Australian guide
Shop Drawings in Australia: Who Prepares Them and How They're Reviewed
Quick answer
A shop drawing is a drawing made by the contractor or fabricator to show exactly how something will be made and installed — sizes, materials, fixings and connections. The design drawings show what is wanted; the shop drawing shows how it will be built. The architect or engineer reviews it before fabrication starts, and it often sits at a hold point. Review does not move responsibility for the work away from the contractor.
Which trades need shop drawings
The NATSPEC worksection for each trade says when shop drawings are required. They come up most for:
- Structural steelwork — members, connections, bolts, welds and coatings
- Precast concrete — panel layouts, reinforcement, lifting inserts and fixings
- Façades, curtain wall, windows and glazed doors — framing, glass, fixings and wind load ratings
- Balustrades and handrails — heights, loads and fixings
- Joinery and fitout — cabinets, benchtops and fixings
- Switchboards — layout, single-line diagram and ratings
- Ductwork and pipework — routes, sizes and coordination with other services
What to show on a shop drawing
A reviewer should be able to check the drawing against the design without guessing. Include:
- Project, drawing number, revision and date in the title block
- References to the design drawings and the NATSPEC worksection
- Dimensions and setout, tied to the building grid
- Materials, grades, finishes and coatings
- Fixings and connections, with sizes and spacing
- Interfaces with other trades, such as openings, penetrations and supports
- Clouds around anything changed since the last revision
How review works
The fabricator prepares the drawings, the subcontractor checks them, and the head contractor checks and sends them to the design team. The architect or engineer reviews them against the design and returns them with a status, usually something like reviewed, reviewed with comments, or rejected and resubmit.
Don't start fabrication until the drawings come back reviewed. If comments come back, pick them up in the next revision and cloud the changes so the reviewer can see what moved.
Common rejection reasons
Shop drawings get sent back for these first.
- Dimensions or setout don't match the design drawings
- Connections or fixings shown without sizes, or with no engineer's design
- Clashes with other services or structure not resolved
- Materials or finishes differ from the specification
- Changes since the last revision not clouded
- Missing product data sheets for the components shown
Let the builder put the submission together
List the products on your schedule — or upload the worksection — and Submittal.app finds the data sheets, adds a cover and transmittal, and lets you refine it in chat. First packages are free.
Start freeCommon questions
Who is responsible for shop drawings?
The contractor. The design team reviews them, but review does not usually take over responsibility for the work — the contractor must still build it to the contract documents.
Are shop drawings part of a technical submission?
Yes. A technical submission can be data sheets, shop drawings, samples or a mix. Shop drawings are the drawn part.
What's the difference between shop drawings and as-built drawings?
Shop drawings are made before fabrication, to show how the work will be built. As-built drawings are made at the end, to show how it was actually built.