Structural drafting standards are based on the best practices and on engineering codes set up by The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and The American Standards Institute (ANSI). Structural drawing practices refer to a style or quality of a drawing provided by the individual drafter to the job. It is characterized by crisp black line work, lettering, consistency, and uniformity. The production of precise detail drawings is an art and real engineering accomplishment.

The actual concept of a structural framework should be provided on the architect/engineer's design drawings. These drawings are converted into detail drawings to provide necessary instructions for the shop fabrication and assembly installation of the different structural members. Through the shop drawings the CAD draftsman pass on all technical information required for the shop to fabricate the structural components.

To prepare required drawings with accuracy, the draftsman must have a comprehensive knowledge of the standard engineering specifications, better understanding of the shop fabrication and field erection process, and should have necessary skills for structural drafting. Hence, it is obvious that the structural drafter develop optimum drawing skills.

Drawing Numbers:
All structural drawings must be marked using the standard designation. Usually, drawings are numbered consecutively with a letter "S" (S1, S2, etc.)

Drawing Scales:
The standard unit for structural dimensions is feet. Usually, the scale is marked as feet and inches. Any scale based on an "Architect's Scale" can be utilized for structural drawings.

Titles:
All things on a drawing must have a title such as a plan view, elevation, section, detail, note column, etc. Titles are mentioned bold enough to catch the viewers' eye. To give prominence, the titles are underlined. Single line, a double line, or a combination of thin and thick lines can be used for underlining.

Dimensioning:
The style of dimensioning in structural drafting is the same style used in common architectural drawings. The dimension line is a continuous, unbroken line with the dimension figure placed above the line. Its obvious that to not place the dimension figure below the dimension line.