General
Shop Drawing
A detailed drawing prepared by a subcontractor or fabricator showing how specific elements will be manufactured and installed, submitted for design team review.
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In the Field
Shop drawings are not contract documents — they show how the sub plans to build what the contract requires. The architect's stamp on a shop drawing approves conformance to design intent, not means and methods. Rejected shop drawings restart the approval clock.
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Rule of Thumb
Allow 2 review cycles in your schedule for complex shop drawings (steel connections, curtain wall, precast). First submissions for complex work rarely come back approved without comments.