Floor Plan Abbreviations
Being able to decipher floor plan abbreviations is essential in ensuring you are building the house of your dreams! To help you understand what each abbreviation stands for, we have created this webpage to further assist you.
Definition:
Abbreviation is defined as “a shortened form of a written word or phrase” (Merriam-Webster.,2020), which are commonly used in all types of Engineering drawings.
Why are abbreviations used in Engineering drawings?
Repetition of long words and phrases can be avoided by using an abbreviation (Barrie, 2006). For example, cast steel can be simplified as “CS” according to Australian Standard AS1100.101-1992 Technical drawings.
In addition, space and time spent on the drawings can be saved by using abbreviations to convert those long jargon into a concise form (Barrie, 2006).
How should abbreviations be included in Engineering drawings?
All the general principles and rules of using abbreviations are included in Australian standard AS 1100.101-1992 section 1.4 and AS1100.103-2008 section 2.8 to 2.9, which shall be followed to avoid the potential confusion caused by inconsistency.
A list of abbreviations and their meanings shall be provided and headed by any of the following. All of them have the same meaning according to AS1100:
- LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.
- KEY.
- LEGEND.
Example of abbreviation in Engineering drawings
Some commonly used floor plan abbreviations in technical drawings are summarized in Table 1 below. More examples can be found in Table 1.1 and 1.2 of Australian standard AS 1100.101-1992, and Tables 2.4 and 2.5 of AS1100.103-2008.
Table 1 Commonly used Abbreviations (Maker Immersion Project, 2019)
| Abbreviations | Word(s) |
| AB | ABOVE BENCH TOP |
| AC | AIR CONDITIONING UNIT |
| AD | MOUNTED ABOVE DOORWAY |
| AFL | ABOVE FLOOR LEVEL |
| AFFL | ABOVE FINISHED SLAB LEVEL |
| AFSL | ABOVE FINISHED SLAB |
| BWU | BOILING WATER UNIT |
| C | CEILING MOUNTED |
| CDM | CLOTHES DRYING MACHINE |
| COL | COLUMN |
| CS | CEILING SPACE |
| CT | COOKING TOP |
| DGPO | DOUBLE GENERAL POWER OUTLET |
| DP | DOWNPIPE |
| DW | DISHWASHER |
| EAF | EXHAUST FAN |
| ENS | ENSUITE |
| F | FRIDGE |
| FW | FLOOR WASTE |
| FL | FLOOR LEVEL |
| GH | GAS HEATER ISOLATOR |
| GPO | GENERAL POWER OUTLET |
| HD | HAND DRYER |
| HL | MOUNTED AT HIGH LEVEL |
| HWS | HOT WATER SERVICE |
| HWU | HOT WATER UNIT |
| LC | LIGHTING CONTROL CABINET |
| LDRY/LDY | LAUNDRY ROOM |
| MD | MOTORISED DOOR |
| RL | REDUCED LEVEL |
| PL | PLAN LEVEL |
| WIR | WALKING IN ROBE |
| sq.m | SQUARE METER |
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References:
- Barrie. (2006). What are the symbols and abbreviations found on a drawing?. Retrieved 23 December 2020, from https://sielearning.tafensw.edu.au/toolboxes/toolbox905/2_draw/draw_t4/htm/draw4_2_1.html
- Definition of ABBREVIATION. (2020). Retrieved 23 December 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abbreviation
- Exner Education Pty Ltd 2019. (2019). Plans and Specifications [Ebook] (p. 47). Retrieved 8 January 2021, from.
- Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Abbreviation. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved December 22, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abbreviation