Lettering and Dimensioning

Practices
CHAPTER 2
• 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
 Title Block
• The title block should lie within the drawing
space at the bottom right hand comer of the
sheet. The title block can have providing the
following information.
1. Title of the drawing.
2. Drawing number.
3. Scale.
4. Symbol denoting the method of projection.
5. Name of the firm, and
6. Initials of staff who have designed, checked
and approved.
Drawing Sheet Layout
 Lines
Each line has a definite meaning and sense to convey
•Visible Outlines, Visible Edges : (Continuous wide lines) The lines
drawn to represent the visible outlines/ visible edges / surface
boundary lines of objects should be outstanding in appearance.
•Dimension Lines: (Continuous narrow Lines) Dimension Lines are
drawn to mark dimension.
•Extension Lines: (Continuous narrow Lines)
•There are extended slightly beyond the respective dimension lines.
•Construction Lines: (Continuous narrow Lines) Construction Lines are
drawn for constructing drawings and should not be erased after
completion of the drawing.
•Hatching / Section Lines: (Continuous Narrow Lines) Hatching Lines
are drawn for the sectioned portion of an object. These are drawn
inclined at an angle of 45° to the axis or to the main outline of the
section.
• Guide Lines: (Continuous Narrow Lines) Guide Lines are drawn for
lettering and should not be erased after lettering.
• Break Lines: (Continuous Narrow Freehand Lines) Wavy continuous
narrow line drawn freehand is used to represent break of an object.
• Dashed Narrow Lines: (Dashed Narrow Lines) Hidden edges /
Hidden outlines of objects are shown by dashed lines of short
dashes of equal lengths of about 3 mm, spaced at equal distances
of about 1 mm. the points of intersection of these lines with the
outlines / another hidden line should be clearly shown.
• Center Lines: (Long-Dashed Dotted Narrow Lines) Center Lines are
drawn at the center of the drawings symmetrical about an axis or
both the axes. These are extended by a short distance beyond the
outline of the drawing.
• Cutting Plane Lines: Cutting Plane Line is drawn to show the
location of a cutting plane. It is long-dashed dotted narrow line,
made wide at the ends, bends and change of direction. The
direction of viewing is shown by means of arrows resting on the
cutting plane line.
• Border Lines Border Lines are continuous wide lines of minimum
thickness 0.7 mm
 Visible/Object Lines
• Dark, heavy lines.
• Used to represent the outline or contour of the object
being drawn.
• Define features you can see in a particular view.
 Hidden Lines
• Light, narrow, short, dashed lines.
• Shows the outline of a feature that can not be seen in
a particular view.
• Used to help clarify a feature, but can be omitted if
they clutter a drawing.
Hidden Lines (Technique)
 Section Lines

• Thin line usually drawn at a 45 degree angle.

• Indicates the material that has been cut through in a
sectional view.

Section
Line
 Center Lines
• Thin line consisting of alternating long and short
dashes.
• Used to represent the center of round or cylindrical
features, or the symmetry of a feature.
 Dimension Lines
• Thin lines capped on the ends with arrowheads and
broken along their length to provide a space for the
dimension numeral.
• They indicate length.
 Extension Lines
• Thin lines used to establish the extent of a dimension.
• Can also be used to show extension of a surface to a
theoretical intersection as shown in (b).
• Begin 1.5mm from the object and extend to 3mm
beyond the last dimension.
• They should not cross dimension lines.
 Leader Lines
• Thin lines used to connect a specific note to a feature.
• Also used to direct dimensions, symbols, item number and
part numbers on a drawing.
• Commonly drawn at 45, 30 and 60 degrees.
• Has a short shoulder (3-6mm) at one end beginning at the
center of the vertical height of text, and a standard
dimension arrowhead at the other end touching the feature.

• Leader lines should not cross

each other.
• Leader lines should not be
excessively long.
• Leader lines should not be
vertical or horizontal.
• Leader lines should not be
parallel to dimension lines,
extension lines or section lines.
 Arrowheads
• Used to terminate dimension lines and leader lines and on
cutting-plane lines and viewing plane lines.
• They should be three times as long as they are wide.
• They should be the same size throughout the drawing.
• The filled arrowhead is generally preferred because of its
clarity.
 Cutting Plane Lines

• Thick broken line that is terminated with short 90

degree arrowheads.
• Shows where a part is mentally cut in half to better
see the interior detail.
Cutting Plane Lines (Example)
 Break Lines

• Used to break out sections for clarity or for shortening

a part.

• Three types of break lines with different line weights:

a) Short Breaks.
b) Long Breaks.
c) Cylindrical Breaks.
 a) Short Break Lines
• Thick wavy line.
• Used to break the edge or surface of a part for clarity
of a hidden surface.

(a) Short break line on metal shape;

(b) Short Break Line on wood shape.
 b) Long Break Lines

• Long, thin lines.

• Used to show that the middle section of an object has
been removed so it can be drawn on a smaller piece
of paper.
 c) Cylindrical Break Lines
• Thin lines.
• Used to show round parts that are broken in half to
better clarify the print or to reduce the length of the
object.

Cylindrical conventional breaks for a solid and tube;

where R = Radius
 Phantom Lines
• Thin lines made up of long dashes alternating with
pairs of short dashes.
• Three purposes in drawings
a) To show the alternate position of moving parts.
b) To show the relationship of parts that fit together.
c) To show repeated detail.
Phantom Lines (Examples)
Grades of Pencils used in Lines
Example 1
Example 2
• Line widths: Line width means line thickness.
Choose line widths according to the size of the
drawing from the following range: 0.13,0.18,
0.25, 0.35, 0.5, 0.7 and 1 mm.
• BIS recommends two line widths on a rawing.
Ratio between the thin and thick lines on a
drawing shall not be less than 1 : 2.
• Precedence of Lines
1. When a Visible Line coincide with a Hidden
Line or Center Line, draw the Visible Line. Also,
extend the Center Line beyond the outlines of
the view.
2. When a Hidden Line coincides with a Center
Line, draw the Hidden Line.
3. When a Visible Line coincides with a Cutting
Plane, draw the Visible Line.
4. When a Center line coincides with a Cutting
Plane, draw the Center Line and show the Cutting
Plane line outside the outlines of the view at the
ends of the Center Line by thick dashes.
 LETTERING
• 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
• The two types of lettering are:
- Double Stroke Lettering.
- Single Stroke Lettering.
• In Double Stroke Lettering the line width is greater than that
of Single Stroke Lettering.
Double Stroke Lettering is further divided into:
a) Double Stroke Vertical Gothic Lettering.
b) Double Stroke Inclined Gothic Lettering.
• A stencil is mostly used when hand drawing double stroked
letters
• Single Stroke Letters: The word single-stroke should not be
taken to mean that the lettering should be made in one
stroke without lifting the pencil. It means that the thickness of
the letter should be uniform as if it is obtained in one stroke
of the pencil.
• Thickness in single stroke lettering is obtained by a single
stroke of pencil or ink pen.
It is further divided into:
(a) Single Stroke Vertical Gothic Lettering.
(b) Single Stroke Inclined Gothic Lettering.

Single stroke vertical letters Single stroke inclined letters

• 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
 Guidelines in Lettering (including Height)

Recommended Size (height, h) of

Letters/Numerals
h -(height of capital letters)
c1 -(height of lower-case letters) Main Title 5mm, 7mm, 10mm
c2 -(tail of lower-case letters)
c3 -(stem of lower-case letters) Sub-Title 3.5mm, 5mm
-(spacing between baselines)
Dimensions, Notes
b1 -(spacing between baselines) etc.
2.5mm, 3.5mm, 5mm
b2
c2

c2
h
 Guidelines for Lettering

Standard height for CAPITAL Letters and Numerals according to the Bureau of
Indian Standards (BIS) is:
1.8, 2.5, 3.5, 5, 6, 10, 14, 20 mm. (Sizes selected based upon size of drawing)

• Drawing numbers, title blocks and letters denoting cutting planes,

sections are written in 10mm size.
• Drawing title is written in 7mm size.
• Hatching, subtitles, materials, dimensions, notes etc. are written in 3.5
mm size.
• Space between lines is 3/10 h (height of capital letters)
• Space between words may be equal to the width of the alphabet M or
3/5 h (height of capital letters).
Guidelines for Lettering
 Basics of Single Stroking
Straight Slanted Horizontal Curved

Examples
“I” letter “A” letter “B” letter
4 5
1 1 2 1

3 6

3
2
 Order of Strokes
Stroking is done based on the slope of each letter and
the strokes vary with order and direction.
 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.
TYPES OF LINES
 DIMENSIONING
Orthographic Views convey the shape information
Dimensioning is required to convey the exact size of the object
Elements of dimensioning
 Principles of Dimensioning
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
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.
6. Dimensions should be taken from visible outlines rather than
from hidden lines
7. No gap should be left between the feature and the start of the
extension line
8. Crossing of center lines should be done by a long dash and not
a short dash
• If the space for dimensioning is insufficient, the arrow heads
may be reversed and the adjacent arrow heads may be
replaced by a dot. However, they may be drawn obliquely,
but parallel to each other in special cases, such as on tapered
feature
• When a radius is dimensioned only one arrow head, with its
point on the arc end of the dimension line should be used.
The arrow head termination may be either on the inside or
outside of the feature outline, depending on the size of the
feature.
• Dimensions should be placed parallel to and above their
dimension lines and preferably at the middle, and clear of the
line
Identification of Shapes
 Arrangement of Dimensions
• 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
• 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