What Are Drafting Supplies?

Drafting is an occupation that needs a lot of tools and supplies, but exactly what are drafting supplies? Drafting supplies are used for draftsmen who make their living working with drafts of buildings and other structures. Draftsmen figure out the internal structures of a blueprint. For example, an electrical draftsman might draft up blueprints and plans for the electrical connections in a new building. This gives the construction workers, engineers and architects something to go from when they actually create the structure in real life. Drafting is a technical job that takes advanced skill and a degree from a drafting institution. There are several different types of drafting supplies that are necessary to do the job.

Drafting Templates

Everything in drafting has to be uniform. One draftsman’s work has to be able to translate fluidly to other draftsmen’s work. This means that even symbols for certain things in drafting must be uniform across the board. For this reason, there are drafting templates that are sold. These are plastic or cardboard rectangles that have stencils cut into them where draftsmen can trace the image or shape they need to make. There might be drafting templates for electrical drafting and others for simple shapes like circles and rectangles.

Drafting Pencils, Sharpeners and Erasers

It makes sense that draftsmen go through a lot of pencils and erasers. These are the main tools that they are using in their work everyday. The pencils they use are not just any pencils that you would find at a regular stationary store. They have special drafting lead in them that is meant to last. It’s called archival lead. Most drafting pencils are mechanical pencils, so draftsmen need to purchase packages of the lead to use. Erasers are also made specifically for erasing special drafting lead. Finally, for those drafting pencils that are not mechanical, pencil sharpeners are necessary.

Remember that all drafting supplies can be found online. Some drafting supplies are more expensive than others, but there are always competitive prices on brand name drafting supplies at sites like draftingsteals.com. Make sure to shop around for the best prices, and take good care of all of your drafting equipment so that you can buy it and keep it for a lifetime.