MEEN 1310
Engineering Graphics
Lecture 4: Lettering
Rajashekar Mogiligidda
Dept. of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Texas A&M University- Kingsville
Course map
1. Introduction
2. Tools for Engineering drafting
3. Dimensioning
4. Lettering
5. Orthographic projections
6. Isometric drawings(Pictorial)
7. Auxiliary views
8. Sectional views
9. Tolerance
10. Threads & Fasteners
Typeface used in Engineering
• Different hand letter styles are used but not all
are used for engineering drafting
• Roman, Italic, Text and Gothic are commonly used
• Engineering drawing use Gothic lettering
• Also known as single-stroke Gothic
• Machine drawings use uppercase letters
• Lettering may be vertical or inclined
• Never mixed on the same drawing
• Architectural drawings also use Gothic
typeface but are much more ‘freer’
Image source: Radford’s Cyclopedia of Construction
Guide-lines for lettering
• Two types of guidelines
• Horizontal and vertical
• Drawn using pencil with grade 4H or
harder (lighter)
• Should not be visible from a distance
• Letters drawn in equally spaced
guideline grid of 6x6
• Lowercase and small uppercase
letters are two third the uppercase
letters in height
Lettering strokes
• Vertical and inclined
strokes are created with
movements of the fingers
• Horizontal strokes are
created by pivoting the
hand at the wrist
Image source: Drafting & Design-Engineering Drawing Using Manual and CAD Techniques
Lettering strokes
• Letters and numerals must be proportional and
spaced properly
• Equally spaced letters in a word
• Spacing depends on the area available between
letters
• Words are separated by a space equivalent to an ‘O’
• Elements should be stable
• Some elements are not symmetric about the center
• Elements should not appear heavy on one of the side
• Element size
• Minimum of 1/8” in height for notes, ¼” for titles
• Lines separated 2/3rd of full letter height
Homework # 2
Complete Exercise on page B-11 & B-13 from the
Workbook (Need to be done using a pencil)
Due next Wednesday (Sept 11, 2019) by 12:00 PM