Ontario tenders call out castings by an OPSD drawing number and an OPSS specification. This page covers what those documents are, which 400-series drawings apply to frames, grates, and covers, and how to write a line item a supplier can price. DomCast Metals is a Canadian-owned supplier of municipal castings in Windsor, Ontario. Compliance to any drawing or specification is confirmed per SKU at quote.
What OPSD and OPSS are
Ontario Provincial Standards (OPS) are the library of specifications and drawings that MTO and the Municipal Engineers Association fund and publish for roads and public works. There are two kinds.
- OPSS, Ontario Provincial Standard Specifications, are the written documents: materials, construction methods, submissions, measurement and payment. OPSS.PROV is written for MTO contracts, OPSS.MUNI for municipal contracts, each with its own General Conditions of Contract (OPSS.PROV 100, OPSS.MUNI 100).
- OPSD, Ontario Provincial Standard Drawings, are the dimensioned drawings. The OPS User Guide says OPSDs "in most circumstances, do not stand-alone in providing direction to the Contractor." The drawing gives the shape; the specification gives the material and installation.
The library has eight volumes. Volume 3 holds the drawings for roads, barriers, drainage, sanitary sewers, watermains, and structures; its Series 400 is titled "Frames and Grates" and Series 700, "Catch Basins and Maintenance Holes," covers the structures the castings sit on. The User Guide says standards are updated twice yearly on the last business day of April and November; the MTO Technical Publications portal now also lists July releases. All of it is free to download.
How a tender cites them
Use of OPS standards is not mandatory; each owner decides which to adopt, and a tender makes them binding by naming them in the contract documents. Two rules from the User Guide matter for castings:
- "OPSSs do not reference OPSDs and vice versa." The designer picks each one and puts both in the package. (OPSS.MUNI 407 does list "Related Ontario Provincial Standard Drawings," including OPSD 400.010 to 400.120, 401.010 to 401.060, 402.010 to 402.021, and 403.010, but only in its non-mandatory Commentary Appendix 407-A, as a prompt for the designer.) A line item that names only the OPSS gives the supplier no drawing to price against.
- Every OPSD title block carries the drawing number and title, publication date, and revision number. Drawings get revised (Richmond Hill's adopted list shows November 2018 on 401.010 and 401.030 and November 2019 on 402.010, 402.020, and 402.030), so cite the date you designed to.
The OPSS side: 407, 408, and 1850
- OPSS.PROV 407, Construction Specification for Installation of New Maintenance Holes, Catch Basins, Ditch Inlets and Valve Chambers (November 2022). Its scope covers "the installation of maintenance holes (manholes), catch basins, ditch inlets, and valve chambers." Clause 407.05.04 says "Frames with covers or grates shall be according to OPSS 1850," and 407.07.14 sets the bedding method for precast concrete, HDPE or EPS, and rubber adjustment units.
- OPSS.MUNI 407, Construction Specification for New Maintenance Hole, Catch Basin, Ditch Inlet, and Valve Chamber Installation (November 2020). Same structure, different clause numbers: 407.05.07 says frames with covers or grates "shall be according to OPSS 1850 and as specified in the Contract Documents," and 407.07.16 is the installation clause.
- OPSS.PROV 408, Construction Specification for Adjusting or Rebuilding Maintenance Holes, Catch Basins, Ditch Inlets, and Valve Chambers (November 2022). Clause 408.05.05 carries the same OPSS 1850 requirement.
- OPSS 1850, Frames, Grates, Covers, and Gratings. The material specification that 407 and 408 point to. It covers frames with grates or covers for catch basins, maintenance holes, and valve chambers, ditch inlet gratings, and locking devices, and it's published in provincial (OPSS.PROV 1850) and municipal (OPSS.MUNI 1850) editions. Read the current edition for its material and testing clauses; we don't reproduce them here.
So: OPSD for the shape, OPSS 1850 for the material, OPSS 407 or 408 for installation. Where a municipality also wants a proof-load test, that's usually AASHTO M306, cited alongside these.
OPSD 400-series cross-reference
Every number and title below was checked against published municipal drawing lists (Toronto's Revision Information No. 6, Brampton, Richmond Hill, Uxbridge). Where a DomCast SKU carries the same number it's linked. A matching number is a catalogue reference, not a certified match. Confirm per SKU at quote.
| OPSD | What it specifies | DomCast category / SKU |
|---|---|---|
| 400.010 | Cast iron, square frame with square overflow type dished grate for catch basins, herring bone openings | Catch basins · 400.010 |
| 400.020 | Cast iron, square frame with square flat grate for catch basins, herring bone openings | Catch basins · 400.020 |
| 400.030 | Cast iron, square frame with square V grate for catch basins, herring bone openings | Catch basins · 400.030 |
| 400.070 | Cast iron, raised square frame with circular flat grate for catch basins, herring bone openings | Catch basins · 400.070 |
| 400.081 | Cast iron, curb inlet frame with two-piece raised cover for catch basins out of roadway | Catch basins · 400.081 |
| 400.090 | Cast iron, curb inlet overflow for catch basins | Catch basins · 400.090 |
| 400.110 | Cast iron, square frame with square overflow type flat grate for catch basins, perforated openings | Catch basins · 400.110 |
| 400.120 | Cast iron, square frame with birdcage grate for catch basins | Catch basins · 400.120 |
| 401.010 | Cast iron, square frame with circular closed or open cover for maintenance holes | Manhole frames & covers · 401.010 |
| 401.030 | Cast iron, square frame with circular watertight cover for maintenance holes | Manhole frames & covers · 401.030 |
| 401.060 | Cast iron, circular locking cover for maintenance holes | Manhole frames & covers |
| 402.010 | Cast iron, square frame with circular cover and plug for valve chambers (402.011 is the vented version) | Valve chamber frames · 402.010 |
| 402.020 | Cast iron, raised square frame with circular cover and plug for valve chambers (402.021 vented) | Valve chamber frames · 402.020 |
| 402.030 | Cast iron, rectangular frame with two piece cover for meter and valve chambers | Valve chamber frames · 402.030 |
OPSD 401.020 (maintenance hole, cast iron, cover and circular frame, 745 mm): Toronto's Revision Information No. 6 (November 2009) marks it cancelled; Uxbridge's index still cites it. DomCast's 401.020 SKU is a 30" (745 mm) circular frame; check the current OPS index before citing the drawing. OPSD 403.010 is galvanized steel honeycomb grating for ditch inlets, not a casting; pipe-end grates are under grates & drain covers. The 402 series is not the slide and screw-type valve boxes used on buried valves.
Why DomCast SKU numbers look like OPSD numbers
DomCast's catch basin and manhole catalogue numbers (400.010, 400.020, 401.010, 402.010 and so on) follow the OPSD numbering because that's how Ontario buyers ask for the parts. Suffixes mark variants: 401.010SAN and 401.010STM have "SANITARY" or "STORM" cast into the cover, 401.010LP is low profile, 400.01TB is the Thunder Bay cut-corner version. The number is a catalogue reference, not a certification. Whether a SKU meets the current drawing revision and OPSS 1850 is confirmed per SKU at quote.
How to write the casting line item
- Drawing number and date. "Frame and grate per OPSD 400.020, Nov 2007" (or the revision you designed to). Add the cover type where the drawing offers one; 401.010 has closed and open covers.
- Material specification. "Frames, grates, and covers to OPSS 1850" (OPSS.MUNI 1850 on a municipal contract). Add AASHTO M306 and the H-20 or H-25 rating if a proof-load test is required.
- Installation specification. OPSS 407 for new structures, OPSS 408 for adjustments and rebuilds. Name the adjustment unit type, since the installation clause (407.07.14 PROV, 407.07.16 MUNI) gives a different bedding method for each.
- Markings. Sewer type, municipality name, or logo. These change the part and the price.
- Submittals. Shop drawings and material certificates before delivery.
"Supply cast iron square frame with square flat grate, herring bone openings, per OPSD 400.020 (Nov 2007). Frame and grate shall conform to OPSS.MUNI 1850. Install per OPSS.MUNI 407 on precast concrete adjustment units. Submit shop drawings and material certification prior to delivery."
Send us the line item as written and we'll match it to a SKU and confirm what documentation exists. Pipe-end grate sizing is on the pipe OD chart.
Frequently asked questions
What is an OPSD?
An Ontario Provincial Standard Drawing: a dimensioned standard drawing published under the Ontario Provincial Standards program funded by MTO and the Municipal Engineers Association. Volume 3, Series 400 ("Frames and Grates") holds the cast iron frame, grate, and cover drawings.
What's the difference between OPSD and OPSS?
OPSD is a drawing, OPSS is a written specification. The drawing gives shape and dimensions; the specification sets materials (OPSS 1850), installation (OPSS 407, 408), and payment. Neither references the other in its mandatory text, so a tender cites both.
What's the difference between OPSS.PROV and OPSS.MUNI?
OPSS.PROV is written for MTO contracts, OPSS.MUNI for municipal contracts. Both editions of 407 require frames to OPSS 1850; the MUNI edition (clause 407.05.07) adds "and as specified in the Contract Documents," where municipalities attach local casting requirements.
Maintenance hole or manhole?
The OPS style rule requires gender-neutral wording, and the User Guide names "manhole" as a term "to be replaced with 'maintenance hole'." OPSS.PROV 407's scope still reads "maintenance holes (manholes)." Use "maintenance hole" in Ontario tenders; this site uses both because buyers search for both.
Where do I download OPSD drawings?
From the MTO Technical Publications portal (library.mto.gov.on.ca), where complete manuals, index sheets, and revision packages for each volume are free. Many municipalities also publish the list of OPSDs they've adopted.
Are DomCast castings certified to OPSD 400.020 or OPSS 1850?
Compliance is confirmed per SKU at quote. Send the drawing number, revision date, and specification you're citing and we'll tell you what documentation exists for that part.
Sources: https://tcp.mto.gov.on.ca/sites/default/files/2022-09/OPSS%20PROV%20407.pdf · https://tcp.mto.gov.on.ca/sites/default/files/2022-09/OPSS%20PROV%20408.pdf · https://www.library.mto.gov.on.ca/SydneyPLUS/TechPubs/Download.aspx?template=TechPub01&field=Attachment&record=c41a1516-e87d-4629-a1c7-bd982343cfad&lang=en-US · https://tcp.mto.gov.on.ca/sites/default/files/2023-01/OPS%20User%20Guide%20-%20Final%20Draft%20(01-24-2023).pdf · https://www.library.mto.gov.on.ca/SydneyPLUS/TechPubs/Portal/tp/opsViews.aspx · https://www.brampton.ca/EN/residents/Roads-and-Traffic/Engineering-and-Construction/Documents/OPSD-Commonly-Used.pdf · https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/977b-ecs-specs-piperevs-Revision_Sheet_6_sw.pdf · https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/learn-more/resources/Design-Standards/Division-A-Sanitary-Sewers.pdf · https://www.uxbridge.ca/public/download/files/311296 · https://www.roadauthority.com/Standards/?id=227604fe-2f69-48c1-b4e1-aaa17cee77b5 · https://www.roadauthority.com/Standards/?id=56062a62-bfda-4aba-9b5c-0cf48cd2dc4b · https://www.roadauthority.com/Standards/?id=5579edea-8928-4a68-bf26-d05f7069005a · https://municipalcastings.org/resources-articles/aashto-standards/ · https://precast.org/blog/manhole-frame-and-cover-load-bearing-definitions/