The Material Quality Assurance Manual is published online by the Office of Materials Technology (OMT) as a centralized location for tasks, procedures and frequencies for the evaluation of material quality. Use this manual along with the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) Standard and Supplemental Specifications for Construction and Materials , the Book of Standards for Highway and Incidental Structures and other specification sources. The Material Quality Assurance Manual does not supersede any official specification but is intended to summarize the Quality Assurance (QA) process by material.

Material Quality Assurance Manual

Buy America Requirements for Manufactured Products

The FHWA published a Federal Register notice on January 14, 2025, that terminates its General Applicability Waiver for manufactured product. The final rule amends FHWA’s Buy America regulation to terminate FHWA’s general applicability waiver for manufactured products and establishes Buy America requirements for manufactured products with respect to Federal-aid highway projects. The effective date of the final rule was March 20, 2025. The effective dates for phasing in the new requirements for manufactured products are provided below:

October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026: The final assembly requirement will become effective. This means that for Federal-aid projects advertised on October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026, the manufactured product final assembly must occur in the United States.

October 1, 2026: The 55 percent requirement will become effective. This means that for Federal-aid projects advertised on or after October 1, 2026, the manufactured product final assembly must occur in the United States and satisfy the 55 percent of the components cost requirement.

Points of Contact

​​Manual

• Introduction (ZIP, 200 KB) 
• Table of Contents (ZIP, 100 KB) 

• Material Quality Assurance by Technical Team

1. Asphalt Technology Division (ZIP, 200 KB)
2. Concrete Technology Division (ZIP, ​300 KB)
3. Landscape Programs Division (ZIP, 100 KB)
4. Materials Management Division (ZIP, 100 KB)
5. Soils and Aggregates Technology Division (ZIP, 100 KB)
6. Structural Materials and Pavement Markings Division (ZIP, 400 KB)
7. Traffic Operations Division (ZIP, 100 KB)



• Appendices​

1. Appendix A - Complete Material Listing (ZIP, 100 KB)
2. Appendix B - Specification to Material Index (ZIP, 100 KB)
3. Appendix C - Frequency Guide, All Phases (ZIP, 200 KB)
4. Appendix D - Frequency Guide, Construction Phases (ZIP, 100 KB)
5. ​ Appendix E - Frequency Guide, Small Quantity Provisions (ZIP, 100 KB)