How to Read a CSI 10 75 00 Flagpole Spec: A Line-by-Line Guide for Estimators and GCs

The short answer: a flagpole spec decides the price in about six lines. Those are height, wall thickness and butt diameter, halyard type, finish, the wind clause and the mounting method. Everything else in the section is either standard trim or paperwork. The trouble is that those six lines are scattered across three parts of the section, and two of the things that cost the most money, the foundation and the engineering, are often written somewhere else entirely.

This is for estimators and GCs who need a flagpole number that holds up: how to read the section, a checklist, and the RFIs worth sending.

Where the flagpole lives in the spec book

Flagpoles sit in Division 10, Specialties. Plenty of project manuals still use the broad number, 10 75 00 Flagpoles, for everything. Others split it. The Construction Specifier's article on specifying flagpoles counts six level-three flagpole sections after MasterFormat's 2016 update. The ones you'll actually meet are 10 75 16 for ground-set poles, 10 75 23 for wall-mounted, 10 75 26 for roof-mounted and 10 75 29 for plaza-mounted.

If the project has two kinds of pole, check whether both are in one section or two. Also check the drawings: on smaller jobs a site plan note is sometimes the only place the height appears.

How the section is laid out

Almost every flagpole section follows CSI's three-part format. Knowing what normally goes in each part tells you where to look and what's missing.

Part 1, General. Scope, related sections, reference standards, submittals, quality assurance, delivery and warranty. Two things here matter. The related sections paragraph tells you which work is written elsewhere, and the performance requirements or design criteria paragraph is where the wind clause often hides.

Part 2, Products. This is where the pole is defined: manufacturers, material, shaft dimensions, finish, fittings, halyard, foundation sleeve or base, and accessories. Most of the price is in Part 2.

Part 3, Execution. Examination of the site, preparation, installation, grounding, adjusting and cleaning. Part 3 tells you who digs the hole, who pours the concrete, and whether the pole has to be bonded to a grounding system.

The New York State Office of General Services publishes its master spec for ground-set flagpoles, and it's a useful example of how a public owner lays out the three parts. The VA publishes its own 10 75 00 section on the Whole Building Design Guide, and its notes to the spec writer ask for the size, wind speed, flag size and wall thickness of each pole to be stated. Those are the same lines you need for a price.

Reading Part 2 line by line

Here's an example of the kind of paragraph you'll see in Part 2. It's a made-up composite, not from any one project, but every clause in it is common:

> Ground-set, cone-tapered aluminum flagpole, ASTM B221, alloy 6063-T6. Exposed height 35'-0". Butt diameter 7", top diameter 3-1/2", minimum wall thickness 0.188". Internal halyard with stainless steel cable and removable-handle winch, locking access door. Finish: clear anodized, AA-M12C22A41. Corrugated steel foundation tube with steel base plate, centering wedges and ground spike. Gold anodized aluminum ball ornament, revolving truck, flash collar. Design per ANSI/NAAMM FP 1001, flag-flying.

Here's what each phrase means:

Two of those lines deserve a closer look.

Height. Price isn't linear with height. A taller pole needs a bigger butt and a thicker wall, so it uses far more aluminum, and freight gets harder above certain lengths. ADD's list prices, checked in October 2026, show the curve: the lowest-priced 25 ft pole lists at $1,160, the lowest-priced 50 ft pole at $8,770, and the lowest-priced 80 ft pole at $32,940 (pole only, satin, one pole). Double the height and the price can go up seven times or more.

Halyard. Words like concealed, vandal resistant, tamper resistant, internal and winch all mean an internal halyard. On ADD's published list, a 20 ft heavy-duty external halyard pole (ECX20) is $2,350 and the internal halyard version (ECX20IH) is $3,810. That's the same height and series, and the halyard alone accounts for the difference. Then check which system: cam cleat and rope, or winch and cable. The Construction Specifier article makes a fair point here. In its authors' opinion, a winch and cable on a pole under about 40 ft adds cost without much benefit, because a small flag is too light to spool the cable well. If a short pole is specified with a winch, it may be worth an RFI or a voluntary alternate, but price what's written.

The wind clause: where the series gets decided

The wind requirement decides which series of pole you're buying, and it's written in more ways than any other line in the section.

What to look for:

• The standard. Most U.S. specs cite ANSI/NAAMM FP 1001, Guide Specifications for Design of Metal Flagpoles. The Construction Specifier article explains why it's the norm: it accounts for the load of the flag as well as the pole, using flight-test data. If the spec names a lighting-column or sign-structure standard instead, it may not account for the flag at all, and that's worth asking about.
• A speed in mph, and on what basis. A spec might say 90, 110 or 130 mph. The question is what kind of number it is. Building codes and the ASCE 7 maps give an ultimate 3-second gust for the site. Manufacturers' flagpole ratings are usually published on a different basis. Eder, for example, publishes flag-flying ratings as a steady wind with a 1.3 gust factor under ANSI/NAAMM FP 1001-07, and ADD's site notes that this isn't the same basis as a code's 3-second gust, so the two can't be compared directly. Flagdesk's Flagpole Finder guide gives its own conversion: it treats the speed on most plans as the ultimate wind speed and multiplies it by 0.775 to get the allowable stress figure it compares poles against, so 115 mph becomes 89 mph. Either way, read the basis first.
• With or without a flag. A bare-pole rating is always much higher than a flag-flying rating. A flag pulls far harder on the pole than bare metal does. If the spec just says "rated for 110 mph," ask whether that's with the flag flying, and what size flag.
• The flag size. NAAMM's appendix lists normal flag sizes by pole height. The Construction Specifier article notes that a larger-than-normal flag should be called out, because it changes the design. If the owner wants a 6x10 on a 30 ft pole, that pole needs to be rated for it.
• Location. Some specs leave the wind speed blank, or say "as required by code at the project location." That makes the speed your job to find. Look it up for the actual address. Two sites twenty miles apart can land in different wind zones, especially near a coast.

ADD checks the wind at the address before it quotes, and its site shows the flag-flying rating for each pole, not only the bare-pole figure. For an estimator that's the useful number, because it's the one the pole has to meet in service.

Materials and finish: small words, real money

ASTM B221 vs B241. The Construction Specifier authors point out that some specs mix up ASTM B221, which covers extruded aluminum bars, rods and tubes and is the usual reference for structural tubing, with ASTM B241, which covers seamless pipe and tube and is aimed at pressure applications. Federal guide specs aren't uniform on this, so you'll see both. If a section calls for B241 and you plan to supply a standard commercial pole, raise it as a question before bid day rather than after award.

Finish designations. Satin is the mill standard on most commercial aluminum poles. The Construction Specifier article describes the usual mechanical finish as AA-M33, a coarse satin directional texture, and notes that finer satin or buffed designations add cost without much benefit on a flagpole shaft. Anodizing designations look like AA-M12C22A31 or AA-M12C22A41. The last three characters tell you the coating class: A31 is a Class II clear anodic coating, A41 the thicker Class I clear. Color anodizing such as dark bronze or black carries its own code. ADD lists satin as standard, and clear, dark bronze and black anodized as extra-cost finishes.

More than one of anything. Master specs offer options in brackets: aluminum, fiberglass or steel; internal or external; satin or anodized. A section that went out with two or three options left in isn't telling you which to price. The Construction Specifier article lists this as one of the most common errors. Price the one the drawings support, state it as a qualification, and send an RFI.

Sections. A pole above a certain length may ship in two pieces with a factory joint. Some specs require one-piece shafts. If a two-piece pole is allowed, note that ADD's list adds 10% for two-section poles, so it isn't free either way.

Manufacturers, basis of design and "or equal"

The manufacturers paragraph in Part 2 usually takes one of three forms:

1. A basis of design. One product is named, with "or approved equal" or a substitution procedure. You price that product or one that meets every listed property.
2. A list of acceptable manufacturers. Any of them, as long as the product meets Part 2.
3. A proprietary spec. One manufacturer, no substitutes. Common on campuses and military sites that standardize hardware.

If you're offering an equal, read the substitution rules in Division 01, often Section 01 25 00 or the product requirements section. Some owners only take substitution requests before bid. Others accept them after award with a comparison sheet. Either way, the comparison is done on height, butt, top, wall, halyard, finish and wind rating with the specified flag. An "equal" that matches the height but rates lower in wind isn't equal.

What's in other sections, or by others

This is where flagpole numbers go wrong most often. Read the related sections paragraph in Part 1 and the execution paragraphs in Part 3, then find out who carries each of these:

• Excavation and backfill (Division 31). Who digs, who hauls the spoil, and what happens if the auger hits rock or water.
• Concrete (Division 03, often 03 30 00). The footing size and depth may be on a detail sheet, or left to the pole supplier's engineer.
• Geotechnical data. The Construction Specifier article recommends a geotechnical report for ground-set poles, particularly above standard heights. If there's a soils report in the bid documents, the foundation detail should match it.
• Signed and sealed engineering. Many jurisdictions want stamped drawings for the pole and foundation in the project's state. That's a separate document and often a separate fee.
• Grounding and lightning protection (Division 26). A ground rod and bond may be in the flagpole section, the electrical section, or both.
• Flag lighting (Division 26). Uplights, a pole-top fixture, conduit and the circuit are almost never in the flagpole section.
• Flags. Some specs include the first U.S. flag and a state flag. Others leave flags to the owner.

The estimator's checklist

Run every flagpole section through this before you put a number on it:

• [ ] Section number and title, and whether there's a second flagpole section in the book
• [ ] Pole count, and heights from both the spec and the drawings
• [ ] Mounting: ground-set sleeve, shoe base, wall, roof or plaza
• [ ] Material and ASTM reference (B221 or B241)
• [ ] Butt diameter, top diameter and wall thickness, if stated
• [ ] Halyard: external, internal cam cleat, or internal winch and cable
• [ ] Finish and its AA designation
• [ ] Wind: the standard, the speed, its basis, flag-flying or bare pole, and the flag size
• [ ] One-piece or sectional shaft
• [ ] Manufacturers paragraph: basis of design, acceptable list, or proprietary
• [ ] Trim: ornament, truck, flash collar, retainer ring, counterweight, snap hooks
• [ ] Foundation: who designs, digs and pours
• [ ] Engineering: stamped drawings required, and in which state
• [ ] Grounding, lighting and flags: in or out
• [ ] Submittals: product data, shop drawings, foundation detail, warranty, domestic origin paperwork if federal money is involved
• [ ] Freight: length and access for a long pole

If you want more on the submittal package itself, our article on school flagpole specs and submittals has a full submittal checklist, and the foundations article covers sleeves, shoe bases and set depth.

RFIs worth sending before bid day

These are the ones that save trouble most often:

1. "Section names both internal and external halyard. Please confirm which is required."
2. "Wind speed of 110 mph is listed. Please confirm whether this is the ultimate design wind speed for the site or a flag-flying rating, and the flag size it assumes."
3. "Section references ASTM B241. Please confirm whether a pole manufactured to ASTM B221 is acceptable."
4. "Please confirm whether the foundation, excavation and concrete are by the flagpole supplier or by Division 03 and 31."
5. "Please confirm whether signed and sealed calculations are required, and for which state."
6. "Please confirm whether flags and flag lighting are included in this section."

How ADD handles a 10 75 00 section

America's Dealers and Distributors is an authorized Eder Flag dealer, and architects and general contractors working from a 10 75 00 section are among the people who call them. The way they handle it is worth describing, because it's built around the problems above.

Their guide to reading a 10 75 00 spec goes through the nine variables that set the price, and the site has a price check: paste the whole section in, and it reads those variables and returns a budget figure in seconds. You don't have to translate the spec first. For a firm number, one person reads the request and replies with a real figure, usually the same business day.

They size the pole to the wind at the project's address, and they show the flag-flying rating, not just the bare-pole figure. If a spec already names a product, ADD's site says they'll tell you plainly whether it's right for that address, including when it's more pole than you need.

For the paperwork, architects and GCs get submittals and certified drawings, and ADD provides the drawings a permit application needs. Every pole they sell is made in the USA, and a certificate of domestic origin is available on request, which matters on federally funded jobs. Their page for military and government sites covers internal halyards, higher wind ratings and signed and sealed engineering. They're on Procore and BuildingConnected, so they can be invited to bid the way most GCs already work. Prices for 64 Eder aluminum models from 15 to 80 ft are on the site, no login.

If the job needs installation, ADD's own crews install in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Texas, with experienced, licensed and insured installers who send certificates before they mobilize. Elsewhere in the 48 contiguous states they supply the pole with freight, and work with a network of local installers. Every pole carries a warranty, and ADD handles the claim with Eder.