Understanding Steel Fabrication Drawings
09 February 2022
Although there are areas of the construction industry that only steel fabricators and suppliers have to be experts in, there are some parts of it that everybody should know. One such area is the ability to read structural steel drawings. If you’re working on a project that will be using this popular building material, continue reading this blog post from Buy A Beam to begin learning this skill.
What are Structural Steel Fabrication Drawings?
To read structural steel fabrication drawings, you first need to understand their significance. These engineers drawings show the sizes, lengths, locations and joins of all structural steel sections that need to be used in a construction project.Â
Often referred to as a road map that guides all parties through safely and correctly constructing a structure, fabrication drawings include a parts list and any required materials, welds or steel detailing that may be necessary to create the finished product.
5 Steps to Read Structural Steel Drawings
Once you’ve placed an order with your chosen steel fabrication company, they will fabricate the items to match your request before the steel is transported to your site. To complete your project using these steel beams and channels, your architect and structural engineer(s) will first work together to create detailed drawings, often using 3D models.
If you’re the property owner, developer or are managing the construction process, you must also be able to understand these drawings. After all, it’s infinitely easier to question the initial designs than request big changes once construction has begun. If you’re looking to gain the skill of reading single part drawings or general arrangement drawings, follow the five steps listed below:
1. Understand How Scale Works
For obvious reasons, fabrication drawings need to be to scale, which means that every unit of measurement on the document translates to something bigger in real life. If your project is particularly complicated, multiple scales may be used within one set of drawings. Getting the scale right is vital to the overall success of a construction project, so if you’re confused about the scale when looking at the fabrication drawing, speak to your engineers for more information.
2. What do the Symbols Mean?
There are plenty of symbols used in steel fabrication drawings to relay crucial information, such as indicating any elevations, without cluttering the document. These symbols tend to have uniform meanings, so try learning their standard interpretations, and this will aid your learning. Again, if you have any queries, speak to your architect or engineers, and they should be happy to help.
3. Learn About Callout Symbols
One of the most critical parts of any steel fabrication drawing, callout symbols are used to draw your attention to other parts of the document. They are sometimes located on the margins of the drawing to avoid cluttering the document and draw attention to the most important areas of the design. For example, a callout symbol is often used to indicate where two structural steel items should meet.
4. Be Aware of Circled Numbers
Many people who are new to using steel fabrication drawings are initially confused by the circled numbers. However, these have a specific purpose: to indicate that further details are included in a separate part of the document. Using circled numbers in this way prevents the steel drawings from becoming too cluttered.
5. Understand Abbreviations
Used in fabrication and assembly drawings for the same reasons they’re used in everyday life, there are many abbreviations that engineers and steel fabrication services often use. If you’re unsure what any abbreviation used in your projects drawings means, speak to your structural steel fabricator, and they will help.
Contact Local Steel Fabricators Today
Structural steel fabrication is a complicated process that requires experienced hands to do to a high quality. Therefore, if your next construction project uses this building material, you must use highly skilled fabricators that you can trust.
Buy A Beam is a brilliant way of ensuring you use a company that has this experience, as our online store allows you to order directly from steel fabricators across the UK at any time and for a competitive price. They will work closely with you along the way, including by helping with any queries about your fabrication drawings. To order steel online, visit the Buy A Beam shop today.