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Engineering Drawing

An engineering drawing is a technical drawing that defines the shape, size and requirements of an object precisely enough for it to be built or manufactured. It follows standard conventions for views, lines, dimensions and tolerances.

Engineering drawings use orthographic views, such as plan, front and side, plus sections and details. Standards such as ASME Y14.5 in the United States and the ISO 128 series internationally govern how they are drawn.

In building projects, structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing drawings are engineering drawings that accompany the architectural set.

When a dimension is written on the drawing, it takes priority over a measurement scaled from the paper. Printed drawings can shrink or stretch slightly.