Specials are, in essence, temporary items, used in Estimates where custom items are needed. Thus, Specials are primarily used to store specialty items, such as equipment or fixtures.
Up to 500 Special items can be defined for use in Takeoff. Special items are those that are not in the Item file, since they are typically only used occasionally and are not worth adding to the Item file. In Data Files, you can set-up a standard Specials file that can be used for all Estimates. Access Specials in Estimate File Maintenance to change the Special items for an individual Estimate.
Other topics discussing Specials include: