Drawing and Document Terms
- As-Built Drawings — drawings updated after construction to reflect actual installed conditions, including field changes
- Bill of Materials (BOM) — complete list of all steel members, plates, bolts, and hardware in a project
- Erection Drawing — shows the overall steel framing layout used by the erection crew to set pieces in place
- Fabrication Drawing — synonym for shop drawing; the detailed fabrication document for a specific member
- IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) — open standard file format for exchanging building models between software platforms
- Piece Mark — alphanumeric code assigned to each unique fabricated component; marked on the piece in the shop
- Revision Cloud — a clouded bubble on a drawing sheet that marks what changed between submittal revisions
- Shop Drawing — detailer-produced fabrication document showing exact dimensions, bolt patterns, and weld callouts
- Submittal — the package of shop drawings sent to the EOR for review and approval before fabrication begins
- Title Block — the information block on each drawing sheet showing project name, revision, date, detailer, and EOR
Member and Connection Terms
- Base Plate — steel plate welded to column bottom; transfers column load to concrete foundation via anchor bolts
- Bearing Stiffener — vertical plate welded inside a beam web at a concentrated load point to prevent web crippling
- Clip Angle — L-shaped steel angle used to connect beam webs to supporting members in simple shear connections
- Column Splice — connection joining two column sections end-to-end; required when column height exceeds standard mill lengths
- Cope — a rectangular cutout at the end of a beam web/flange to allow it to clear another member's flange
- Doubler Plate — plate added to a column web panel zone to increase shear capacity in moment frame columns
- End Plate — plate shop-welded to beam end; bolted to column flange to form a moment or shear connection
- Gusset Plate — triangular or rectangular plate connecting bracing members to beams and columns
- Haunch — tapered plate extension at beam end that increases moment capacity near the column face
- Shear Tab — rectangular plate shop-welded to column, field-bolted to beam web; the most common simple shear connection
- Stiffener — plate welded perpendicular to a member to increase local buckling resistance
- Work Point (WP) — theoretical intersection of member centerlines; dimensions on structural drawings reference WP-to-WP
Fastener and Weld Terms
- A325 Bolt — high-strength structural bolt; most common for standard shear and bearing-type connections
- A490 Bolt — higher-strength bolt for heavy moment connections and seismic applications
- CJP (Complete Joint Penetration) Weld — full-depth weld through the entire thickness; used at moment connections
- DSTV/NC1 — German-standard CNC file format for automated cutting, drilling, and milling of structural steel
- Fillet Weld — triangular cross-section weld joining two surfaces at an angle; the most common weld type in steel construction
- PJP (Partial Joint Penetration) Weld — weld that penetrates less than full depth; adequate for many shear connections
- Pretensioned Bolt — bolt tightened to 70% of minimum tensile strength; required for seismic, fatigue, and certain bearing connections
- Slip-Critical Connection — bolted connection designed so the joint resists load through friction, not bolt bearing
- Snug-Tight — the minimum tightness achieved by a few impacts of an impact wrench; only permitted where specified
- TC Bolt (Tension Control) — splined bolt installed with a TC wrench; the spline shears off when correct tension is achieved
Project Management and Process Terms
- BEP (BIM Execution Plan) — project document defining BIM scope, LOD requirements, file formats, and coordination workflow
- Delegated Design — engineering design responsibility transferred from EOR to fabricator or their subconsultant
- EOR (Engineer of Record) — the licensed structural engineer of record responsible for the structural design
- LOD (Level of Development) — scale (100–500) defining how completely a BIM element is modeled at each project phase
- QA/QC — Quality Assurance / Quality Control; independent review of drawings for accuracy before submittal
- RFI (Request for Information) — formal question from detailer or fabricator to EOR or design team for clarification
- Submittal Log — tracking record of all submitted drawing packages, review status, and revision cycles
Fabrication and Erection Terms
- CNC (Computer Numerical Control) — automated fabrication machinery that reads NC1/DSTV files to cut, drill, and mark steel
- Erection Sequence — the order in which steel members are set in the field; driven by stability and crane access
- Field Weld — weld performed on-site after members are set; shown on drawings with a flag symbol
- Grout — cementitious material placed under base plates to fill gaps and transfer load to the foundation
- Hold-for-Field-Measure — drawing callout indicating a member dimension must be verified on site before cutting
- PEMB (Pre-Engineered Metal Building) — factory-designed building system; distinct from conventional structural steel
- Plumb and Level — erection verification that columns are vertical and beams are horizontal before final connections
- Special Inspection — third-party inspection of high-strength bolting, welding, and other structural elements as required by the IBC
- Touch-Up Paint — paint applied after erection to cover weld areas and field bolts damaged during installation
- Turnbuckle — adjustable rod end fitting used in bracing systems to allow field length adjustment
glossarysteel detailing termsfabrication vocabularyBIMconnection types