Chapter 2

Lines, Lettering and dimensioning

2 .0 Introduction

Engineering drawings are prepared on standard size drawing sheets. The correct shape and size of
the object can be visualized from the understanding of not only its views but also from the various types of
lines used, dimensions, notes, scale etc. For uniformity, the drawings must be drawn as per certain standard
practice. This chapter deals with the drawing practices as recommended by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
SP: 46:2003. These are adapted from what is followed by International Standards Organization (ISO).
This chapter we discus

2.1 Drawing sheet and layout

1. Sheet size

The preferred sizes of the drawing sheets recommended by the Bureau of Indian Standards
(B.I.S.) are given below as per SP: 46 (2003)

Sheet Trimmed size (mm) Untrimmed size (mm)

designation
A0 841 * 1189 880 * 1230
A1 594 * 841 625 * 880
A2 420 * 594 450 * 625
A3 297 * 420 330 * 450
A4 210 * 297 240 * 330
A5 148 * 210 165 * 240

The layout of the drawing on a drawing sheet should be done in such a manner as to make
its reading easy and speedy. Fig. 2-1 (a) and fig. 2-1 (b) shows an A 1 size sheet layout. All dimensions
are in millimeters.

2. Margin

Margin is provided in the drawing sheet by drawing margin lines [fig. 2-1 (a)]. Prints are
trimmed along these lines. After trimming, the prints would be of the recommended trimmed sizes
of the trimmed sheets.

3. Border line

Clear working space is obtained by drawing border lines as shown in [fig. 2-1 (a)]. More
space is kept on the left-hand side for the purpose of filing or binding if necessary. When prints are
to be preserved or stored in a cabinet without filing, equal space may be provided on all sides (fig. 2-
3).
4. Borders and frames

SP: 46 (2003) recommends the borders of 20 mm width for the sheet sizes AO and A 1, and
10 mm for the sizes A2, A3, A4 and AS. Frame shows the clear space available for the drawing
purpose.

5. Orientation mark

Four centering marks are drawn as shown in fig. 2-1 (b) to facilitate positioning of
the drawing for the reproduction purpose. The orientation mark will coincide with one of centering
marks which can be used for the orientation of drawing sheet on the drawing board.

6. Grid reference system (zones system)

The grid reference system is drawn on the sheet to permit easy location on the drawing such
as details, alterations or additions. The rectangle of grid along the length should be referred by
numerals 1, 2, 3 ... etc. and along the width by the capital letters A, B, C, D etc. as shown
in fig. 2-1 (b).
7. Title block

Space for the title block must be provided in the bottom right-hand corner of the drawing sheet
as shown in fig. 2-1 (a) and fig. 2-1 (b). The size of the title block as recommended by the B.I.S. is 185
mm x 65 mm for all designations of the drawing sheets. Fig. 2-2 shows the simplest type of a title block.
All title blocks should contain at least the particulars as shown in table 2-2.
 8. Folding marks

They are helpful in folding of prints in proper and easy manner. Two methods of folding of prints are in
general use. Method I is suitable for prints which are to be filed or bound. It allows prints to be unfolded or refolded
without removing them from the files.

Fig 2.3 shows the folding diagram for folding an A 1 size sheet by method I. It is folded in two
stages, viz. lengthwise [fig. 2-3(ii)] and crosswise [fig. 2-3(iii)].

Fig 2.3
When prints are to be stored and preserved in cabinets they are folded by method II. The
folding diagram for folding an A1 size sheet by method II is shown in fig. 2-5. The two stages of folding
are similar to those for method I.

Fig 2.4
2.2 Line

In Engineering Graphics, the details of various objects are drawn by different types of lines. Each
line has a definite meaning and sense to convey
IS 10714 (Pint 20): 2001 (General principles of presentation on technical drawings) and SP
46:2003 specify the following types of lines and their applications:

1. Outlines (A):
Lines drawn to represent visible edges and surface boundaries of objects are called outlines or
principal lines. They are continuous thick or wide lines (fig.2.5).

2. Margin lines (A):

They are continuous thick or wide lines along which the prints are trimmed [fig. 2-1 (a)].

3. Dimension lines (B):

These lines are continuous thin lines. They are terminated at the outer ends by pointed arrowheads
touching the outlines, extension lines or center lines (fig. 2.5).

4. Extension or projection lines (B):

These lines also are continuous thin lines. They extend by about 3 mm beyond the dimension lines
(fig. 2.5).

5. Construction lines (B):

These lines are drawn for constructing figures. They are shown in geometrical drawings only.
They are continuous thin light lines.

6. Hatching or section lines (B):

These lines are drawn to make the section evident. They are continuous thin lines and are drawn
generally at an angle of 45° to the main outline of the section. They are uniformly spaced about 1 mm
to 2 mm apart (fig2.5).

7. Leader or pointer lines (B):

Leader line is drawn to connect a note with the feature to which it applies. It is a continuous thin
line (fig.2.5).

8. Border lines (B):

Perfectly rectangular working space is determined by drawing the border lines [fig. 2-1 (a)]. They
are continuous thin lines.

9. Short-break lines (C):

These lines are continuous, thin and wavy. They are drawn freehand and are used to show a short
break, or irregular boundaries (fig. 2.6).

10. long-break lines (D):

These lines are thin ruled lines with short zigzags within them. They are drawn to show long
breaks (fig. 2.6)

.
 11. Hidden or dotted lines (E or F):
Interior or hidden edges and surfaces are shown by hidden lines. They are also called dotted lines.
They are of medium thickness and made up of short dashes of approximately equal lengths of about 2
mm spaced at equal distances of about 1 mm. When a hidden line meets or intersects another hidden
line or an outline, their point of intersection or meeting should be clearly shown (fig. 2.5).

12. Centre lines (G):

Centre lines are drawn to indicate the axes of cylindrical, conical or spherical objects or details, and
also to show the centers of circles and arcs. They are thin, long, chain lines composed of alternately
long and dot spaced approximately 1 mm apart. The long dashes are about 9 to 12 mm. Centre lines
should extend for a short distance beyond the outlines to which they refer. For the purpose of
dimensioning or to correlate the views they may be extended as required. The point of intersection
between two center lines must always be indicated. Locus lines, extreme positions of movable parts
and pitch circles are also shown by this type of line

Fig 2.5 Fig 2.6

13. Cutting-plane lines (H):

The location of a cutting plane is shown by this line. It is a long, thin, chain line,
thick at ends only (fig. 2.5).

14. Chain thick (J):

These lines are used to indicate special treatment on the surface.

15. Chain thick double-dots (K)

This is chain thin double-dot line.
 2.3 Lettering

Lettering is defined as writing of titles, sub-titles, dimensions, etc., on a drawing.

To undertake production work of an engineering components as per the drawing, the size and other details
are indicated on the drawing. This is done in the form of notes and dimensions.

BIS and ISO Conventions

IS 9609 (Part 0): 2001 and SP 46: 2003 (Lettering for technical drawings) specify lettering in
technical product documentation. This BIS standard is based on ISO 3098-0: 1997.

1. Single-stroke letters: The Bureau of Indian Standards (IS : 9609-2001) recommends single-stroke lettering
for use in engineering drawing. These are the simplest forms of letters and are usually employed in most of
the engineering drawings.

The word single-stroke should not be taken to mean that the letter should be made in one stroke
without lifting the pencil.

It actually means that the thickness of the line of the letter should be such as is obtained in one
stroke of the pencil. The horizontal lines of letters should be drawn from left to right and vertical or inclined
lines, from top to bottom.

Single-stroke letters are of two types:

(i) vertical and

(ii) inclined.

Vertical letters are preferred for easy and fast execution, instead of sloped letters.

Inclined letters lean to the right, the slope being 75° with the horizontal.
The size of a letter is described by its height. According to the height of letters, they
are classified as:
(i) Lettering 'A' (I) Vertical and (ii) Sloped (~t 750 to the horizontal)
(ii) Lettering 'B' (I) Vertical and (ii) Sloped (at 750 to the horizontal)

In Type A, height of the capital letter is divided into 14 equal parts, while in Type B, height of the
capital letter is divided into 10 equal parts. Type B is preferred for easy and fast execution, because of the
division of height into 10 equal parts.

Size of Letters

• Size of Letters is measured by the height h of the CAPITAL letters as well as numerals.
• Standard heights for CAPITAL letters and numerals recommended by BIS are given below :

1.8, 2.5, 3.5, 5, 6, 10, 14 and 20 mm

Note: Size of the letters may be selected based upon the size of drawing.
In order to obtain correct and uniform height of letters and numerals, guide lines are drawn, using 2H
pencil with light pressure. HB grade conical end pencil is used for lettering.

Procedure for Lettering

1. Thin horizontal guide lines are drawn first at a distance ' h' apart.
2. Lettering Technique: Horizontal lines of the letters are drawn from left to right. Vertical,
inclined and curved lines are drawn from top to bottom.
3. After lettering has been completed, the guidelines are not erased.

Dimensioning of Type B Letters

BIS denotes the characteristics of lettering as:

h (height of capita) letters),

ci (height of lower-case letters),
c2 (tail of lower-case letters),
c3 (stem of lower-case letters),
a (spacing between characters),
bl & b2 (spacing between baselines),
e (spacing between words) and
d (line thickness),
Table

Lettering practice

Practice of lettering capital and lower-case letters and numerals of type B

Fig 2.7
 Fig 2.8

The following are some of the guide lines for lettering

1. Drawing numbers, title block and letters denoting cutting planes, sections are written in 10 mm size.
2. Drawing title is written in 7 mm size.
3. Hatching, sub-titles, materials, dimensions, notes, etc., are written in 3.5 mm size.
4. Space between lines = 3/4h.
5. Space between words may be equal to the width of alphabet M or 3/5 h.

Fig 2.9
6. Space between letters should be approximately equal to 115 h. Poor spacing will affect the visual effect.
7. The spacing between two characters may be reduced by half if this gives a better visual
effect, as for example LA, TV; over lapped in case of say LT, TA etc, and the space is
increased for letters with adjoining stems.
CAPITAL Letters
• Ratio of height to width for most of the CAPITAL letters is approximately = 10:6
• However, for M and W, the ratio = 10:8 for I the ratio = 10:2

Lower-case Letters
• Height of lower-case letters with stem I tail (b, d, f, g, h, j, k, I, p, q, t, y) = C2 = c3 = h
• Ratio of height to width for lower-case letters with stem or tail = 10:5
• Height of lower-case letters without stem or tail c1 is approximately = (7/10) h
• Ratio of height to width for most lower-case letters without stem or tail = 7: 5
• However, for m and w, the ratio = 7: 7. For I and I, the ratio = 10:2

Numerals
• For numerals 0 to 9, the ratio of height to width = 10: 5. For I, ratio = 10: 2

Spacing
• Spacing between characters = a = (2/10)b
• Spacing between words = e = (6/10)b
2.4 Dimensioning

Drawing of a component, in addition to providing complete shape description, must also

furnish information regarding the size description. These are provided through the distances
between the surfaces, location of holes, nature of surface finish, type of material, etc. The
expression of these features on a drawing, using lines, symbols, figures and notes is called
dimensioning.

Fig 2.12
Principles of Dimensioning

Some of the basic principles of dimensioning are given below.

I. All dimensional information necessary to describe a component clearly and completely shall be
written directly on a drawing.
2. Each feature shall be dimensioned once only on a drawing, i.e., dimension marked in one view
need not be repeated in another view.
3. Dimension should be placed on the view where the shape is best seen (Fig.2.13)
4. As far as possible, dimensions should be expressed in one unit only preferably in millimeters,
without showing the unit symbol (mm).
5. As far as possible dimensions should be placed outside the view (Fig.2.14).
6. Dimensions should be taken from visible outlines rather than from hidden lines (Fig.2.15)

Fig 2.13

Fig 2.14

Fig 2.15
7. No gap should be left between the feature and the start of the extension line (Fig.2.I6).
8. Crossing of center lines should be done by a long dash and not a short dash (Fig.2.I7).

Fig 2.16

Fig 2.17

2.4.2 Execution of Dimensions

1. Projection and dimension lines should be drawn as thin continuous lines. projection lines
should extend slightly beyond the respective dimension line. Projection lines should be
drawn perpendicular to the feature being dimensioned. If the space for dimensioning is
insufficient, the arrow heads may be reversed and the adjacent arrow heads may be replaced
by a dot (Fig.2.18). However, they may be drawn obliquely, but parallel to each other in
special cases, such as on tapered feature (Fig.2.19).

Fig 2.18
 Fig 2.19

2. A leader line is a line referring to a feature (object, outline, dimension). Leader lines should be
inclined to the horizontal at an angle greater than 30°. Leader line should terminate,
(a) with a dot, if they end within the outline of an object (Fig.2.20a).
(b) with an arrow head, if they end on outside of the object (Fig.2.20b).
(c) without a dot or arrow head, if they end on dimension line (Fig.2.20c).

Fig 2.20

Dimension Termination and Origin Indication

Dimension lines should show distinct termination in the form of arrow heads or oblique strokes or
where applicable an origin indication (Fig.2.21). The arrow head included angle is 15°. The origin
indication is drawn as a small open circle of approximately 3 mm in diameter. The proportion
length to depth 3 : 1 of arrow head is shown in Fig.2.22.

Fig 2.22
Fig 2.21
When a radius is dimensioned only one arrow head, with its point on the arc end of the dimension
line should be used (Fig.2.23). The arrow head termination may be either on the inside or outside
of the feature outline, depending on the size of the feature.

Fig 2.23

Methods of Indicating Dimensions

The dimensions are indicated on the drawings according to one of the following two
methods.

Method - 1 (Aligned method)

Dimensions should be placed parallel to and above their dimension lines and preferably at the
middle, and clear of the line. (Fig.2.24).

Fig 2.24

Dimensions may be written so that they can be read from the bottom or from the right side of the drawing.
Dimensions on oblique dimension lines should be oriented as shown in Fig.2.26a and except where
unavoidable, they shall not be placed in the 30° zone. Angular dimensions are oriented as shown in Fig.2.25b

Method - 2 (uni-directional method)

Dimensions should be indicated so that they can be read from the bottom of the drawing only.
Non-horizontal dimension lines are interrupted, preferably in the middle for insertion of the dimension
(Fig.2.26a).
Angular dimensions may be oriented as in Fig.2.26b
Note: Horizontal dimensional lines are not broken to place the dimension in both cases.
 Fig 2.25

Fig 2.26

Identification of Shapes

The following indications are used with dimensions to show applicable shape identification and to
improve drawing interpretation. The diameter and square symbols may be omitted where the shape is clearly
indicated. The applicable indication (symbol) shall precede the value for dimension (Fig. 2.27 to 2.31).

Fig 2.29

Fig 2.27

Fig 2.28 Fig 2.30

Fig 2.31
Arrangement of Dimensions

The arrangement of dimensions on a drawing must indicate clearly the purpose of the design of the
object. They are arranged in three ways.

1. Chain dimensioning
2. Parallel dimensioning
3. Combined dimensioning.

1. Chain dimensioning

Chain of single dimensioning should be used only where the possible accumulation of tolerances
does not endanger the fundamental requirement of the component (Fig.2.32)

2. Parallel dimensioning

In parallel dimensioning, a number of dimension lines parallel to one another and spaced out,
are used. This method is used where a number of dimensions have a common datum feature
(Fig.2.33).

Fig 2.32 Chain Dimensioning

Fig 2.33 Parallel Dimensioning
1. Dimension should follow the shape symbol.
2. and 3. As far as possible, features should not be used as extension lines for dimensioning.
4. Extension line should touch the feature.
5. Extension line should project beyond the dimension line.
6. Writing the dimension is not as per aligned method.
7. Hidden lines should meet without a gap.
S. Centre line representation is wrong. Dots should be replaced by small dashes.
9. Horizontal dimension line should not be broken to insert the value of dimension in both aligned and uni-
direction methods.
10. Dimension should be placed above the dimension line.
11. Radius symbol should precede the dimension.
12. Centre line should cross with long dashes not short dashes.
13. Dimension should be written by symbol followed by its values and not abbreviation.
14. Note with dimensions should be written in capitals.
15. Elevation is not correct usage.
16. Plan is obsolete in graphic language