26 Blueprint Layout

Most drawings will include the following parts: the title block, the bill of materials, an area for specifications, general notes, a reference drawing list, and a revision chart.

The title block will include the company name and logo as well as their contact information. It will also have the name of the object to be fabricated, and several other important pieces of information:

• Customer name, name of the engineering firm, and job or contract number
• Date and number of the drawing
• Scale for the drawing (see below)
• Any revisions

The bill of materials will have space for information on each material involved, including the item or mark number, quantities, material descriptions (structural shapes), grades of material, and weights.

Scale

Objects too large to be drawn life-sized are scaled down to fit on the paper. They are kept proportional by using smaller units of measure; for example, a drawing might use one inch in place of one foot. Another scale might be 1/4″ equal to 1′, at which scale a four-foot-long object would be one inch long when drawn on paper. The scale is located in the title block of the drawing and used to check object sizing and dimensions. Scales are most common for printed blueprints or hand-drafted prints.