Product & Sales template
Technical Data Sheet (TDS) Template: Build & Export Free
Lay out technical properties, performance data, materials and operating conditions in a clean, structured TDS, then export a print-ready PDF, free to start.
Free to try · No credit card · Exports a clean PDF
A live Technical Data Sheet rendered from this template, and yours opens the same way, in your brand, and exports to a clean PDF.
Overview
What is a technical data sheet?
A technical data sheet (TDS) is the document engineers and specifiers use to evaluate a product on its technical merits. It sets out the product's properties, performance figures, materials, dimensions and the conditions those numbers are valid under: the engineering facts needed to decide whether a product will work in a given design or application.
A TDS is denser and more technical than a customer-facing data sheet. It leads with a short description, then organizes properties, performance data and test methods into clear tables, every value carrying its unit and, where it matters, the standard or condition it was measured under. In coatings, adhesives, chemicals and materials it often also covers application, handling and storage.
One thing a technical data sheet is not: a safety data sheet. A TDS describes technical performance; an SDS communicates regulated hazard and safety information. They travel together for many products but do different jobs. More on that below.
The fields
What to include in a technical data sheet
A TDS earns an engineer's trust by being precise and complete. These are the sections specifiers expect, and all of them are in the template.
Product identity and revision
Name, grade or part number, family and the TDS revision, so there's no doubt which product and version the data describes.
Description and composition
A short technical description of what the product is and, where relevant, its composition, chemistry or construction.
Technical and physical properties
The defining properties (physical, mechanical, chemical, electrical) laid out in a table with units and, where needed, test methods.
Performance data
How the product performs: strength, efficiency, output, durability or the figures that matter for its use, stated with the conditions they hold under.
Materials and construction
Materials, finishes and build details that affect compatibility, durability and suitability for an application.
Dimensions
Sizes, weights and dimensional data, with tolerances where they matter to fit and integration.
Operating and environmental conditions
Temperature, humidity, load, voltage and other conditions and limits the ratings are valid within.
Test methods and standards
The standards and test methods the values were measured against (ASTM, ISO, IEC and the rest), so the data is verifiable.
Application, handling and storage
Where relevant (coatings, adhesives, chemicals, materials): how to apply or use the product, plus handling and storage or shelf-life guidance.
Revision, date and document control
A revision number, date and owner in the footer, so readers can confirm they have the current technical data.
Step by step
How to make a technical data sheet
Four passes take you from a blank template to a precise, print-ready TDS.
Identify the product and revision
Add the product name, grade or part number and the TDS revision, plus your brand. Technical data is version-sensitive, so make the revision unmistakable.
State the properties
Write a short description, then lay out the technical and physical properties and performance data in tables, each value with its unit. Precision is what makes a TDS useful.
Define the conditions
Add the operating and environmental conditions and limits, and the test methods and standards the values were measured against. Include application and handling guidance where it applies.
Add control and export
Add dimensions, materials, a revision, date and owner. Then export a print-ready PDF and publish or send it, alongside the product's SDS where one is required.
Which one
Technical data sheet vs. safety data sheet (SDS)
These two are constantly confused, and it matters: one describes performance, the other is a regulated safety document. Many products need both.
Technical Data Sheet
Describes a product's technical properties, performance, materials and operating conditions: the engineering data used to evaluate and specify it. Its format is up to you.
Use when an engineer needs the technical facts to decide if a product fits.
Safety Data Sheet
Communicates regulated hazard, handling, exposure, first-aid and transport information in a prescribed 16-section format. Legally required for many chemical products.
Use when you must communicate a product's safety and hazard information.
See the Safety Data Sheet template →Get it right
Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating a technical data sheet as a substitute for a safety data sheet (SDS) where an SDS is required.
- Quoting properties without units, or performance figures with no test method behind them.
- Leaving out the operating conditions and limits the ratings are valid within.
- Mixing marketing language into what should be precise technical data.
- Omitting the standards or test methods, so the values can't be verified.
- No revision or date, so no one can tell whether the data is current.
Questions
Frequently asked
What is a technical data sheet?
A technical data sheet (TDS) is a document that sets out a product's technical properties, performance data, materials, dimensions and the conditions those values hold under: the engineering information used to evaluate and specify the product. It's denser and more technical than a customer-facing product data sheet.
What's the difference between a TDS and an SDS?
A technical data sheet describes a product's technical performance and properties, and its format is up to the manufacturer. A safety data sheet (SDS) communicates regulated hazard, handling and safety information in a prescribed 16-section format and is legally required for many chemical products. A TDS does not replace an SDS.
What's the difference between a technical data sheet and a product data sheet?
They overlap, but a product data sheet is customer-facing: it leads with benefits, applications and headline specs to support a buying decision. A technical data sheet is aimed at engineers and specifiers, with denser technical properties, performance data and test methods. Some products combine them; many keep them separate.
What should a technical data sheet include?
The product identity and revision, a description, technical and physical properties, performance data, materials and dimensions, operating conditions and limits, the test methods and standards behind the values, application and handling guidance where relevant, and a revision, date and owner. This template includes all of them.
Who prepares a technical data sheet?
Usually engineering, R&D or product management, drawing on test and QA data. Whoever owns it, the sheet should carry a revision and owner so the data is traceable and readers know it's authoritative and current.
Related templates
Read the guideTechnical data sheet template: what a TDS should include
A technical data sheet needs more than a dense table. It needs a repeatable information architecture that lets engineers verify fit, limits, standards and ordering details quickly.
Read the guide →Documents that go with a Technical Data Sheet
Product Data Sheet
Summarizes product identity, benefits, applications, key specifications, approvals, imagery and ordering information in a customer-facing product document.
Open template →Product Specification Sheet
Organizes defined product characteristics, ratings, dimensions, materials, options and other specifications in a structured reference document.
Open template →Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
Communicates standardized hazard, handling, exposure, first-aid, transport and other safety information for applicable chemical products.
Open template →Build your Technical Data Sheet now
Fill in the fields, apply your brand, and export a clean PDF. Free to start.
Note: This template gives you a structured, professional starting point for a technical data sheet. It is not a safety data sheet (SDS) and does not satisfy any legal requirement to provide one. You remain responsible for the accuracy of the technical data, test methods and conditions you publish, and for confirming they are current before you release the sheet.