The drawing set is the product
A practice does not deliver a design. It delivers a package of sheets with an agreed scope. And almost every argument about fees, programme and scope starts in the same place: nobody wrote down how many sheets, at what scale, showing what.
This guide answers that. If what you need is which phase a project is in and what can honestly be promised at each one, that is the phases guide. This is the other half: what comes out of the plotter.
The phase says how much you know. The drawing set says how much you deliver. They are contracted separately and argued about together.
How a sheet is numbered
The US convention — the one that travels furthest in international contracts — encodes the
sheet in two parts: the discipline and the type of view. Once you see it you
cannot unsee it: A-301 is architectural, sections, the first one.
| Code | First letter · discipline | First digit · type of view |
|---|---|---|
| G | General — cover sheets, index, notes | 0 · General: symbols, legends, abbreviations |
| C | Civil — earthworks, site utilities | 1 · Plans |
| L | Landscape | 2 · Elevations |
| S | Structural | 3 · Sections |
| A | Architectural | 4 · Enlarged views |
| I | Interiors | 5 · Details |
| P | Plumbing | 6 · Schedules and diagrams |
| M | Mechanical — HVAC | 7 and 8 · User defined |
| E | Electrical | 9 · 3D views |
| F | Fire protection |
So A-101 is the first architectural plan, A-201 the first elevation
sheet, A-401 the first enlarged plan and A-601 the first schedule.
The number tells you what you are about to see before you open it, which is worth a
great deal when the set runs to a hundred and eighty sheets.
Where the scale comes from
Scale is not chosen by habit. It is chosen by one simple calculation: what fits on the sheet. And what fits decides how many sheets you need, which is where the drafting budget comes from.
At 1/8"=1'-0", one inch of paper is eight feet of building. An ARCH D sheet is 24 × 36 in, and after the title block and margins you are left with roughly 33 × 22 in of drawing area. The arithmetic does itself:
| Sheet | Usable area | Covers at 1/4"=1' | Covers at 1/8"=1' | Covers at 1/16"=1' |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARCH C · 18×24" | 21 × 16 in | 84 × 64 ft | 168 × 128 ft | 336 × 256 ft |
| ARCH D · 24×36" | 33 × 22 in | 132 × 88 ft | 264 × 176 ft | 528 × 352 ft |
| ARCH E · 30×42" | 39 × 27 in | 156 × 108 ft | 312 × 216 ft | 624 × 432 ft |
| A1 · 594×841 mm | 780 × 550 mm | 39 × 27 m (1:50) | 78 × 55 m (1:100) | 156 × 110 m (1:200) |
Usable area depends on each office's title block. These figures assume a side title block of about 6 in and 1 in margins. The last row is the ISO equivalent, with its metric scales in brackets.
With that table the decision stops being an opinion. Our example building has a footprint of 131 × 72 ft (40 × 22 m): at 1/8" it takes 16 × 9 in on an ARCH D sheet that gives you 33 × 22 — plenty of room left for dimensions and notes. At 1/4" it would take 33 × 18 in and only just squeezes in, with nothing left over.
Now look one row up: on an ARCH C sheet the same plan at 1/4" does not fit at all. Scale and sheet size are one decision, not two. Before arguing about the scale of a plan you have to know what paper it prints on — and whoever receives the set has to be able to unfold it on a site table.
The house measures 39 × 33 ft (12 × 10 m): at 1/4" it takes 10 × 8 in and fits on almost anything. At 1/8" it would be 5 × 4 in — far too small to dimension without the figures colliding. That is why houses are drawn at 1/4" and towers at 1/8".
If your plan does not fit at the scale you need, do not drop the scale. Split it with a match line. An illegible drawing is not cheaper — it is more expensive.
Scales by drawing type
| Drawing type | Large building | House / small work | Metric equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site plan | 1"=40' – 1"=20' | 1"=20' – 1"=10' | 1:500 – 1:100 |
| Floor plans | 1/8"=1' | 1/4"=1' | 1:100 · 1:50 |
| Enlarged plans (unit, core) | 1/4"=1' | 1/2"=1' | 1:50 · 1:25 |
| Enlarged baths and kitchens | 1/2"=1' | 1/2"=1' | 1:25 – 1:20 |
| Elevations | 1/8"=1' | 1/4"=1' | 1:100 · 1:50 |
| Building sections | 1/8"=1' | 1/4"=1' | 1:100 · 1:50 |
| Wall sections | 3/4"=1' | 3/4"=1' | 1:25 – 1:20 |
| Reflected ceiling plans | 1/8"=1' | 1/4"=1' | 1:100 · 1:50 |
| Construction details | 1½" · 3"=1' · full | 1½" · 3"=1' · full | 1:10 – 1:5 – 1:2 |
The two projects we are comparing
Everything that follows is counted on these two. If yours resembles one of them, interpolate.
Apartment building
- Storeys
- 10 above grade + 1 basement
- Units
- 100 apartments
- Unit types
- 5, repeated
- Footprint
- 131 × 72 ft · 40 × 22 m
- Gross area
- ≈ 108,000 sq ft · 10,000 m²
Single-family house
- Storeys
- 2 + roof
- Units
- 1
- Unit types
- nothing repeats
- Footprint
- 39 × 33 ft · 12 × 10 m
- Gross area
- ≈ 2,150 sq ft · 200 m²
The building has fifty times the area of the house. Hold on to that number: in a moment you will see how many times more sheets it needs, and it is not fifty.
SD · Schematic Design — the scheme, and nothing more
The question an SD set answers is «is this the right building?». It carries no construction dimensions, no details and no complete schedules. If your SD already has rebar layouts, you are spending on something that can still change entirely.
| Sheet | What it shows | Scale | Building | House |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cover and index | Name, phase, date, sheet list | — | 1 | 1 |
| Site plan | Lot, access, orientation, setbacks, immediate context | 1"=40' / 1"=20' | 1 | — (with roof plan) |
| Basement plan | Parking, ramp, plant rooms, cores | 1/16"=1' | 1 | — |
| Ground floor plan | Entrance, lobby, retail, relationship to the street | 1/16"=1' | 1 | 1 |
| Typical floor plan | One only, because it repeats. Layout and core | 1/8"=1' | 1 | 1 (second floor) |
| Unit types | The 5 apartment plans, with areas and indicative furniture | 1/4"=1' | 1–2 | — |
| Roof plan | Falls, equipment, common terraces | 1/16" / 1/8"=1' | 1 | 1 |
| Elevations | All four. Heights, solid and void, general materials | 1/16" / 1/4"=1' | 1–2 | 1 |
| Sections | Two: one long, one through the core. Clear heights | 1/16" / 1/4"=1' | 1 | 1 |
| Area schedule | Area by use, by floor and by unit type. Planning ratios | — | 1 | — (fits on cover) |
| Massing / 3D | Two or three views that explain the siting | — | 1–2 | 1 |
SD total — building: 10 to 14 sheets · house: 5 to 7 sheets.
DD · Design Development — dimensioned and coordinated
Here the set grows sharply, for two reasons at once: the other disciplines arrive, and architecture moves from showing the scheme to fixing dimensions. The question it answers is «does it all fit, and how big is it?».
What architecture adds
| Sheet | What it shows | Scale | Building | House |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General notes | Symbols, abbreviations, general notes, naming convention | — | 2 | 1 |
| Site plan | Levels, paving, site utilities, access resolved | 1"=20' | 1 | 1 |
| Dimensioned plans | Basement, ground, second if different, typical, roof. Now with dimensions and grids | 1/8" / 1/4"=1' | 5–6 | 3 |
| Enlarged unit plans | Each unit type, dimensioned, with fixed joinery | 1/4"=1' | 3–4 | — |
| Enlarged cores | Stairs and lifts: treads, risers, pits | 1/4"=1' | 2 | 1 |
| Baths and kitchens | Enlarged, with fixtures, tile heights and plumbing points | 1/2"=1' | 2 | 1 |
| Elevations | With level dimensions, window types tagged, materials called out | 1/8" / 1/4"=1' | 2–3 | 1–2 |
| Building sections | Two or three. Clear heights, floor build-ups, ceilings | 1/8" / 1/4"=1' | 2 | 1–2 |
| Wall sections | The vertical cut through the envelope, layer by layer | 3/4"=1' | 2–3 | 1 |
| Reflected ceiling plans | Ceilings, fittings, diffusers, access panels — coordinated with MEP | 1/8" / 1/4"=1' | 1–2 | 1 |
| Schedules | Doors, windows and finishes. They start here and close at CD | — | 3–4 | 1–2 |
Architecture at DD — building: 28 to 35 sheets · house: 10 to 13.
And the other disciplines arrive
This is the jump that surprises anyone used to drawing architecture alone. At DD you are no longer issuing a set: you are issuing four or five sets that have to agree with each other.
- Structural — foundations, framing, predesign closed out. Building: 12–18 sheets. House: 4–6.
- Plumbing — supply and drainage, equipment, tanks. Building: 8–12. House: 2–3.
- Electrical — service, panels, circuits, risers. Building: 8–12. House: 2–3.
- Mechanical — ventilation, extract, HVAC where there is any. Building: 5–8. House: 1–2.
- Fire protection — sprinklers, standpipes, pumps. Mandatory in high-rise. Building: 4–6. House: usually not applicable.
DD total — building: 70 to 90 sheets · house: 20 to 26.
CD · Construction Documents — build from it without asking
The question is no longer whether it fits. It is «how exactly is this built?». What grows here is details and schedules, not plans — the plans were already there at DD, and what happens to them is refinement.
| What gets added | What it shows | Scale | Building | House |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Envelope details | Junctions, terminations, joints, waterproofing, anchors | 1½" – 3"=1' | 8–14 | 3–5 |
| Interior details | Skirtings, heads, fixed joinery, tiling, ceilings | 1½" – 3"=1' | 6–10 | 2–4 |
| Core details | Full stair, balustrades, handrails, lift doors | 3/4" – 3"=1' | 3–5 | 1–2 |
| Wall types | Each type in plan and section, with layers and thicknesses | 1½" – 3"=1' | 2–3 | 1 |
| Closed schedules | Doors, windows, room finishes, hardware, fixtures | — | 6–9 | 2–4 |
| Setting-out plans | Grids, coordinates and dimensions for laying out on site | 1/8"=1' | 2–3 | 1 |
| Specifications | The written document. Sits outside the set, and governs as much as it does | — | document | document |
Architecture at CD — building: 55 to 75 sheets · house: 18 to 25. Across all disciplines: building 140 to 200 · house 35 to 50.
The summary, and the number that matters
| Phase | Building · 10 storeys, 100 units | House · 2 storeys | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| SD · Schematic Design | 10 – 14 | 5 – 7 | ≈ 2× |
| DD · Design Development | 70 – 90 | 20 – 26 | ≈ 3.5× |
| CD · Construction Documents | 140 – 200 | 35 – 50 | ≈ 4× |
Ranges, not exact figures: they vary with country, contract, how demanding the client is and each office's habits. They are for sizing the work and arguing a scope — not for signing without reading.
The building has 50 times the area of the house and needs 4 times the sheets. A drawing set does not grow with square footage. It grows with variety.
That sentence should change how you price. What multiplies the work is not size: it is how many different things there are. A hundred-apartment building with five unit types is less drawing than twenty houses that are all different, even at three times the area.
And the inverse: if your project is large and repetitive, anyone charging you by the square foot is overcharging. If it is small and every part is different, whoever charges by the square foot will lose money — and will get it back by cutting the set.
The most common mistakes
- Drawing at SD what belongs at DD. Details and schedules over a scheme that can still change completely. It is the work most often thrown away.
- Repeating identical plans. Ten sheets of the same typical floor — which then have to be corrected ten times at every revision.
- Choosing the scale by habit rather than by what fits, and ending up with a drawing that is correct and illegible.
- Issuing CD with no specifications. The set looks complete and the contract is half written.
- Not declaring the naming convention on the general notes sheet. The whole team infers it, and each of them infers something different.
- Letting the index drift from the sheets that exist. An index promising A-405 when there is no A-405 makes people doubt the whole set.
Frequently asked questions
How many drawings are in a set of architectural plans?
It depends on the phase and on variety, not on area. For a ten-storey building with a hundred apartments and five unit types: roughly 10–14 sheets at SD, 70–90 at DD and 140–200 at CD across all disciplines. For a two-storey house: 5–7, 20–26 and 35–50 respectively.
What scale are floor plans drawn at?
1/8"=1'-0" for buildings and 1/4"=1'-0" for houses and small work — and not by tradition: it is what fits legibly on the sheet. Enlarged plans — a unit, a core, a bathroom — go at 1/4" or 1/2", and construction details between 1½"=1'-0" and full size.
What does A-101 mean on a drawing?
In the US convention the letter is the discipline and the first digit is the type of view: A for architectural, 1 for plans. So A-101 is the first architectural plan, A-201 the first elevation sheet, A-301 sections, A-501 details and A-601 schedules.
How many typical floor plans do you draw for a ten-storey building?
One, if the ten floors are the same. You draw the typical plan and note which levels it repeats on. Drawing ten identical plans multiplies the drafting work and, far worse, multiplies every revision by ten.
What is the difference between a building section and a wall section?
A building section is drawn at the same scale as the plan and exists to explain heights, floor build-ups and how spaces relate. A wall section goes at 3/4"=1'-0" and exists to build the envelope: it shows the layers, the anchors, the terminations and the junctions with slab and glazing.
Are specifications part of the drawings?
No: they are a separate document, and in most contracts they govern over the drawing where the two disagree. A CD set with no written specifications is incomplete, however finished the sheets look.
What the next guide covers
This guide says which sheets you issue. The next one says how you draw inside them: how to dimension a plan and which dimension strings it needs, how to tag doors, windows and rooms, how wall types are named, and how door, window and finish schedules are set up so they come out of the model instead of being typed by hand.