US engineering drawing standards have been in place for many years for the purpose of creating a common language that can be interpreted worldwide. The first documented US engineering drawing standard was MIL-STD-1 (issued in 1948), which covered general practices. Today, the governing US standard, known as ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Y14.100, is the basic frame work for engineering drawing standards. The ASME Y14.100 document will direct individuals to the various specifications required to ensure consistent interpretation of US made engineering drawings and documentation.

Engineering drawing (drafting) practices are taught in our high schools and colleges, but the materials often omit the fact that there is a US standard or it is just not emphasized as being important. By the time I realized there was a US standard, I was two years into my career as a draftsman. Once I knew a standard was available, I took it upon myself to read, understand and implement the document in my daily duties.

Benefits of implementing ASME Y14.100 Drawing Practices

  1. Common language/method of interpretation across Industry
  2. Eliminates or minimizes the need to write departmental or organization drafting standards
  3. Includes Industry standards for configuration and revision management
  4. Provides path to all ASME and other agency standards used in the creation of engineering documentation

Historical reference of ASME Y14.100 in descending order

  1. ASME Y14.100 (2004 current issue)
  2. MIL-STD-100 (1997 revision G last issue)
  3. DOD-STD-100 (1988 revision C, issue 6 last issue)
  4. MIL-STD-100 (1975 revision B last issue)
  5. MIL-STD-1 (1965 revision B last issue)

Don’t forget to place a note on your drawing referring to this standard. Note 1 should read something like this “Interpret per ASME Y14.100.” Also, copies of ASME Y14.100 can be obtained from www.asme.org.

Articles will follow discussing the use and interpretation of various ASME Y14 series documents. The next article will focus on the ASME Y14.5M Dimensioning and Tolerancing standard.

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