What does a detail drafter do?
A detail drafter specializes in developing concepts and drafts for different projects. Although their duties may vary upon their industry or company of employment, it usually entails identifying and understanding the clients' needs and preferences, conducting research and analyses, drawing sketches and outlines, presenting drafts for client approval, and performing revisions as necessary. They must also comply with deadlines and budgets, coordinate with team members, and train new drafters. Moreover, a detail drafter must be proactive at dealing with issues and must adhere to the industry standards and regulations.
Detail drafter responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real detail drafter resumes:
- Create drawings of elevator interiors using SolidWorks
- Develop, organize and maintain AutoCAD standards for designers to use resulting in efficient production and time management.
- Work perform in PDMS Design/Draft and AutoCAD r.2006.
Detail drafter skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Detail Drafters are proficient in Shop Drawings, Layout Drawings, and Assembly Drawings. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Detail oriented, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of Detail Drafters that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Shop Drawings, 13%
Developed shop drawings from architectural & subcontractor plans and translating AutoCAD electronic files into MicroStation files.
- Layout Drawings, 9%
Produced clear and concise structural joist & deck layout drawings using computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) software.
- Assembly Drawings, 9%
Produced mechanical component drawings and assembly drawings for above ground mining equipment.
- Construction Drawings, 8%
Generated construction drawings for manufactured parts and submitted to CNC shop.
- Installation Drawings, 8%
Developed standard installation drawings for instrumentation, meters, and other electrical equipment.
- CNC, 5%
Bill of materials processing, CNC checking, FTP drawings, Printing.
Most detail drafters use their skills in "shop drawings," "layout drawings," and "assembly drawings" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential detail drafter responsibilities here:
Creativity. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a detail drafter to have is creativity. Their role and responsibilities require that "drafters must be able to turn plans and ideas into technical drawings of buildings, tools, and systems." Detail drafters often use creativity in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "implemented knowledge of autodesk inventor 3d software and ansi drafting standards. "
Detail oriented. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling detail drafter duties is detail oriented. The role rewards competence in this skill because "drafters must take care that the plans they convert are technically accurate according to the outlined specifications." According to a detail drafter resume, here's how detail drafters can utilize detail oriented in their job responsibilities: "performed electronic digitizing of residential and commercial land layouts based on construction drawings accurately documented detailed repair orders and technical data. "
Math skills. This is an important skill for detail drafters to perform their duties. For an example of how detail drafter responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "drafters work on technical drawings." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a detail drafter: "performed quantitative analysis to locate drainage and hvac systems. ".
Technical skills. A big part of what detail drafters do relies on "technical skills." You can see how essential it is to detail 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)." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical detail drafter tasks: "created detailed technical drawings of structural designs according to specifications for commercial and industrial projects. "
Time-management skills. Another crucial skill for a detail drafter to carry out their responsibilities is "time-management skills." A big part of what detail drafters relies on this skill, since "drafters often work under deadline." How this skill relates to detail drafter duties can be seen in an example from a detail drafter resume snippet: "produced shop drawing to meet scheduled deadlines. "
The three companies that hire the most detail drafters are:
- Steel Dynamics8 detail drafters jobs
- Randstad North America, Inc.5 detail drafters jobs
- Nucor2 detail drafters jobs
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Compare different detail drafters
Detail drafter vs. Computer aided design designer
A computer-aided design (CAD) designer is responsible for creating plan outlines and project designs for a specific business need. A CAD designer utilizes various technologies and software applications to generate graphic illustrations. CAD designers must have strong knowledge of the technology designs, software management, engineering standards, and the construction industry fundamentals. CAD designers label their works with appropriate dimensions and specifications, performing necessary adjustments to meet the clients' needs. A CAD designer requires excellent critical-thinking and analytical skills to manage design structures and creative solutions.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, detail drafter responsibilities require skills like "layout drawings," "installation drawings," "plumbing," and "design concepts." Meanwhile a typical computer aided design designer has skills in areas such as "revit," "mechanical design," "gis," and "mep." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Computer aided design designers earn the highest salaries when working in the automotive industry, with an average yearly salary of $79,713. On the other hand, detail drafters are paid more in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $47,665.The education levels that computer aided design designers earn slightly differ from detail drafters. In particular, computer aided design designers are 1.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a detail drafter. Additionally, they're 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Detail drafter vs. Tool design checker
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that detail drafter responsibilities requires skills like "shop drawings," "layout drawings," "assembly drawings," and "construction drawings." But a tool design checker might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "cad systems," "design layouts," "autocad," and "edm."
Tool design checkers earn similar levels of education than detail drafters in general. They're 2.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for detail drafters in the next 3-5 years?
Dan Rodenbaugh
Vice President of Education, Director, ADDA
Detail drafter vs. Drawing checker
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a detail drafter is likely to be skilled in "layout drawings," "construction drawings," "installation drawings," and "cnc," while a typical drawing checker is skilled in "creo," "design layouts," "cad," and "dimensional accuracy."
Drawing checkers typically earn similar educational levels compared to detail drafters. Specifically, they're 4.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Detail drafter vs. Computer draftsman mechanical
Even though a few skill sets overlap between detail drafters and computer draftsman mechanicals, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a detail drafter might have more use for skills like "layout drawings," "construction drawings," "installation drawings," and "bom." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of computer draftsman mechanicals require skills like "cadd," "design layouts," "solidworks," and "computer system. "
Computer draftsman mechanicals reach similar levels of education compared to detail drafters, in general. The difference is that they're 1.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of detail drafter
Updated January 8, 2025
