Shop drawings are the production drawings for a project: every cabinet, its dimensions, board specification, edge banding, hardware, drilling and position in the room. They are drawn after the design is agreed and signed off before manufacturing starts.
What has to be on them
Six items, and a drawing missing any one of them will generate a question on the factory floor: elevations with unit widths and heights; a dimension chain that adds up to the wall; board and finish per component; edge banding by edge thickness; hardware by code; and drilling for hinges, runners and handles.
The dimension chain is the one that gets skipped. Individual cabinet widths that do not sum to the measured wall means the fitter improvises with a filler — and the filler is visible for the life of the kitchen.
| Set | Shows | Who uses it |
|---|---|---|
| Design drawing | Intent, look, materials | Client, designer |
| Shop drawing | Every dimension, board, hardware, drilling | Factory, project manager |
| Installation drawing | Unit numbers, positions, service penetrations | Site team |
The approval is the control point
Once shop drawings are signed, cutting lists are issued and panels are machined. A change after that point is not an edit — it is scrap plus new material plus a slot in the production queue. On a 200-unit project, one late change to a base unit can cost more than the drawings themselves.
This is why the approval should be explicit and dated, with the revision number on every page. "Approved by email" without a revision reference is how two versions end up in production at once.
The four errors that recur
Handed units. A left-hinged and a right-hinged cabinet look identical on a plan. Mark the hinge side on every elevation.
Service positions. Sink, hob and socket cut-outs located from the wall rather than from the cabinet edge, so they land in the wrong place once the run is set out.
Appliance clearances. Doors and drawers that cannot open because a fridge or oven door needs 90° plus the handle depth.
Handle heights. Specified as a dimension from the floor on one drawing and from the cabinet top on another. Pick one datum and state it.
Frequently asked questions
Who prepares shop drawings?
The factory or the fabricator, from the approved design. They must be checked by whoever measured the site, because that is where the dimensions come from.
What happens if I change the drawings after approval?
Panels already cut are scrap, and the unit goes back into the production queue. The cost is material plus a slot, not just the drawing revision.
Do I need shop drawings for a small order?
Yes, in some form. Even a single kitchen needs a dimension chain and a hinge-side note; the format can be simple, the content cannot.
Are shop drawings the same as CAD files?
No. A CAD file is a model; a shop drawing is an instruction set with dimensions, materials and hardware codes that a machine operator and an assembler both work from.
