Shop drawings, or Technical drawings, are drawings or set of drawings that are produced by fabricators, contractors, subcontractors, manufacturers, or suppliers. They include plans, elevations, views, sections, and many other details and are typically required for prefabricated components.

Architects prepare working drawings that help them to represent the components and communicate them to end clients. Whereas shop drawings are used by fabricators to know how the components will be manufactured and installed during the construction process.

Shop drawings are produced by contractors and suppliers under their contract with the owner. The shop drawing is the manufacturer’s or the contractor’s drawn version of information shown in the construction documents. The shop drawing normally shows more detail than the construction documents.

Shop drawings that are derived from seperate design drawings need not be sealed and stamped by a design professional. The design professionals retained by the Owner should not seal and sign the drawings prepared by the contractor.

As long as there is conformity between the shop drawings and the contract documents, the architect’s approval indicates that the architect approves of the contractor’s interpretation of the contract requirements. In the event that there is a subsequent dispute, that approval is binding on the architect or owner.

In building construction, one of the drawings furnished by a manufacturer to a purchaser for his approval. Such an approval affirms that the manufacturer has correctly interpreted all contractual requirements.

They may include architectural drawings, structural drawings, civil drawings, mechanical drawings, electrical drawings, and so on. Traditionally, working drawings consist of two-dimensional orthogonal projections of the building or component they are describing, such as plans, sections and elevations.

Construction drawing is the general term used for drawings that form part of the production information that is incorporated into tender documentation and then the contract documents for the construction works. The main purpose of construction drawings is to provide a graphic representation of what is to be built.

The primary role or function of working drawings is to convert design data into construction information and to clearly communicate that information to building industry, code officials, product manufacturers, suppliers and fabricators.

What is a Working Drawing?

• Working Drawings in Drafting and Engineering. Working drawings are drawings used as a reference or guide in the manufacture of a product.
• The Detail Drawing. The detail drawing conveys as much information as possible about a single component.
• The Assembly Drawing.
• Working Drawings in Architecture.

Working drawings and specifications are the primary working documents used by a contractor to bid and execute a project. Specifications are the written documents that go with the construction documents and describe the materials as well as the installation methods.

A working drawing is a drawing or blueprint based on explanations. It is completed with a thorough plan and views (details, notes, and dimensions) to ensure the product construction or replication without any additional information.

Drawing Scale Construction plans (blueprints) are scaled down representations of the final project at a ratio of the actual size. For example, 1/8″ = 1′ (one eighth inch equals one foot). When construction plans are scaled, it helps to put the part into a print size drawing that is easily read by the crew.

As the name suggests, plumbing shop drawings represent the plumbing elements inside a building, such as piping systems, drainage, garbage disposals, and waste carriers. They also indicate fluid and air transport for heating and cooling, potable and non-potable water supply, fuel gas piping, and waste removal.

Tips on How to Read a Site Plan

1. Find The Title Block. In the bottom right corner of most plans, you’ll find what’s called a title block.
2. Learn the Plan’s Scale.
3. Determine the Orientation of the Plan.
4. Know the Datum Point.
5. Note the Site’s Contours.
6. Locate Existing Structures.