Engineering Drawing

Professional Skills

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University of Portsmouth Page 1 of 4

Department of Civil Engineering

Engineering Drawing – Presentation

To present drawings in a clear and professional manner

To produce and interpret drawings about the built environment using industry standards

These lecture notes are concerned with presentation, the content of drawings will be covered in other

parts of the Unit.

For reference, see (amongst other things):

BS ISO 128:1982 Technical drawings. General principles of presentation.

BS ISO 128-20:2001 Technical drawings. General principles of presentation. Basic conventions

for lines.

BS ISO 128-21:2001 Technical drawings. General principles of presentation. Preparation of lines

by CAD systems.


and applications for leader lines and reference lines.

BS ISO 128-23:1999 Technical drawings. General principles of presentation. Lines on

construction drawings.


for views.


for cuts and sections.


for representing areas on cuts and sections.

BS ISO 129:1985 Technical drawings. Dimensioning. General principles, definitions, methods of

execution and special indications.

BS ISO 5455:1995 Technical drawings. Scales.

Paper

A-series paper is used

Designation Size (mm)

A0 841 x 1189

A1 594 x 841

A2 420 x 594

A3 297 x 420

A4 210 x 297

An A0 sheet has an area of 1m2

The sides are in the proportion 2:1

The sides of 35mm film have the same proportions

Border (or margin)

The drawing should have a border of about 10 mm

Space should be left for binding and hole-punching, if the drawing is to be placed in a file

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Title Block and Notes

Refer to the example on page 4.

Organisation

e.g. University of Portsmouth, Department of Civil Engineering

May include logo

Title (Job and Drawing)

Job Title (e.g. Portland Building)

Drawing Title (e.g. Ground Floor Plan)

Drawing Number

A reference which identifies the drawing within the job and organisation

Revision Number

Only used if changes are made to the drawing after it has been initially published

Should increment with each revision (e.g. 1,2,3,… or A,B,C,… )

Details of each revision should be kept in Revision Table, in Notes area (see later)

Issue Number

Should be unique to each paper copy of the drawing that is made (may be written in by hand after

printing)

An Issue Book should show details of who the particular drawing was issued to, and when it was

issued

Scale

Express as ratio drawing unit : real world unit

Enlargement scales 50:1 20:1 10:1

5:1 2:1

Full size 1:1

Reduction scales

1:2 1:5

1:10 1:20 1:50

1:100 1:200 1:500

1:1000 1:2000 1:5000

Scales other than those above should only be used in exceptional circumstances (ensure that

sensible numbers are used, e.g. 1:2500, not 1:2384)

Check that the scale on the printed drawing is correct – this is very important (measure it)

Different parts of the drawing may be to different scales – state the main scale in the Title Block,

and other scales next to the relevant drawing part

For ground cross sections, it is common to use a vertical scale which is different (enlarged) from

the horizontal scale

Date

The date of the original drawing (later revisions will have their own date noted with the details of

the revision)

Drawn By

The name or initials of the (principal) person who created the drawing

For student assignments, this should normally be your Student ID Number

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Approval Signature

The original drawing should be checked and approved by a competent person (e.g. your Lecturer)

Later revisions have their own approval signatures (see Notes and Revisions Table)

Notes

A separate area, not part of the Title Block (see Location, later)

Include relevant notes, e.g.:

1. All dimensions in mm

2. All levels in metres

3. Do not scale off drawing – if in doubt, ask

May also include a key to symbols used in the drawing

May include a Location Figure (a small drawing which shows the location of the main drawing

relative to a larger area)

Should also include a Revisions Table

Revisions Table

In Notes area

The table may be upside down (with column headings in the bottom row)

Revision Ref Details Date Signature

Location

Title Block should be in the bottom right-hand corner – for easy searching of required drawing in a

collection of drawings

Notes should be vertically above, or horizontally to the left of the Title Block (Notes are not

always necessary)

Notes

Title Block

Drawing area Drawing area

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Example Layout

Notes

1. All dimensions in mm

2. All levels in metres

3. Do not scale off drawing – if

in doubt, ask

Rev ref Details Date Sig

University of Portsmouth Department of Civil Engineering Job Title:

Drg. Title:

Drg. No.:

Rev.:

Issue:

Scale:

Date:

Drawn by:

Approved:

Folding a Drawing

See extract from British Standard on the Professional Skills unit web (BS 1192:Part 1:1984)

http://www.civil.port.ac.uk/communications/

The BS shows how to fold a drawing to ensure that the Title Block is always visible

The folding method allows drawings to be placed in a ring binder file and opened for viewing

without removing the drawing from the file

All paper sizes from A3 to A0 are included

Drawing area advice

On a site drawing, show levels instead of vertical

dimensions, e.g.

3.764 3.764 3.764

Ensure there are enough levels and dimensions

for buildability

Do not over-dimension

Acceptable units are millimetres, metres and

kilometres

Documents

Engineering Drawing