Federal TVET Teachers Training Institute

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Chapter 1.2 Alphabet of Lines

The "Alphabet of Lines" refers to the different styles of symbolic lines used in drafting such as to
show different features about an object that is drawn: hidden. construction, cutting-plane, visible (ob-
ject), dimension, extension, phantom, center, section, and border.

Lines in technical drawings are part of a specialized graphic language that is standardized through-
out industry. Each type of line has a very precise symbolic meaning. Correct usage of this “alphabet
of lines” is essential whether you use traditional drafting methods or CAD.
 
In Drafting, or Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) -- the alphabet of lines are the different lines that
draftsmen, architects, engineers, et al use when constructing a drawing.

For example, a thick solid line is called an object line and represents the outline of a part on a draw -
ing. A dash line represents an edge that is not visible in a particular view, hence it is called a hidden
line.

Other common lines used in drafting include dimension lines, extension lines, construction lines, bor-
der lines, center lines among many others depending on the type of drawing.

Symbolic Lines are meant for symbolic purposes only. For example, you might sketch symbolic lines in
an elevation view to represent a door swing. Symbolic lines are not part of the actual geometry of the
family. Symbolic lines are visible parallel to the view in which you sketch them. Symbolic lines are
mostly used in 2D drawing preparations.

Comparing Model Lines & Symbolic Lines

Model lines are always visible in three-dimensional views; they show throughout the whole model
while symbolic lines show only on the plane in which you placed them. Take for an example a kitchen
cabinet which in a 3d view or elevation is a 3d model with hardware and materials applied to but in
plan view all you want to see is lines representing the cabinet extents only then this is where you
would want to use symbolic lines.
The main thing to remember about model lines vs. symbolic lines is that symbolic lines are 'view spe -
cific' while model lines show up in all views by default.
Model lines. By default, model lines are also visible in floor plan and RCP views. To control their visi -
bility in plan and elevation views

With the Symbolic Lines command, you can sketch lines that are meant for symbolic purposes only.
For example, you might sketch symbolic lines in an elevation view to represent a door swing. Symbolic
lines are not part of the actual geometry of the family. Symbolic lines are visible parallel to the view in
which you sketch them.

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An example of symbolic lines, phantom line to show the object is swing type, center lines to repre-
sent and show the centers, and hidden lines to show the hidden portion of the object. Symbolic lines
are used in the drawing to meant for symbolic purposes

An example of model lines, to show the object in 3D.Note that in model lines symbolic lines are no
longer visible. The 3D detail shows the specifications in text form using a leader.

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Line Weight
Line weight and line quality are extremely important to a successful set of design drawings. Usually
a set of design drawings will go to many different people including the client, other designers or archi-
tects, manufacturers, builders, and others within the profession. The lines used for design drawings
must be crisp and dark so that they are easy to reproduce and clear copies can be made from them.
The line weight is the light or darkness and width of a line. Manual pencil drafting, drafting in ink and
computer-aided drafting documents must have a variety of line weights. Varied drawing line weights,
typically three, should be used on every drawing. These include light, medium, and bold
lines.Guidelines are used for page layout and borderlines are used for framing the page. These
different weights technically help to create an easy to understand document and artistically add vis-
ual interest to the document. These documents must also have consistent quality, which is unifor-
mity of lines throughout a drawing. These two elements give a sense of professionalism to the docu-
ments, provide visual interest, create a clear and easy to read document, and demonstrate the draft-
ing skills and abilities of the designer.
Keep in mind that the hardness/softness and the diameter of the pencil lead only help control the line
weight. You should need to use a consistent amount of pressure on the pencil as you draft to keep
each weight of line uniform. If the line seems either too light or too dark try varying the amount of
pressure you place on the pencil as you draft. Remember, these drawings are meant to be copied
and distributed to a variety of design professionals so the lines need to be crisp and readable .

Line Types
There are standards for different types of lines along with line weight and quality called line type.
Each has a definite meaning and is recognized as a typical symbol or object within the building
trades industry. Listed below are the standard types of lines that will typically be used in design draw-
ings.

Solid Lines or object lines – are used to indicate visible objects that can be seen in plan, elevation
or 3D

Cutting PlaneLines –are heavy dash line followed by two shorter dashes. Each end has a short line
at right angle to cutting plane line, with arrowheads pointing in direction from which cut surface is
viewed. It is usually labelled with a letter at either end to identify cut surface drawing called a “sec-
tion”.

Dashed Lines – are used for hidden objects or edges . These are used to show hidden parts of an
object or objects below or behind another object. Dashed are also used to indicate shelving or
cabinets above a counter. These lines should be in contact at corners and when perpendicular to
another line.

Movement, Ghost or Phantom Line – are thin lines and used to indicate alternate positions of parts
or an object. It also shows repeated details or location of absent parts. It is drawn as one (1) long
and two (2) evenly-spaced short dashes with the long dash at each end. These lines are a series
of dashes and very short dashes and are used to show movement or imply direction. These typic-
ally are used instead of a dashed line to show an alternate position of an object that can be
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 moved. One object would be drawn with a solid line and its alternate position would be dashed or
phantom line. This can include bi-swing doors, the space needed for drawer and cabinet door
openings, sliding door opening direction, hinge points for doors and windows in elevation.

Leader Line – are used to connect notes or references to objects or lines in a drawing. Leader lines
start as a solid line and end in an arrow. Leader lines may be drawn at an angle or curved.

Break lines – are used when extents of a drawing cannot fit on the size of paper being used for the
drawing. It can also be used when you only need to illustrate a portion of a design or partial view.

Center Lines – are used to indicate the center of a plan, object, circle, arc, or any symmetrical ob-
ject. Use a series of very long and short dashes to create a center line. If two center lines intersect
use short dashes at the intersection.

Section Line – is used to show a cutaway view of a floor plan. A section cutting all the way through a
floor plan is referred to as a full section. The direction of the arrows shows the direction of the sec-
tion view. The symbols on the end of the section line indicate the drawing number on top and the
page number the section will be located on the bottom.

Dimension Line – is used to show measurement of an object. It can be used to indicate length,
width, diameter, etc. The dimensions are listed in feet and inches (imperial) or meter and mm (SI)
on floor plans and elevations. Detailed drawings of cabinetry or other custom pieces are dimen-
sioned either in Imperial or SI.

The Following Figures shows the standard line conventions and samples on
drawing applications:

Standard line types and line weights A

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Standard line types and line weights B

Example on how to apply line convention to a drawing

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 Using phantom lines, center lines, hidden line and dimension leader in a drawing

Using break lines in a drawing

Using phantom lines in a repeated detail indicating the alternate position of parts of the item delin-
eated.

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 Using section lines in a drawing

Phantom lines shall be used to indicate the alternate position of parts of the item delineated, repeated detail,
or the relative position of an absent part and shall be composed of alternating one long and two short dashes,
evenly spaced, with a long dash at each end.

Application of Line types and Line weights to engineering drawing:

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Standard line types and line weights C

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Line Quality
Pencil lines should be solid, uniform in width, and consistent in darkness throughout their
length. If a line in a drawing needs to be changed, make sure to erase it clearly and recreate the line
in appropriate line and quality. If only a part of the line needs to be modified, erase using the erasing
shield and make sure the new segment and the existing segment match perfectly in width and dark-
ness. Being consistent also applies to pen and ink drawings and CAD drawings. A pen and ink draw-
ing is usually made first with a very light guidelines. When using ink technical or drafting pens, typic -
ally the light, medium, and dark weights are created in proportion to one another. For instance, if light
is a width of 0.05, then medium is 0.10 and dark is 0.20. The actual width of each line type should
also be related to the size and scale of the drawing. A drawing in ¼” scale, like floor plan, ma need
smaller pen widths than a drawing in 1 – ½” scale, like a kitchen cabinet drawer detail. The best way
to create consistent line weights and line quality is to keep your pencil or pen perpendicular to the
drawing surface and drawing media. This keeps the width of the line consistent. Also, keep a con-
stant pressure as you draw a line type from its start to finish. This takes a practice and can be
mastered if you focus on creating the line constantly and do not try to rush a drafted document.

A proper choice of lead pencils for particular drafting purpose should be selected. The grade of pencil
to be used for various purposes depends on type of the line desired, the kind of paper employed, and
the humidity, which affects the surface of the paper. Standards for line quality will govern the selec-
tion for instance:

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  6H is used for light construction line
 4H is used for re-pencilling light finished lines (dimension lines, center lines, and visible
lines)
 2H is used for visible object lines
 F and H are used for all lettering and freehand work

 Guidelines or Construction lines ( 4H to 6H pencil lead in a 0.3mm mechanical pencil)

Construction lines are very light, gray lines used to lay out all work. They should be light
enough on a drawing so they will not reproduce when making a print. The initial lines that you
draw on your paper are guidelines or what some refer to as construction lines. These lines are
temporary and used to lay out the page, create the initial shapes, and provide a guide for let-
tering heights. The line weight for guidelines is to be very light as they should be almost invis-
ible on the finished drawing. They must be dark enough for you to see, light enough to erase
lines easily, and barely visible when copies or other form of reproduction are made from the
drawing. Using a harder 4H to 6H pencil lead in a 0.30mm mechanical pencil creates the best
guidelines. You can also use blue lead guidelines as it will not photocopy.

 Bold Lines (soft B to 2B pencil lead in a 0.50mm or 0.7mm mechanical pencil)

The primary objects in a drawing should be created using a bold line. Bold lines are very dark
and have a thick width. These are created with a 0.50mm or 0.70mm mechanical pencil and a
soft B to 2B pencil lead. Walls in plan view and the outline around the perimeter of an eleva-
tion or three-dimensional object are examples where bold lines should be used.

 Medium Lines (HB pencil lead in a 0.50mm mechanical pencil)

Secondary objects such as doors, furnishings, counters, and cabinets should be in a medium
line weight. In elevation and 3D views, the perimeter of an object may be drawn in a bold line
weight, however the information inside the object should be drawn in a medium weight. Me-
dium line weights are best are best created using a 0.50mm width pencil with HB pencil lead.

 Light Lines (H to 2H pencil lead in a 0.30mm or 0.50mm)

Action lines, information lines, and fill patterns should be drawn with light lines. Action lines
show potential movement of an object include door swings in plan view and hinge direction in
elevation view. Information lines convey information about a drawing and include dimension
lines, center lines, leader lines, section lines and so on. Fill patterns are specific symbols used
to indicate a type of material being used. The light lines can be created with a 0.50mm pencil
or with a 0.30mm pencil and H to 2H pencil leads. It is very important that all of these lines are
visible, so do not confuse the term “light” with “hard to see”.

 Border Lines(2B to 4B pencil lead in 0.7mm or 0.9mm pencil with a 2B to 4B lead works well for
creating borderlines. These lines are the heaviest of all the lines in the drawing

Examples of Construction Lines for different purpose in engineering drawing

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 Using construction lines in perspective drawing

Construction lines used in projecting the 2D view of a 3D object

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 Construction line/s used as temporary lines or layout of 3D object

Guidelines are also used in lettering or textual part of the drawing. Extremely light horizontal guidelines are
necessary to regulate the height of letters. In addition, light vertical or inclined guidelines are needed to
keep the letters uniformly vertical or inclined. Guidelines are essential for good lettering, and should be re-
garded as a welcome aid, not as an unnecessary requirement.

Dimensions
A drawing without dimensions is meaningless. Dimensions are necessary to show the exact size of an object.
Dimensioning refers to the act of giving dimensions, i.e., length, width, height, diameter, etc., of the object.
This information is provided by giving numeric values to various features of the object on the drawing. A fea-
ture is an individual characteristic such as a flat or cylindrical surface, a slot or a groove, a taper, a shoulder, a
screw thread, etc.

Dimension is a numerical value expressed in appropriate units of measurement and indicated graphically on
technical drawings with lines, symbols and notes. The important aspects of dimensioning are as follows:
 Units of Measurement: on technical drawing we need to show lengths and angles. The most conveni-
ent unit for length is millimetre. In civil engineering and architectural drawing,
inch or foot is often used as a unit of length. Angles are shown in degrees.
 Symbols : Symbols are incorporated to indicate specific geometry whenever necessary.
 Notes : Notes are provided to give specification of a particular feature or to give spe-
cific information necessary during the manufacturing of the object.

Elements of dimensioning
A line on the drawing whose length is to be shown is called and object line. The object line is essentially an
outline representing the feature(s) of the object. While showing an angle, the two lines forming the angle will
be the object lines.
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Dimensioning is often done by a set of elements, which includes extension lines, dimension lines, leader
lines, arrowheads and dimensions.

 Extension line – is a short line drawn perpendicular to an object line. These line start immediately or a
few millimetres from the ends of object lines and extend a few millimetres beyond a dimension line. Ex-
tension lines may be used to show an angle due to space constraint. In such case, extension lines are
drawn parallel to and at the ends of object lines.
 Dimension line – is drawn between two extension lines parallel to the object line. As a rule, there
must be one and only one dimension line between any two extension lines. One dimension line repres-
ents one dimension. While dimensioning an angle, a curved dimension line is drawn by drawing a suit-
able are having its center at the vertex of the angle.
 Leader line – is a line which connects a note or a dimension with the feature to which it applies. Lead-
ers are drawn at suitable angles, preferably 30º, 45º or 60º, and are never drawn horizontal or vertical.
One end of the leader carries an arrowhead which connects it to the outline of the object. A dot is used
instead of an arrowhead, if the leader ends inside the object, figure 3.2(b). The other end of the leader
is made horizontal. A note or dimension is placed above the horizontal portion of the leader. Leaders
are frequently used to indicate the diameter or radius of a circular feature.

 Arrowheads – an arrowhead is drawn at each end of a dimension line. The tip of an arrowhead
touches the extension line. An arrowhead is also drawn at the end of a leader, which points out the
feature of an object. The various styles of drawing an arrowhead are shown in the figure below. The ar-
rowheads may be open, closed, or closed and filled. The angle formed the barbs of the arrowhead
usually varies from 15º to 90º. Sometimes, an oblique stroke drawn at 45º to the extension line is used
instead of an arrowhead

The closed and filled arrowhead is most commonly adopted. It is the form of an isosceles triangle hav-
ing a height three (3) times of its base. The space inside the triangle is uniformly filled in. The size of an arrow -
head should be proportionate to the length of the dimension line. Too small or too large arrowheads should be
avoided.

 Dimension – is a numeric value of length or angle expressed in a specified unit of measurement. Di-
mensions are placed near the middle and above dimension lines or at the center of dimension lines by
breaking them. Since all dimensions of a drawing are expressed in the same unit (i.e., mm cm or in),
the unit is not written after the dimension figure. Instead, a note “ALL DIMENSIONS IN MM” is written
at a prominent place (preferably on the left hand side of the title block) on the drawing sheet. The di -
mension text should be same for all the dimensions on a drawing and should have a suitable size.

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 Figure A

Figure B

Elements of dimensioning
For placing the dimensions on a drawing, of the two systems is adopted.

 Aligned system – dimensions are placed perpendicular to the dimension line so that they may be
read from the bottom or right-hand side of the drawing sheet. All horizontal and inclined dimensions
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 can be read from the bottom, whereas vertical dimensions can be read from the right-hand side of the
drawing sheet. Dimensions are place at the middle and on top of the dimension lines.

 Unidirectional system – dimensions are placed in such a way that they can be read from the bottom
edge of the drawing sheet. All horizontal dimensions are placed at the middle and on the top of the di-
mension lines while vertical and inclined dimensions are inserted by breaking the dimension lines at
the middle.

It should be noted that dimensioning leader for both system is the same.

Rules for dimensioning

The following rules for dimensioning must be adopted to achieve the good dimensioning characteristics like
clearness, completeness, readability and accuracy.

1. Between any two extension lines, there must be one and only one dimension line bearing one dimen-
sion.

2. As far as possible, all dimensions should be placed outside the views. Inside dimensions are preferred
only if they are clearer and more easily readable.

3. All dimensions on a drawing must be shown using either aligned system or unidirectional system. In
no case should, the two systems be mixed on the same drawing.

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 4. The same unit of length should be used for all the dimensions on a drawing. The unit should not be
written after each dimension, but a note mentioning the unit should be placed below the drawing.

5. Dimensions lines should not cross each other, Dimension lines should also not cross any other lines of
the object. However, extension lines may cross each other or outlines of the object.

6. All dimensions must be given. As far as possible, there should not be need for calculation, assumption
or direct measurement for any dimension.

7. Each dimension should be given only once. No dimension should be redundant, i.e., no dimension
should be repeated directly or indirectly. If a particular dimension is mentioned, directly or indirectly, in
one view, it should not be repeated in other views.

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 8. Do not use an outline or a centreline as a dimension line. A centreline may be extended serve as an
extension line

9. When it is necessary to place a dimension within a sectioned area, leave a blank space for the dimen-
sion.

10. Avoid dimensioning hidden lines.

11. Keep dimensions 6 – 8 mm away from the object line and also from each other.

12. If the space between two extension lines is too narrow to mark arrowheads and the dimension then
one of the following ways, depending on space availability, should be adopted.

(i) Draw arrowheads touching the outsides of the extension lines and pointing toward each other.
Place the dimension above the dimension line.

(ii) Draw arrowheads as in (i) above and place the dimension at one end of the dimension line outside
of the extension line.

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 (iii) Draw arrowheads as in (i) above and place the dimension at the end of the leader which termin-
ates on the dimension line.

(iv) For two consecutive dimensions, replace two intermediate arrowheads by a dot and place the di-
mensions as in (i) or (iii) above, depending on the space availability.

13. For dimensions in series, adopt any one of the following ways :

(i) Chain dimensioning (continuous dimensioning) : All the dimensions are aligned in such a way
that an arrowhead of one dimension touches tip-to-tip the arrowhead of the adjacent dimension.
The overall dimension is placed outside the other smaller dimensions.

(ii) Parallel dimensioning (progressive dimensioning) : All the dimensions are shown form a com-
mon reference line. Obviously, all these dimensions share a common extension line. This method
is adopted when dimensions have to be established from a particular datum surface.

(iii) Combined dimensioning: When both the methods, i.e., chain dimensioning and parallel dimen-
sioning are used on the same drawing, the method of dimensioning is called combined dimension-
ing.

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 14. Smaller dimensions should always be placed nearer the view. The next dimension should be placed
next and so on The overall dimension should always be away from the view. This will avoid crossing
of the extension lines and dimension lines.

15. All notes should be written horizontally.

Below are samples figures on how to place dimensions in objects :

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 Self-Check 3 Symbolic Lines

Name: _________________________ Date: _______________

Test I: Short Answer Questions

Directions: Answer all the questions listed below. Examples may be necessary to aid some explanations/an-
swers.
1. What do you mean by symbolic lines? (2points)
2. When is symbolic lines mostly used? Sight an example. (2 points)
3. What do you mean by model lines? (2 points)
4. Compare symbolic lines from model lines. (2 points)
5. Give a comparative example about the usage of model lines and symbolic lines. (4 points)

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