How to Read Engineering Drawings: 5 Steps

Table of contents:

How to Read Engineering Drawings: 5 Steps
How to Read Engineering Drawings: 5 Steps
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Engineering drawings are typically used as a graphic tool for creating houses, bridges, and other buildings. While these drawings are easy to read for those with engineering or architectural skills, they can be difficult for ordinary people to interpret. Knowing how to read engineering drawings can help you have a better understanding of building projects.

Steps

Read Engineering Drawings Step 1
Read Engineering Drawings Step 1

Step 1. Familiarize yourself with the scale of the drawings

Understanding how big or small the objects are is essential for reading engineering drawings. Most of the drawings are created in 1:50 or 1: 100 “scale” (respectively 1cm or 2cm on the drawing correspond to one meter in reality), while, for large projects, other scales can be used. Before reading a drawing always remember to determine its scale. If the scale used is not clearly indicated in the drawing, then consult the engineer who created it for further details

Read Engineering Drawings Step 2
Read Engineering Drawings Step 2

Step 2. Understand the basic symbols used in engineering drawings

Since these drawings are on a smaller scale, the use of symbols is often necessary. Although there are many symbols, understanding the main ones can be very helpful in the interpretation of these drawings. Some of the more common symbols include, rectangles, circles and triangles. As for the determination of the scale, consulting the engineer who created the drawing can help in interpreting the symbols used

Read Engineering Drawings Step 3
Read Engineering Drawings Step 3

Step 3. Look for the circled numbers

As mentioned earlier, engineering drawings are typically made on such a small scale that the representation of some details is virtually impossible. For this reason, engineers often add circled numbers to parts of drawings; these circled numbers indicate that the related area is shown on another page of the drawing in greater detail

Read Engineering Drawings Step 4
Read Engineering Drawings Step 4

Step 4. Identify specific abbreviations

Abbreviations are a very useful tool for engineers. Shapes, processes and even dimensions can be indicated using a few letters. Some of the more common abbreviations used in engineering drawings include L, which stands for length, and D which stands for diameter

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