Bouwterm

Bouwterm is a Dutch noun referring to a term used in the construction industry. It is a compound of bouw (building/construction) and term (term). In practice, a bouwterm denotes the specialized vocabulary used by professionals such as architects, engineers, contractors, and inspectors.

The scope of bouwterms is broad, covering names for materials (beton, staal, hout), structural elements (fundering, kolom, balk, draagvlak), building components (metselwerk, gevel), and concepts related to dimensions, tolerances, methods, and safety.

In dictionaries and glossaries, the term bouwterm is used to label individual entries. It is not a formal technical standard itself but a label for the category of terms. When translating, bouwterm is typically rendered as construction term or building term, depending on context.

Clear construction communication relies on consistent bouwterm usage, reducing ambiguity in drawings, specifications and contracts, and aiding training and international collaboration.

Common bouwtermen include fundering (foundation), wapening (reinforcement), beton (concrete), metselwerk (masonry), draagvloer (load-bearing floor), kolom (column), and balk (beam).

See also construction terminology and glossaries.