Every grade checker keeps numbers somewhere — a field book, a dash notepad, the back of a lath bundle wrapper. This cut sheet makes those numbers defensible: benchmark control at the top, then every shot with design elevation, actual elevation, cut or fill, tolerance, and pass/fail.
Or skip the spreadsheet
Gradelog logs grade shots from your phone with automatic cut/fill, tolerance pass/fail, and a live map — the cut sheet writes itself while you work.
A cut sheet is the grade checker’s record of how existing or working grade compares to design grade at specific locations — listing each point’s station, design elevation, measured elevation, and the cut or fill needed to reach plan. Crews work directly off it, and a completed cut sheet doubles as proof the surface was verified.
Typical spec tolerances are ±0.10 ft for general subgrade, ±0.04 ft (about half an inch) for fine-graded building pads and curb subgrade, and ±0.02 ft or tighter for laser-screeded slabs and airfield work. FAA and DOT jobs carry their own published tolerances. Your project spec always governs.
Set the laser over or referenced to a known benchmark, read the rod on the benchmark to establish height of instrument, then read the rod at each check point — HI minus rod reading gives the point elevation. Compare against design to get cut or fill. Verify calibration regularly with a two-peg test; a laser out of cal writes an entire sheet of bad numbers.
Because six months later somebody claims the pad was low, the pipe had no fall, or the pond doesn’t drain. A dated log with benchmark, instrument, and pass/fail shots is how you prove the surface met tolerance when you left it. It also catches drift early — three fails in one area is a machine-control or calibration problem, not bad luck.