Learn about our steel drafting service
An Australian team of professional steel drafters
Steel drafting
drawing service
- All drafting completed locally
- Latest 3D modelling techniques
- All documentation types
- 2D & 3D Drawing or Modelling
- Fixed price quotations
- Commercial or residential
D & DK Steel Detailing specialises in the preparation of detailed steel drafting documentation that is used for the manufacture of structural steel frameworks used in the construction of buildings, extensions, handrails, balustrades or even building drafting for new structures. Typically the steel drafting drawings produced are used by a steel fabricator to manufacture the required components.
Steel detailing and steel drafting are both important processes in the fabrication and construction of steel structures, although there are a few slight differences;
Steel detailing is the process of creating detailed drawings or models that specify the exact size, shape, and location of each steel component used in a building or structure. Steel detailers work closely with architects and engineers to create drawings that are precise and accurate. These drawings are used by fabricators to manufacture the steel components and by construction teams to assemble them on site.
Steel drafting, on the other hand, involves the creation of less detailed drawings that focus on the overall layout and arrangement of steel components in a building or structure. Steel drafters may use computer-aided drafting (CAD) software to create 2D or 3D representations of the structure, and they may also create plans and elevations that show the relationship between the steel components and other building elements.
Steel detailing is a more detailed and precise process that involves creating drawings and models of individual steel components, while our steel draftsman create plans and layouts of the overall steel structure. Structural drafting is a crucial step in the construction process of any new building or development.
See examples of our steel drafting documentation
Take a look at some of the drawing documentation our steel draftsman have produced on previous projects in Australia. We are engaged for structural drafting services for large scale or local building projects.
Structural drafting services with strict quality control
Work directly with qualified Australian steel dratsman
We pride ourselves on our ability to deliver steel drafting with absolute accuracy and completeness. Each structural steel drafting documentation we produce is subjected to a thorough review process to ensure precision and compliance with the construction details provided and dimensional layout. Nothing leaves our office without a secondary pass before being delivered to a client for fabrication to ensure we have the highest structural drafting standards.
General Arrangement
Drawings
General arrangement (GA) drawings: These drawings show the overall layout and arrangement of steel components in a building or structure. They typically include dimensions and other important information such as column locations, beam sizes, and connection details.
Detail
Drawings
Detail drawings: These drawings provide more detailed information about specific steel components, such as beams, columns, and connections. Detail drawings may include information such as material specifications, welding details, and bolt sizes.
Shop
Drawings
Shop drawings: These drawings are used by steel fabricators to manufacture individual steel components. They provide detailed information about the size, shape, and location of each component and may include information about welding, drilling, and cutting.
For every steel drafting project we can also provide you with all the necessary lists;
- Material Ordering Lists
- Bolt Ordering Lists
- Project Part Lists
- Field Bolt Lists
- Transmittal Drawing register
All of our drafting is co-ordinated with architectural and engineering documents.
- All drawings, details & sections appropriately cross-referenced.
- Steelwork general notes that are complete, relevant & concise.
- Areas of different surface treatment to steelwork clearly identified.
- All member sizes and orientations specified.
- HD Bolt details (embedment length, ligs, cog length etc)
- Top of footing reduced levels clearly shown.
- Steel connections nominated as AISC standardised structural connections.
- All non-standard connections detailed.
- Bracing work points and allowable offsets.
- All purlin & girt details provided to suit specified cladding
- Beams and rafters requiring pre-cambering clearly identified.
- Masonry anchors, grout & packers specified for interface with concrete.
- All secondary structural steelwork described.
- Structural members for architectural requirements clearly indicated.
- Cladding edge trimming specified.
Shop drawings made by a steel drafter
Documentation to enable fast production
For steel fabricators that specialise in working with structural steel for construction project frameworks, we can provide all the necessary shop drawings you require. Our steel draftsman have worked with a number of leading steel fabricators over the years to produce all the information required that made it easy for them to cut and weld all the necessary members such as H beams or Universal beams.
For hundreds of projects, we have used our specialist structural drafting expertise to correctly interpret architectural and structural engineering drawings. Building this deep understanding has given us the vision to fully comprehend the design intent of various buildings or structures that has made construction effortless & efficient.
We always provide a set of clear, unequivocal and accurate drawings to facilitate steelwork fabrication, installation and erection – this has been done for new constructions, extensions or renovations.
A steel drafter for builders, engineers & architects
Work directly with experienced Australians
D & DK has an enviable reputation for delivering efficient engagement between all the stakeholders involved in residential or commercial construction projects. Once an architect has designed the look of a structure and an engineer or builder has calculated the required sizes with locations of the steel the D & DK Steel Detailing team can be engaged to create the detailed drawings needed to complete the project.
With our extensive experience working on both residential and commercial building sites we know exactly how to make sure every stakeholder is kept informed & receives the exact information they require. We strive to achieve 99.9% accuracy on every drawing we produce as we understand that even a tiny error can lead to the loss of valuable construction time and money in labour costs or materials.
We know how important the mandatory process of structural steel detailing is for all types of manufacturing and construction activities, such as the erection of residential and commercial buildings or factories. We make it easy for each professional to deliver high levels of accuracy for each stage of a project.
We spend the required time to specify every minuscule detail of an individual steel piece or component (columns, beams, joists, trusses, braces etc.) that needs to be made by a steel fabricator including material specifications, component sizes and dimensions, surface specs, welding, bolting and painting details.
How do we produce our steel drafting documentaiton?
D & DK do not use manual steel drafting techniques, instead we only offer state of the art computer-aided drafting (CAD) outputs. All the drawings that we create are produced on a computer to deliver incredible detail and precision. This makes the production process extremely efficient, minimises errors, enables sharing to facilitate BIM processes & can easily be printed when required.
Using the latest computer aided steel drafting software means we can;
- Reduce & avoid detailing errors
- Minimise the need for rework in fabrication or construction
- Manage changes in a 3D model that can save time vs manual drawing
- Avoid human errors with drawings and reports generated from the 3D model
- Use an interactive 3D model to plan fabrication and erection processes
- Enhance communication and coordination with other departments including facilitating BIM services
All of the information from the site is manually entered so that a 3D model is produced before any of the detailed shop drawings are created. The benefit of this is that changes can be made without needing to re-draw everything manually. Tekla’s intelligent 3D modelling software increases efficiency from design through to fabrication and installation.
It means that shop or erection drawings can be produced for all stages of a project that can help manage manufacturing data, production, delivery schedules, and schedule tasks on site or multi vendor collaboration.
What steel drafting drawing types can we produce?
General arrangement (GA) drawings:
These drawings show the overall layout and arrangement of steel components in a building or structure. They typically include dimensions and other important information such as column locations, beam sizes, and connection details.
Detail drawings:
These drawings provide more detailed information about specific steel components, such as beams, columns, and connections. Detail drawings may include information such as material specifications, welding details, and bolt sizes.
Shop drawings:
These drawings are used by steel fabricators to manufacture individual steel components. They provide detailed information about the size, shape, and location of each component and may include information about welding, drilling, and cutting.
Erection drawings:
These drawings are used by construction teams to assemble steel components on site. They provide information about the sequence of assembly, crane positions, and temporary bracing.
Material lists:
These lists provide a detailed inventory of all the steel components required for a project, including quantities, sizes, and material specifications.
Frequently asked questions
The D & DK team has a laser-like focus on delivering drafting services that enable steel construction projects in Australia. Fabricators, engineers, architects and general contractors use our drafting experience to get the best out of the latest computer aided detailing software tools to ensure that all of our outputs can be used immediately. The team has a range of skills that provide you with a trained eye to pick up details, potential hotspots, clashes or potential construction problems before they occur.
Using the latest 3D modelling technology we can make sure that either printed or computer-originated plans can be used to troubleshoot challenges while they are still on the drawing board rather than as built existing conditions.
What is the difference between a steel detailer and steel drafting service?
Steel detailing and steel drafting are both important processes in the fabrication and construction of steel structures. However, there are some differences between the two.
Steel detailing is the process of creating detailed drawings or models that specify the exact size, shape, and location of each steel component used in a building or structure. Steel detailers work closely with architects and engineers to create drawings that are precise and accurate. These drawings are used by fabricators to manufacture the steel components and by construction teams to assemble them on site.
Steel drafting, on the other hand, involves the creation of less detailed drawings that focus on the overall layout and arrangement of steel components in a building or structure. Steel drafters may use computer-aided drafting (CAD) software to create 2D or 3D representations of the structure, and they may also create plans and elevations that show the relationship between the steel components and other building elements.
Steel detailing is a more detailed and precise process that involves creating drawings and models of individual steel components, while steel drafting focuses on creating plans and layouts of the overall steel structure.
What documentation does a steel drafter produce?
Steel drafters produce various types of documentation that are used in the fabrication and construction of steel structures. Some of the most common types of documentation produced by steel drafters include:
- General arrangement (GA) drawings: These drawings show the overall layout and arrangement of steel components in a building or structure. They typically include dimensions and other important information such as column locations, beam sizes, and connection details.
- Detail drawings: These drawings provide more detailed information about specific steel components, such as beams, columns, and connections. Detail drawings may include information such as material specifications, welding details, and bolt sizes.
- Shop drawings: These drawings are used by steel fabricators to manufacture individual steel components. They provide detailed information about the size, shape, and location of each component and may include information about welding, drilling, and cutting.
- Erection drawings: These drawings are used by construction teams to assemble steel components on site. They provide information about the sequence of assembly, crane positions, and temporary bracing.
- Material lists: These lists provide a detailed inventory of all the steel components required for a project, including quantities, sizes, and material specifications.
How does a shop drawing get used that is produced by a steel drafter?
Shop drawings are used by steel fabricators to manufacture individual steel components for a building or structure. These drawings provide detailed information about the size, shape, and location of each component and may include information about welding, drilling, and cutting. Once a steel drafter creates a shop drawing, it is typically reviewed by the engineer of record and the architect to ensure that it meets the design and engineering specifications. Once it is approved, the shop drawing is then used by the fabricator to produce the steel component.
The shop drawing provides the fabricator with critical information that they need to manufacture the component accurately. This includes the exact dimensions of the component, the location and size of bolt holes, the type and size of steel required, and any other important details such as welding specifications. The fabricator will then use the shop drawing to create a cutting list, which provides the fabricator with a detailed list of the materials required to produce the component. They will then use this information to cut and shape the steel to the required dimensions.
Shop drawings are a crucial component in the fabrication process for steel structures. They ensure that the components are manufactured accurately and according to the design and engineering specifications.
