×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Drawing text upper case vs. lower case?
3

Drawing text upper case vs. lower case?

Drawing text upper case vs. lower case?

(OP)
Is there a standard or preference for upper case or lower case lettering on drawings today? 30 years ago everything was upper case.

RE: Drawing text upper case vs. lower case?

Per ASME Y14.5-1994, para 1.1.5, capital letters are still required.

RE: Drawing text upper case vs. lower case?

ALL CAPS

Chris
Sr. Mechanical Designer, CAD
SolidWorks 05 SP1.1 / PDMWorks 05
ctopher's home site

RE: Drawing text upper case vs. lower case?

ASME Y14.5-1994, para 1.1.5 just provides guidance to the reader in understanding where notes are intended to go on the drawing verses notes that are intended as explanatory only when reading the Y14.5 standard.  It does not standardize lettering case use for engineering drawings.

ASME Y14.2M-1992, "Line Conventions and Lettering" is where the requirement for letter case is specified.  Paragraph 4.3 of this standard states that 'Upper case letters shall be used for all lettering on drawings unless lower case letters are required.  (see Figs 14 and 15)'.  Figure 14 shows examples of upper and lower case inclined lettering and Figure 15 shows examples of upper and lower case vertical lettering.

GDT_GUY

RE: Drawing text upper case vs. lower case?

GDT_GUY,

  Para 1.1.5 states "Notes herein in capital letters are intended to appear on finished drawings.  Notes in lower case letters are explanatory only and are not intended to appear on drawings."  Nothing about where notes are intended to go, other than on the drawing.
  I do agree however that ASME Y14.2M-1992 is the governing standard in regards to lettering, as stated in para 1.2.  Unfortunately for me, I do not have a copy of that standard handy, thus my reference to Y14.5.

RE: Drawing text upper case vs. lower case?

Would you write 4mm, 4MM, or write it out as 4 MILLIMETERS?

RE: Drawing text upper case vs. lower case?

ASME Y14.5-1995, para 1.5.3.1 states "Where some millimeter dimensions are shown on an inch drawing, the symbol mm shall follow the millimeter values."

I guess calling "mm" a symbol is how they get around the all capital letters rule.

RE: Drawing text upper case vs. lower case?

While "mm" is the most common (mechanical) lower case symbol allowed on drawings, there are several others (mostly 'Sparky Speak' items) like all the hertz abbreviations "Hz", "MHz", etc.

The general rule is, if the industry standard abbreviation is either lower case (i.e. "mm") or mixed case (i.e. "Hz") use that on the drawing.  All else is upper case.

I think the "all upper case" rule stems from 'the bad old days' of (poor) hand lettering and the "4th generation copy must be legible" requirement.  All 'ancient history' in these days of CAD and excellent copiers.

RedPen

RE: Drawing text upper case vs. lower case?

also see MIL-STD-12 (S/S BY ASME-Y14.38M) ABBREVIATIONS FOR USE ON DRAWINGS, AND IN SPECIFICATIONS, STANDARDS AND TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS

Chris
Sr. Mechanical Designer, CAD
SolidWorks 05 SP2.0 / PDMWorks 05
ctopher's home site
FAQ371-376
FAQ559-1100
FAQ559-1091
FAQ559-716

RE: Drawing text upper case vs. lower case?


Y'all may also want a copy each of the following:

Geo-Metrics III : The Application of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing Techniques (Lowell foster)

and...

ANSI Y1.1 (latest edition) Abbreviations for Use on Drawings and in Text.

Chris in NC

Visit us at www.fischbein.com

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources