Approval Drawings
How to Check Structural Steel Approval Drawings Before Submission
A reviewer-minded check of steel approval drawings: completeness, geometry, typicals, notes, reactions and honesty about holds.
Checking an approval set is different from checking a piece drawing. You are asking whether a reviewer can understand the frame and catch design-level problems. Hole gauges on clip angles can wait. A wrong portal spacing cannot.
Work from the package inward: index, notes, plans, elevations, typicals, specials. If you start on a random detail, you will approve a beautiful gusset on a building that is 2 metres too long.
This check happens before transmittal. It is internal QC, described more broadly in quality control procedures.
Package completeness
- Every sheet on the index exists as a PDF with the same number and revision
- Cover states FOR APPROVAL and lists holds
- Notes cite the project specification instead of a generic office spec from another job
- Plans and elevations cover the whole building or clearly exclude areas
Geometry against the design issue
Overlay or compare grids, levels, slopes, ridges, eaves and bracing. Check that member sizes match the design or an approved substitution. Look at openings, cranes and equipment. This is the check that saves mill steel.
| Compare | Fail example |
|---|---|
| Bay spacing / span | Frame on grid 4 sits on the architectural grid 5 |
| Eave height | Girt layout built to an old elevation |
| Brace locations | Door added, brace not moved |
| Member size | Design W16, approval shows W14 without a log |
Typicals and exceptions
Read the typical’s range. Scan the plans for members that fall outside it. Those need a mark or a special detail. A typical that claims to cover everything usually covers nothing carefully.
Foundations, anchors and reactions
If you show anchors or reactions, they must match the analysis and the foundation interface. A reaction table that does not name load cases or the analysis origin is hard to review and easy to misuse. For PEB jobs, coordinate with column reactions.
Honesty pass
Search for leftover client names, TODO text, and details from the last job. Confirm north arrows, scales and revision clouds. If an area is not ready, stamp HOLD. A complete-looking package with a silent guess is worse than a partial package.
A practical workflow
- Check index versus files.
- Read notes against the specification.
- Compare plans/elevations to the design issue.
- Check typicals and exceptions.
- Check anchors/reactions if shown.
- Honesty pass and hold stamps.
Engineering tips
- Check at plot scale. The reviewer may print A1 or A3.
- One person checks geometry; another checks notes and title blocks if you have two people.
- Keep a redline even if you fix in CAD — it proves the check happened.
Common mistakes
Only looking at the new clouds
Unclouded sheets can still be wrong if they were never right.
Ignoring the architectural background
Steel that misses a door is still wrong steel.
Assuming the model overlay is the check
Title-block, notes and index errors do not appear as clashes.
Checklist
- Index matches PDFs
- Design issue letter cited
- Geometry compared
- Typicals ranged
- Holds stamped
- No previous-job text
- Transmittal ready
Frequently asked questions
How long should this check take?
Longer than a skim and shorter than redesigning the job. For a standard PEB package, a structured pass often takes a few hours, not a few minutes.
Should I check piece drawings at this stage?
Only if they are part of the submittal. Otherwise you are doing shop QC too early.
What if I find a design drawing error?
RFI. Do not silently “fix” the design on the approval drawing unless that is an agreed deviation.
Can automation check this?
It can check index consistency, missing title-block fields and some geometry extracts. It cannot decide whether a typical is being stretched.
Where this leaves the work
Check the story of the frame first. Details second. Honesty last, because tired teams hide holds.
When the package passes, follow the submission checklist and send it as one transmittal.
This article provides general educational information. Project-specific structural design, calculations and drawings should be reviewed by appropriately qualified engineering professionals and checked against applicable project requirements and standards. StruTools does not replace engineering judgement or professional design review.