Fasteners and Misc Materials

Robert - There is no requirement to include incidental items. The way I work with contractors to approach this credit is to look at the large cost items and/or those with large recycled content and work towards the 10 or 20% overall recycled content requirement, whichever is the goal of the project. You only to include enough products that meet the overall goal - not everyone on the job. After that, if you are short of your percentage goal, then you start looking at smaller cost items - but getting down to fasteners would really be scrapping the bottom of the barrel.

Robert - The cost of the miscellaneous accessories should be included in the material cost. The sub ought to be providing that to the general contractor. Unless you work for a sub, you shouldn't be too worried about the cost of nails, screws, trim, etc. These items should be in the denominator already. As for recycled content, if you get the data with recycled content then you can include the value of the fastener in the numerator.

We used to specify that the subs did not have to provide LEED submittal sheets for fasteners. That only confused the subs into thinking that they had to provide the submittal. We have eliminated that from our specs but occassionally we get a submittal highlighting the standard 25% default recycling rate.

Susan - Thanks for chiming in; however, if you are still able to edit your comment, consider this change: The cost of the miscellaneous accessories should be included in "the total material cost" (vs. "the material cost").

In the example we are batting around, the plywood cost should be the cost of the plywood to go into the numerator of the fraction (equation) for the calc for recycled content. The cost of everything for the required CSI MasterFormat 2004 sections and divisions prescribed by LEED is where the cost of fasteners would be (if using the default value of 45% of the total cost of these divisions/sections) - in the denominator of the equation.

Robert - You are correct that these insignificant costs are part of the overall cost and hence should be in denominator of the equation if using the default. (I may have been confused as to what you were asking with my explanation.) If you are using the actual costs of all materials, then the price of these fasteners would also in the denominator of the equation as a material cost. I’ve never seen a contractor on an NC job use the actual costs though- because getting the cost of the materials that comply with the LEED MR credits is enough of a challenge - let alone getting the price of each material used on the job, which would be summed to create the denominator of the equation.

I hope we have answered your concern and not over-thought our responses to you. If not, please let us know what questions remain.

Michelle is right as always. I did mean 'total material cost'. ;)

Hi Michelle,

This is a separate question.

Are fastener manufacturers supposed to have LEED certification of any kind?