What does a civil drafter do?

Updated January 8, 2025

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Civil drafter responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real civil drafter resumes:

Assist surveyors in the field Revit.
Submit finished plans to TXDOT QC for approval.
Develop attribute links for GIS systems database using AutoCAD.
Prepare complete plan sets for as-built surveys, topo.
Establish fix control points using total stations and GPS equipment.
Involve in the design of subdivisions and commercial sites from conceptual to final.
Design and draft plot plans, subdivisions, road design, topography and land surveying.
Produce various types of exhibits for all departments using ArcView GIS 3.2 and ArcGIS 8.3.
Design and draft HVAC, plumbing, fire protection and medical gas system plans utilizing AutoCad and BIM modeling software.
Complete dimensional documentation, BOM, structural frame welding and assembly documentation.
Control asphalt placement during resurfacing projects to ensure contract specifications for quantity and quality.
Work perform in PDMS Design/Draft and AutoCAD r.2006.

Civil drafter skills and personality traits

We calculated that 34% of Civil Drafters are proficient in Civil 3D, Construction Drawings, and Survey Data. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Detail oriented, and Technical skills.

We break down the percentage of Civil Drafters that have these skills listed on their resume here:

Civil 3D, 34%
Used AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012 and 2013 to create and edit pipeline drawings and maps.
Construction Drawings, 11%
Created conceptual designs, layout plans, construction drawings and topographic maps for residential and commercial land development projects.
Survey Data, 7%
Gathered, interpreted, processed and organized survey data.
Sketch, 5%
Developed residential floor plan from sketch and appliance specifications.
Aided Design, 5%
Applied manual or Computer Aided Design tools to develop and maintain mechanical/structural engineering product definition, for aerospace applications.
Autodesk, 4%
Used CAD tools such as Autodesk.

Most civil drafters use their skills in "civil 3d," "construction drawings," and "survey data" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential civil drafter responsibilities here:

Creativity. One of the key soft skills for a civil drafter to have is creativity. You can see how this relates to what civil drafters do because "drafters must be able to turn plans and ideas into technical drawings of buildings, tools, and systems." Additionally, a civil drafter resume shows how civil drafters use creativity: "create bom s and detail drawings utilizing 2012 autodesk autocad mechanical desktop and 2012 autodesk inventor software. "

Detail oriented. Another essential skill to perform civil drafter duties is detail oriented. Civil drafters responsibilities require that "drafters must take care that the plans they convert are technically accurate according to the outlined specifications." Civil drafters also use detail oriented in their role according to a real resume snippet: "prepared detailed plats, gas main extensions, pump stations and initial subdivision layouts using required survey data. "

Technical skills. civil drafters are also known for technical skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to civil drafter responsibilities, because "drafters in all specialties must be able to use computer software, such as cad, and work with database tools, such as building information modeling (bim)." A civil drafter resume example shows how technical skills is used in the workplace: "supervised and conducted field surveys, inspections, or technical investigations to obtain data required to revise construction drawings. "

Time-management skills. A big part of what civil drafters do relies on "time-management skills." You can see how essential it is to civil drafter responsibilities because "drafters often work under deadline." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical civil drafter tasks: "drafted civil engineering projects by deadlines that were later built"

Math skills. A commonly-found skill in civil drafter job descriptions, "math skills" is essential to what civil drafters do. Civil drafter responsibilities rely on this skill because "drafters work on technical drawings." You can also see how civil drafter duties rely on math skills in this resume example: "computed geometry for layouts and details for engineering drawings. "

All civil drafter skills

The three companies that hire the most civil drafters are:

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Compare different civil drafters

Civil drafter vs. Directional survey drafter

An Autocad Drafter develops drawings and plans for the construction and manufacturing industries. They use various types of computer-aided design and drafting software.

We looked at the average civil drafter salary and compared it with the wages of a directional survey drafter. Generally speaking, directional survey drafters are paid $2,200 higher than civil drafters per year.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both civil drafter and directional survey drafter positions are skilled in sketch, civil design, and gis.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a civil drafter are more likely to require skills like "civil 3d," "construction drawings," "survey data," and "aided design." On the other hand, a job as a directional survey drafter requires skills like "carlson," "scale drawings," "microstation," and "survey equipment." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Directional survey drafters tend to reach similar levels of education than civil drafters. In fact, directional survey drafters are 2.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Learn more about civil drafters vs autocad drafters.

Civil drafter vs. Autocad drafter

A computer-aided drafter is responsible for creating designs, usually for industrial manufacturing and construction projects, using computer-aided software systems and applications. Computer-aided drafters should have excellent command in programming languages and navigating computer system codes to develop a technical output, following the clients' specifications and business requirements. They also work closely with design engineers to discuss dimensions, costs, materials, and production processes. A computer-aided drafter must be highly communicative and organizational, incorporating all the schematics, developing operational manuals, and performing draft adjustment as needed.

Autocad drafter positions earn lower pay than civil drafter roles. They earn a $8,939 lower salary than civil drafters per year.A few skills overlap for civil drafters and autocad drafters. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "construction drawings," "sketch," and "aided design. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real civil drafter resumes. While civil drafter responsibilities can utilize skills like "civil 3d," "survey data," "civil design," and "cad standards," autocad drafters use skills like "layout drawings," "shop drawings," "solidworks," and "fabrication drawings."

Autocad drafters may earn a lower salary than civil drafters, but autocad drafters earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $45,111. On the other hand, civil drafters receive higher pay in the construction industry, where they earn an average salary of $51,407.In general, autocad drafters achieve similar levels of education than civil drafters. They're 4.0% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Learn more about civil drafters vs computer aided drafters.

Civil drafter vs. Computer aided drafter

A design drafter is responsible for creating a technical draft of the architects' and engineers' designs using various software applications. Design drafters analyze schematics and blueprints and compare the specifications to the draft, ensuring all the features' accuracy. They review structural details and perform adjustments based on the building techniques standards. A design drafter must have excellent knowledge with the engineering disciplines, as well as manufacturing processes to determine dimensions and minimize material costs without compromising the construction quality.

On average scale, computer aided drafters bring in lower salaries than civil drafters. In fact, they earn a $7,403 lower salary per year.civil drafters and computer aided drafters both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "construction drawings," "sketch," and "aided design," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from civil drafter resumes include skills like "civil 3d," "survey data," "autodesk," and "civil design," whereas a computer aided drafter is more likely to list skills in "cad drawings," "shop drawings," "autocad release," and "layout drawings. "

Computer aided drafters earn the best pay in the professional industry, where they command an average salary of $46,473. Civil drafters earn the highest pay from the construction industry, with an average salary of $51,407.Most computer aided drafters achieve a similar degree level compared to civil drafters. For example, they're 2.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Learn more about civil drafters vs design drafters.

Civil drafter vs. Design drafter

Design drafters typically earn lower pay than civil drafters. On average, design drafters earn a $902 lower salary per year.While both civil drafters and design drafters complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like construction drawings, sketch, and aided design, the two careers vary in some skills.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A civil drafter uses "civil 3d," "survey data," "autodesk," and "civil design." Design drafters are more likely to have duties that require skills in "layout drawings," "assembly drawings," "gd," and "electrical schematics. "In general, design drafters earn the most working in the finance industry, with an average salary of $59,117. The highest-paying industry for a civil drafter is the construction industry.In general, design drafters hold similar degree levels compared to civil drafters. Design drafters are 2.3% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of civil drafter

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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