Free template
Architectural title block template, field by field
Every field a US drawing sheet carries in its title block, drawn and labeled, plus the sheet numbering of the United States National CAD Standard. It is all on this page. Want an editable copy to set up your own standard? Download the Word template.
By Camila BruggerFounder and CEO
What a title block is, and when you set it up
The title block is the band of information that repeats on every sheet of a drawing set. It answers four questions before anyone reads a line of the drawing: which project this is, who prepared it, what this sheet shows and whether it is the current version.
You set it up once per project, usually from your firm's standard, before the first sheet goes out. After that it only changes when the sheet is issued again. The United States National CAD Standard organizes it into blocks, from the designer identification at the top to the sheet identification at the bottom, and that is the order the drawing below follows.
The title block, drawn and labeled
Each number on the drawing matches a field in the list. Text in [brackets] is a placeholder for your project data.
Designer identification block
Who prepared the sheet: the firm, its consultants and the professional seal.
Field 1: Firm name and logo
The firm that prepared the sheet, exactly as it appears on your contracts. It is the same on every sheet of the set.
Example: [Firm name and logo]
Field 2: Firm address and contact
Office address, phone and website, so a contractor or plan reviewer knows who to call about the sheet.
Example: [Street address, City, State ZIP] [Phone] [Website]
Field 3: Consultants
Structural, MEP, civil and other consultants whose work is in the set. Many firms list every consultant on the cover sheet and only the relevant one on each discipline sheet.
Example: [Consultant name, discipline, phone]
Field 4: Professional seal and signature
Room for the seal, signature and date of the licensed architect or engineer responsible for the sheet. Each state licensing board sets its own rules for seals, so size this area for the strictest state you work in.
Example: [Seal, signature and date]
Issue block
The history of every issue, revision, addendum and clarification of the sheet.
Field 5: Issue and revision history
Every time the sheet goes out: permit set, bid set, addenda, revisions. Record a number, a short description and the date. The A/E/C CAD Standard puts the first entry on the bottom line and adds new ones above it. Whichever direction you pick, keep it the same across the set.
Example: [No.] [Description] [Date]
Management block
Who drew, checked and approved the sheet, plus filing data such as the date, scale and file name.
Field 6: Drawn, checked and approved by
Initials of the people who drew, checked and approved the sheet. It tells a reviewer who to ask and shows the sheet went through a check.
Example: [Drawn] [Checked] [Approved]
Field 7: Date
The date of the current issue. Keep it in step with the latest line of the issue block.
Example: [MM/DD/YYYY]
Field 8: Scale
The scale of the drawings on the sheet. When a sheet mixes scales, write As noted here and put the scale under each drawing title.
Example: [1/4" = 1'-0" or As noted]
Field 9: File name and plot date
The CAD or model file the sheet came from and when it was plotted. The management block is where the A/E/C CAD Standard keeps this filing data.
Example: [File name] [Plot date]
Project identification block
Which project the sheet belongs to: name, location, owner, number and phase.
Field 10: Project name
The project name the client uses, identical on every sheet and on the cover.
Example: [Project name]
Field 11: Project address
Site address or location. On a campus or a large site, add the building or area.
Example: [Street address, City, State]
Field 12: Client or owner
The owner of the project, as named in your agreement.
Example: [Owner name]
Field 13: Project number
Your internal project number, plus the client's number if they assign one. It ties the sheet to your files, time sheets and invoices.
Example: [Project number]
Field 14: Phase or issue status
What the sheet is for right now: schematic design, design development, permit, bid or construction. The VA, for example, requires every sheet to show the phase of the deliverable.
Example: [Permit set]
Field 15: Key plan
A small plan of the whole building or site with the part on this sheet shaded. It earns its place when one floor is split across several sheets.
Example: [Key plan with this sheet's area shaded]
Field 16: North arrow
On plan sheets, show plan north, and true north if it differs. Some owners fix the direction: the VA asks for plan north toward the top or the left of the sheet.
Example: [North arrow]
Sheet title block
What the sheet shows.
Field 17: Sheet title
What the sheet shows, in a few words. When a sheet combines plans, schedules and details, name the most important content.
Example: [Floor plan, level 2]
Sheet identification block
The sheet number, in the bottom right corner.
Field 18: Sheet number
The sheet identifier under the National CAD Standard: discipline, sheet type and sequence. You can add the total number of sheets in the set or in the discipline.
Example: [A-102]
Sheet numbers under the National CAD Standard
The number in the bottom corner is not arbitrary. The Uniform Drawing System of the United States National CAD Standard builds it from three parts, so anyone can tell what a sheet holds from its number alone.
A-
Discipline designator
A letter and a hyphen, or two letters
1
Sheet type designator
One digit, 0 to 9
02
Sequence number
Two digits, 01 to 99
- The sheet number has three parts: a discipline designator, a one digit sheet type designator and a two digit sequence number. A-201 is architectural (A), elevations (2), first sheet (01).
- A one letter discipline designator is followed by a hyphen, as in A-101. A second letter can replace the hyphen to split a discipline further, as in ET101 for electrical telecommunications sheets.
- Sequence numbers run from 01 to 99; 00 is not permitted. They do not have to be consecutive, so you can leave gaps for sheets added later.
- Some firms repeat the floor in the sequence across disciplines, so A-102, M-102 and E-102 are all the second floor plan.
- A sheet reissued for a change in scope can take a suffix after a hyphen: R for a revised issue of similar scope (A-102-R1), X for a complete change (A-102-X1), and A, B, C for phased work (A-102-A1).
Discipline designators
The Level 1 designators of the National CAD Standard, in the order the standard lists them. On an architectural set you will mostly see A, with G for the general sheets and I when interiors are drawn as their own discipline.
- GGeneral
- HHazardous materials
- VSurvey and mapping
- BGeotechnical
- CCivil
- LLandscape
- SStructural
- AArchitectural
- IInteriors
- QEquipment
- FFire protection
- PPlumbing
- DProcess
- MMechanical
- EElectrical
- WDistributed energy
- TTelecommunications
- RResource
- XOther disciplines
- ZContractor and shop drawings
- OOperations
Sheet type designators
Every discipline can use every type, and a project does not need all of them.
| Digit | Sheet type | What goes on it |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | General | Symbols legend, notes |
| 1 | Plans | Horizontal views |
| 2 | Elevations | Vertical views |
| 3 | Sections | Sectional views, wall sections |
| 4 | Large scale views | Enlarged plans, elevations or sections that are not details |
| 5 | Details | Details |
| 6 | Schedules and diagrams | Schedules and diagrams |
| 7 | User defined | Types that fit no other category, including typical detail sheets |
| 8 | User defined | Types that fit no other category |
| 9 | 3D representations | Isometrics, perspectives, photographs |
A starter sheet index
How the numbers look together on a small architectural set. The download includes this index to fill in.
| Sheet number | Sheet title | Current issue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| G-001 | [Cover sheet and sheet index] | [Permit set] | [MM/DD/YYYY] |
| A-101 | [Floor plan, level 1] | [Permit set] | [MM/DD/YYYY] |
| A-102 | [Floor plan, level 2] | [Permit set] | [MM/DD/YYYY] |
| A-201 | [Exterior elevations] | [Permit set] | [MM/DD/YYYY] |
| A-301 | [Building sections] | [Permit set] | [MM/DD/YYYY] |
| A-501 | [Details] | [Permit set] | [MM/DD/YYYY] |
| A-601 | [Door and window schedules] | [Permit set] | [MM/DD/YYYY] |
Title block habits that save a reissue
Build it once, from project data
Every field that repeats (project name, number, owner, issue date) should come from one place: project information and sheet parameters in Revit, attributes or fields in AutoCAD. Typing it sheet by sheet is how a set ends up with two project numbers.
Keep the sheet number in the bottom right corner
The A/E/C CAD Standard prefers a vertical title block on the right edge because it keeps the most pertinent information at the bottom right of the sheet. Make the sheet number the largest text in the title block, so it reads at a glance.
Let the issue block tell the whole story
Log every issue, not only formal revisions: permit set, bid set, each addendum. Keep the date in the management block in step with the latest line, and write entries in the same direction on every sheet.
Read the owner's standard before you draw
Agencies and large owners publish their own title blocks and rules. The VA requires its standard title block, the project phase on every sheet and plan north toward the top or left. The A/E/C CAD Standard says local standards may change the content but should keep the size and layout where possible.
Name each sheet for its main content
When one sheet mixes a plan, a schedule and details, the sheet title names the most important one, and the sheet index uses exactly the same words. Consistent titles are what make a sheet easy to find in a long PDF set.
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Questions, answered
What information goes in an architectural title block?
A title block identifies the sheet and everything behind it: the firm's name and contact details, consultants, the professional seal, the issue and revision history, who drew and checked it, the date, the scale, the project name, address, owner and number, the phase, a key plan and north arrow, the sheet title and the sheet number. The National CAD Standard groups them into blocks, from designer identification at the top to sheet identification at the bottom.
Where does the title block go on an architectural drawing?
Many US sets run it as a vertical strip along the right edge of the sheet. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers A/E/C CAD Standard, which follows the National CAD Standard, recommends that layout because it leaves the most usable drawing space and keeps the most pertinent information, including the sheet number, at the bottom right of the sheet.
How are architectural drawing sheets numbered?
Under the United States National CAD Standard, a sheet number has three parts: a discipline designator (A for architectural, S for structural, M for mechanical), a one digit sheet type (1 for plans, 2 for elevations, 3 for sections, 5 for details) and a two digit sequence from 01 to 99. So A-201 is the first architectural elevation sheet, and 00 is never used.
Does every sheet in a drawing set need a professional seal?
Sheets issued for permit or construction are generally sealed and signed by the licensed architect or engineer responsible for them, so the title block should reserve room for the seal. When a seal is required and how it must appear is set by each state's licensing board, so check the rules of the state where the project is built before you fix the layout.
Can I use this title block template in Revit or AutoCAD?
Yes. The download is an editable Word file with every field, a filled layout, the NCS numbering tables and a sheet index, so it works as the spec for a Revit title block family or an AutoCAD title block with attributes. Tie each field to project or sheet data, so a change to the project name or the issue date updates every sheet at once.
What is the difference between a title block and a cover sheet?
The title block repeats on every sheet and identifies that one sheet. The cover sheet is the first sheet of the set and speaks for the whole project: the project name, the team's contact details and often the sheet index and code information. The VA, for example, requires a cover sheet with contact details for every firm on the team and a list of the codes and standards used.