. de Blandonnet 8 • CP 401
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland
Tel. +41 22 749 01 11
Fax +41 22 749 09 47
copyright@iso.org
www.iso.org
ii © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
Annex A (informative) Alphabetical index of US synonyms .92
Bibliography .99
Alphabetical index of terms .100
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see the following
URL: www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 59, Buildings and civil engineering works,
Subcommittee SC 2, Terminology and harmonization of languages.
This fifth edition cancels and replaces the fourth edition (ISO 6707-1:2014), which has been technically
revised. It also incorporates and revises ISO 2444:1988, which is therefore cancelled.
The main changes compared to the previous edition are as follows:
— substantial changes in the definitions of majority of the terms have been made;
— some terms and definitions from ISO 2444 (modified where necessary) have been incorporated;
— entries have been renumbered so that all terms and definitions are in Clause 3;
— the indicator for national terms, e.g. US, has been moved from before to after the term;
— GB-admitted (non-preferred) terms have been assigned to appropriate entries, rather than given in
an annex;
— certain terms have been moved to ISO 6707-2, where appropriate;
— a nucleus of modular coordination terms from ISO 1791:1983 have been added.
A list of all parts in the ISO 6707 series can be found on the ISO website.
iv © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

Introduction
With the growth in the number of international construction projects and the development of the
international market for construction products, there is an increasing need for agreement on a common
language in the domain.
This document is a first step toward a complete set of general terms for use by the construction
industry. It will be updated as further terms and definitions are agreed upon.
This document includes terms and concepts that are commonly used in documentation governing
construction work, as well as terms used to specify products and works. It is important to note that
when used in legislation, some general construction terms have a narrower interpretation and hence,
the definition given in this document will not apply.
The adoption of this document by the various national construction industries will improve
communication in the design, execution, and maintenance of construction works within those industries.
Its use in other standards will aid harmonization and provide a basis for specialist terminology.
Structure of this document
Entries are presented under convenient headings. The terms are arranged within categories to allow
ready comparison of related concepts.
International preferred terms are listed in boldface type. Where a preferred term is specific to
a particular English-speaking country, e.g. the United States of America, etc., it is given below the
international preferred term and is annotated with the respective country code. Where no preferred
terms are listed indicating usage in a specific geographical location, this signifies that the international
preferred term is the accepted term in English-speaking countries. A term beneath the preferred
term(s) not given in boldface type is an admitted (non-preferred) synonym. A country code is assigned
to an admitted term if it is specific to an English speaking country.
Where the international term is not used in the US or Canada, five dots (….) are placed where the US
term would normally appear.
In most countries, synonyms and alternative spellings exist for the international preferred terms used
in this document. US synonyms and alternative spellings are given in Annex A.
Where a given preferred term designates more than one concept, each concept has been treated in
a separate entry and a note to entry included to indicate that a homograph exists and to provide a
reference to the other term entry.
Where terms are used in definitions to designate concepts that are defined elsewhere in this document,
the relevant terms are presented in italics and the term number is given after the relevant term.
To facilitate the locating of any term given in the document, irrespective of preference or country of
origin, the alphabetical index lists all preferred and admitted terms.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 6707-1:2017(E)
Buildings and civil engineering works — Vocabulary —
Part 1:
General terms
1 Scope
This document contains the terms and definitions of general concepts to establish a vocabulary
applicable to buildings and civil engineering works.
It comprises:
a) fundamental concepts, which can be the starting point for other, more specific, definitions;
b) more specific concepts, used in several areas of construction and frequently used in standards,
regulations and contracts.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
3.1 Terms relating to types of buildings and civil engineering works
3.1.1 Base terms
3.1.1.1
construction works
construction, US
everything that is constructed or results from construction operations
Note 1 to entry: In the US, there are homographs for the term “construction”. See 3.3.5.6 and 3.5.1.1.
3.1.1.2
civil engineering works
civil engineering project, US
construction works (3.1.1.1) comprising a structure (3.1.1.4), such as a dam (3.1.2.22), bridge (3.1.3.19),
road (3.1.3.1), railway (3.1.3.3), runway, utilities, pipeline (3.1.2.30), or sewerage system (3.3.4.40), or
the result of operations such as dredging, earthwork (3.5.1.6), geotechnical processes (3.5.2.3), but
excluding a building (3.1.1.3) and its associated site (3.1.1.6) works
Note 1 to entry: Associated siteworks are excluded except that in US civil engineering projects, they are included.
3.1.1.3
building
construction works (3.1.1.1) that has the provision of shelter for its occupants or contents as one of its
main purposes, usually partially or totally enclosed and designed to stand permanently in one place
Note 1 to entry: There is a homograph for the term “building”. See 3.5.1.4.
3.1.1.4
structure
construction works (3.1.1.1) having a structure (3.3.1.2)
Note 1 to entry: There is a homograph for the term “structure”. See 3.3.1.2.
3.1.1.5
external works
sitework, US
construction works (3.1.1.1) or landscape work on land (3.8.1) associated with, and adjacent to, civil
engineering works (3.1.1.2) or a building (3.1.1.3)
3.1.1.6
site
area of land (3.8.1) or water where construction work (3.5.1.1) or other development is undertaken
3.1.2 Civil engineering works
3.1.2.1
earthworks
result of change of terrain
3.1.2.2
excavation
result of digging, lifting, and removing earth, fill (3.4.4.9), or other material (3.4.1.2) from the ground
(3.4.2.1)
3.1.2.3
embankment
section of earthworks (3.1.2.1), often formed by cut (3.1.2.5) or fill (3.4.4.9), where the finished ground
level (3.7.2.68) is above or below original ground level (3.7.2.67) and whose length (3.7.2.10) usually
greatly exceeds its width (3.7.2.8)
3.1.2.4
bund
berm, US
low embankment (3.1.2.3)
3.1.2.5
cut
material (3.4.1.2) excavated in bulk
Note 1 to entry: There is a homograph for the term “cut”. See 3.1.2.6.
3.1.2.6
cut
void that results from bulk excavation (3.1.2.2) of material (3.4.1.2)
Note 1 to entry: There is a homograph for the term “cut”. See 3.1.2.5.
2 © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

3.1.2.7
cut and fill
earthwork (3.5.1.6) technique for lessening or increasing a variation in ground level (3.7.2.67) by using
material (3.4.1.2) excavated from higher ground (3.4.2.1) to raise the level (3.7.2.39) of lower ground or
the reverse
3.1.2.8
adit
nearly level tunnel (3.1.3.18) driven to underground workings
3.1.2.9
made ground
fill, US
ground (3.4.2.1) that has been formed by using material (3.4.1.2) to fill in a depression or to raise the
level (3.7.2.39) of a site (3.1.1.6)
Note 1 to entry: In the US, there is a homograph for the term “fill”. See 3.4.4.9.
3.1.2.10
bund wall
retaining earthworks, US
wall (3.3.2.46) that forms an enclosure around a storage tank and is used to retain the contents in the
event of tank failure
3.1.2.11
dumpling
mound, US
large mass of ground (3.4.2.1) intended to be excavated but temporarily left as a support during
construction work (3.5.1.1)
3.1.2.12
trench
horizontal or slightly inclined long, narrow open excavation (3.1.2.2), usually with vertical sides
3.1.2.13
shaft
vertical or steeply inclined excavation (3.1.2.2), usually of limited cross-section in relation to its depth
(3.7.2.7)
3.1.2.14
borrow pit
area within which earthwork (3.5.1.6) takes place in order to produce material (3.4.1.1) for earthwork
...