Structural Design and Drafting Services Australia

ASTCAD provides structural design and drafting services to structural engineers, fabricators, builders, and project managers across Australia. Our structural drafting team produces steel shop drawings, concrete reinforcement drawings, connection details, tilt-panel documentation, and 3D structural BIM models — all to the Australian Standards required for council submission, fabrication, and construction.

We work with clients across Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, and across regional Australia. All structural drawings are produced to AS 4100 (Steel Structures), AS 3600 (Concrete Structures), and AS/NZS 1100.501 (Structural Engineering Drawing).

Structural Drafting Services We Offer

Steel Shop Drawings

Detailed fabrication drawings for structural steel elements — columns, beams, braces, purlins, girts, portal frames, trusses, and connections. Our steel shop drawings include:

• General arrangement drawings (GAs) showing member grid, levels, and orientation
• Individual member fabrication drawings with exact cut lengths, holes, cope cuts, and weld preparations
• Connection details — bolted and welded, compliant with AS 4100 Section 9
• Weld symbol annotation to AS 2812 and AS/NZS 2980
• Bolt grade, plate grade, and section size callouts per AS/NZS 3678, AS/NZS 1163
• Anchor bolt plans for concrete pad design coordination
• Erection drawings with piece marks and sequence notes

Concrete Reinforcement Drawings

Reinforcement drawings and bar schedules for footings, slabs, columns, beams, retaining walls, and concrete structures to AS 3600 and AS/NZS 4671 (Steel Reinforcing Materials). ASTCAD produces:

• Footing and pad base reinforcement plans and sections
• Slab-on-ground and elevated slab reinforcement layouts
• Column, beam, and shear wall reinforcement details
• Bar bending schedules (BBS) in the format required by AS 3600 Appendix E
• Lap splice, development length, and cover callouts per AS 3600 Tables
• Post-tensioning layout and tendon profile drawings

Tilt-Panel Construction Documentation

Tilt-panel construction is common across Australian industrial and commercial construction. ASTCAD produces complete tilt-up documentation sets including panel layout plans, individual panel reinforcement details, lifting insert schedules (to supplier certification), bracing prop plans, and erection sequence drawings. All tilt-panel documentation is coordinated against the structural engineer’s design and the geotechnical report.

Structural BIM — Tekla and Revit Structure

For multi-discipline or complex structural projects, ASTCAD provides 3D structural modelling in Tekla Structures (the Australian fabrication industry standard for steel) and Revit Structure (for BIM-coordinated commercial and institutional projects). 3D structural modelling enables clash detection with architectural, mechanical, and electrical services before construction — significantly reducing costly on-site variations.

Australian Standards for Structural Drafting

Standard	Application
AS/NZS 1100.501	Structural engineering drawing — conventions for structural steel and concrete documentation
AS 4100	Steel Structures — design and connection requirements governing shop drawing content
AS 3600	Concrete Structures — reinforcement cover, lap lengths, bar scheduling requirements
AS/NZS 4671	Steel Reinforcing Materials — bar grades and designation
AS/NZS 3678	Structural Steel — hot-rolled bars and sections (Grade 250/350)
AS/NZS 1163	Cold-formed structural steel hollow sections (RHS, SHS, CHS)
AS/NZS 2980	Quality of welding — structural welding qualification requirements
AS 1170 series	Structural loading — wind, earthquake, live loads that drive structural member design

Project Types

Frequently Asked Questions

Do ASTCAD structural drawings include engineer certification?

ASTCAD produces the structural drawings — the Engineer of Record (EOR) reviews and certifies them. We work directly with the structural engineer’s design inputs (calculations, sketches, specifications) and produce drawings that accurately represent the design intent. The EOR then signs off the drawings before they’re issued for fabrication or council submission. We can coordinate the review cycle and manage RFI responses on the client’s behalf.

What software do you use for structural shop drawings?

For steel shop drawings we use AutoCAD (2D) and Tekla Structures (3D). For concrete reinforcement drawings we use AutoCAD with reinforcement detailing tools. For BIM coordination we use Revit Structure and Navisworks. We deliver in DWG, PDF, and IFC formats. Tekla models can also be exported to DSTV NC format for CNC fabrication machines.

Can you coordinate structural drawings with architectural and MEP services?

Yes. Structural coordination is a core ASTCAD capability. We combine structural models with architectural, mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic drawings in Navisworks to identify clashes — structural beams vs. ductwork, concrete penetrations vs. reinforcement, column locations vs. partition walls. Clash reports are issued to all disciplines for resolution before construction, avoiding costly on-site variations.

How long does a structural shop drawing set take?

A simple portal frame shed package (GA + member details + anchor bolt plan, 5–10 sheets) typically takes 3–7 business days from receipt of the engineer’s design. Larger commercial or industrial steel packages with 30–100+ sheets may take 2–6 weeks. Reinforcement drawing sets for a standard warehouse slab and footings are typically 3–5 business days. We provide a firm turnaround commitment with each quote.

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Related services: Structural Drafting | Mechanical Drafting | Electrical Drafting | Civil Works

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