Division 8 Scope Guide for Toronto Commercial Projects

Winter is tender season in the GTA. Projects that break ground in spring 2027 are being priced now, and the Division 8 section is one of the easiest places for a general contractor to leave money on the table. Not because door scope is expensive, but because it is detailed. Small gaps in a Division 8 package show up late, on a ladder, after frames are welded and walls are closed.

This guide covers what a complete Division 8 door scope includes on a Toronto commercial project, where the common gaps are, and how to tender it so the door trade does not become the last line on your deficiency list.

What Division 8 Actually Covers

Division 8 is the openings section of the MasterFormat spec. On a typical commercial project, the door-related sections are:

• 08 11 00 Metal Doors and Frames: hollow metal doors and frames, welded and knockdown
• 08 14 00 Wood Doors: where the design calls for them, usually office interiors
• 08 41 13 Aluminum-Framed Entrances and Storefronts: main entrances, vestibules, retail fronts
• 08 71 00 Door Hardware: hinges, locks, exit devices, closers, stops, seals and electrified hardware

On some projects, automatic entrances and access control door hardware sit in Division 8; on others they are split into Division 28 or the electrical scope. The first job in any tender is to find out exactly where the line is drawn.

The Five Gaps That Cost GCs Later

1. Frame depth vs wall type

Frames are ordered to a wall thickness. If the wall type changes in a revision, or the drywall contractor adds a layer, the frame no longer fits. Knockdown frames for steel stud partitions and welded frames for masonry also need different anchors. Check every frame against the current wall types before ordering.

2. Undercuts vs floor finishes

A door ordered with a standard undercut over a floor that later gets thick tile or a raised access floor will drag. Rated doors have strict undercut limits under NFPA 80, so this is not something to fix with a plane on site.

3. Closer arms vs stops and ratings

A closer scheduled on the wrong side of a door, or with an arm that clashes with an overhead stop, cannot be installed as specified. On rated doors, the closer must be a rated closer mounted within the label requirements.

4. Exit devices vs door construction

An exit device needs reinforcement in the door and the right stile width. Ordering a rim device for a narrow stile aluminum door, or a vertical rod device for a door without top reinforcement, creates a field fix.

5. Weatherstrip and seals on exterior doors

Weatherstrip, sweeps and thresholds are easy to leave off a hardware schedule. On a Toronto project, an exterior door without them is a winter complaint waiting to happen.

Tender tip

Ask every Division 8 bidder to confirm in writing that they have checked frame depths, undercuts, closer locations and exit device reinforcement against the current drawings. The bidder who can answer that question in detail is the one who will not hand you a deficiency list.

How to Structure the Door Scope

The cleanest Division 8 packages we see on Toronto projects put frames, doors and hardware with one trade, usually a dedicated commercial door contractor in Toronto rather than three separate subs. That trade owns the opening from frame anchor to keyed lockset. It reviews the hardware schedule against the drawings, submits one package for consultant review, sets frames to the GC sequence, and hangs doors at finish stage.

On a three-storey Liberty Village office build this year, that structure produced a 22-leaf package with two rated stair doors that closed with zero door deficiencies at occupancy. The GC's comment was that the CAD submittal matched the architect spec and the frames never held up the drywall trade.

Typical Division 8 Door Pricing in Toronto

Opening type	Typical range per opening
Interior hollow metal door, knockdown frame, lever set	$1,800-$3,200
Rated stair door, labelled frame, exit device, closer	$2,800-$5,000
Exterior galvanized door, welded frame, weatherstrip	$2,800-$4,500
Aluminum entrance with continuous hinge and exit device	$4,200-$6,500

These are installed ranges from our current pricing. A technician confirms specs and price at your free on-site measure, and larger packages typically price lower per opening because measuring and ordering are shared.

Code Items to Confirm in the Tender

• OBC Part 3 fire separations: every rated opening identified with its rating
• NFPA 80 and CAN/ULC-S104: labelled doors, frames and hardware on rated openings (our NFPA 80 fire door inspection checklist covers what inspectors look for after handover)
• AODA Design of Public Spaces and OBC 3.8: barrier-free entrances, opening force and actuator placement
• CAN/CGSB-12.1: safety glazing in doors and sidelites
• Ontario Fire Code: exit hardware sized to occupancy

A Simple Tender Checklist

1. Confirm the Division 8 line: are operators and access control in or out?
2. Request a written CAD spec with each opening listed, not a lump sum
3. Ask for the hardware schedule review notes against current drawings
4. Confirm frame delivery timing against your drywall and masonry schedule
5. Require a closeout binder: label records, keying chart and warranty per leaf

Tendering this way takes a little longer up front. It saves far more at occupancy.

Pricing a spring 2027 project? Our commercial door installation service covers full Division 8 packages, including hollow metal doors, fire-rated assemblies and door hardware.