Shop drawing paper size and scales.

Shop drawing paper size and scales.

The most common sizes of shop drawings are 11×17 (Tabloid) and 24×36 (Arch D) here are some good guidelines for what scales to use on both.

For 11×17 the best scale to use for your elevations is typically 3/8” as this usually allows you to fit the elevation with a plan view above it with ceilings up to 10 feet . For the section pages you can go with a full section showing the uppers and lowers at a ¾” scale or you can go with 1-1/2” scale which will allow you to put up to 3 cabinet sections on a page, however your tall cabinets will have to be vertical on the pages.  I prefer 1-1/2 as it is easier to read and you can provide more detail easily, but ¾” can be used if you want to go for a more minimal approach.

24×36 gives you a lot of space to work with at the expense of more expensive printing and less manageable paper, also alot more zooming when viewing PDFs. A good elevation and plan view scale is ½” it’s a little bigger than 3/8 and it works well on the 24×36 canvas. For sections 1-1/2 works great and you can fit the uppers an lowers together or talls on the same page.