Drafting supplies : the basics

Every draftsman needs a good set of drafting supplies to ensure his drawings are as accurate as possible because when it comes to manually drawing structures and plans, precision is paramount. When purchasing drafting supplies it is important to make sure you are buying the tools designed specifically for your needs. Drafting supplies cover art and architectural equipment as well as instruments and tools used in surveying.

Tools of the architectural, art and surveying trades

A basic set of drafting supplies covers a variety of equipment including triangles (45 and 30/60 degree), a t-square, a protractor, a combination scale, a large bow compass, a small bow compass and dividers. In addition to these tools a draftsperson would also need a sandpaper pad or a compass file for sharpening compass lead.

Drafting scales are specialized rulers that are used to measure in full or smaller sized units in inches. There are three different types of drafting scales available: mechanical, architectural and civil. Mechanical scales relate inches to inches; architectural scales relate inches to feet and civil scales relate inches to feet, yards or miles. There are also metric scales used to in measure meters and millimeters.

These tools are used to draw accurately measured plans for buildings, highways, machine parts, tools, dams, housing developments and a number of other things that require meticulous and detailed plans.

Drafting stationery

Paper

There is a long list of different types of paper that is used for various purposes but they can be broken down into the following categories: bond, tracing, index, presentation, copy and polyester film.

Bond paper is used for sketching, lettering, computer print outs and making multiple copies on a xerographic copier (an engineering-sized copier).
Tracing paper is used to make copies of drawings by hand.
Index paper is used on cover pages, as dividers and for pencil sketches.
Polyester film is used for making drawing with ink.
Copy paper is used in copying drawings using a 'diazo' copier.
Presentation paper is used for shaded and colored drawings on display.

Pencils

Drafting, art and surveying pencils come in various sizes and the lead is graded according to how soft or hard it is. Thicker lead pencils are used to draw thick, visible lines; medium-sized lead is used to draw 'hidden' lines; and thin lead pencils are used to draw dimension, extension or 'phantom' lines.

Technical pens

Technical pens come in different sizes and are used to make inked drawings, usually for presentation or finishing purposes. They are particularly useful for architects and for surveying purposes.