Before You Send Drawings to Your Detailer: A 10-Point Fabricator Checklist
Before You Send Drawings to Your Detailer: A 10-Point Fabricator Checklist
Over the years, I have seen projects go smoothly from day one and projects that hit problems within the first week. The single biggest predictor of which way a project goes is not the complexity of the structure — it is how well the fabricator prepares before they hand the drawings over.
A rushed or incomplete document handover creates a cascade of problems: RFIs, delays, incorrect assumptions, and revision cycles that should never have happened. This checklist is what I give every new fabricator we work with. Go through it before you send anything.
The 10-Point Checklist
1. Are All Structural Drawing Sheets Included?
Check that every sheet of the structural engineer's drawings is in the package — plan views, elevations, sections, connection schedules, and general notes. A missing sheet mid-project causes delays that could have been avoided entirely.
2. Is It the Latest Revision?
Always confirm you are sending the current approved revision. Detailing to a superseded revision is one of the most expensive mistakes in fabrication — the entire model may need to be rebuilt from scratch.
3. Are the Project Specifications Included?
The specification tells the detailer what steel grade to use, what weld process is required, what surface treatment is specified, and what standards apply. Without it, the detailer makes assumptions — and assumptions become RFIs or rework.
4. Is the Applicable Standard Clearly Stated?
State clearly whether the project is AISC, CISC, AS/NZS, or BS. Do not assume your detailer will guess from the drawing format. A wrong standard assumption affects connection design, drawing format, weld symbols, and bolt specifications across every single drawing.
5. Are Foundation and Anchor Bolt Drawings Included?
Anchor rods are set in concrete before steel arrives. If the detailer does not have the foundation drawings, the base plate details will be guessed — and guessed base plates that do not match anchor rod layouts are one of the most expensive field problems in structural steel.
6. Are Architectural Drawings Included for Interface Items?
Openings, embed plates, wall framing connections, and facade anchor points all require coordination with architectural drawings. Send them even if you think the structural drawings are self-contained. They never are.
7. Have You Shared Your Shop's Standard Connection Preferences?
Every fabrication shop has preferences — clip angles vs shear tabs, standard bolt sizes, preferred weld throat sizes. If you have a standard connection guide or drawing preferences document, include it. Your detailer will use your preferences where the engineer's drawings allow.
8. Is There an Existing RFI Log or Addendum?
If the project has been through any design review or bidding process, there may be an RFI log or addenda that modify the original drawings. Include all of them. Detailing to the original drawings while ignoring addenda is a guaranteed source of errors.
9. Is Your Drawing Template and Title Block Provided?
If you have a specific drawing template, title block, or sheet format requirement, provide it before modeling starts — not after the first drawing set is produced. Reformatting 100 drawings because the title block was wrong is a waste of time for everyone.
10. Is the Schedule Realistic?
Finally — and this one matters more than people admit — confirm that the timeline you are requesting is achievable. Detailing cannot be safely rushed without increasing the risk of errors. If the schedule is tight, say so upfront so resources can be allocated accordingly. A schedule discussion at the start takes five minutes. A missed fabrication start date costs far more.
A complete, well-organized document handover is the single biggest thing a fabricator can do to reduce RFIs, delays, and revision cycles on any project.
What Happens When You Follow This Checklist
Every fabricator who sends us a complete, well-prepared document package gets their project back faster, with fewer RFIs, and fewer revision cycles. It is not a coincidence — it is cause and effect. Garbage in, garbage out is as true in steel detailing as anywhere else. But quality in, quality out is equally true.
Save this checklist. Use it every time. It will pay back far more than the five minutes it takes to go through it.
At Matrix Steel Solutions we walk every new client through this checklist before the first project begins. Send your drawings and scope to info@matrixsteelsolutions.org — we respond within 24 hours.