Guides
Reading Aluminium Window Drawings: A Pack-Wide Method
A window drawing pack is a set of sheets, not a single view. Handed the full set, the fastest way through is a fixed route: overall dimensions first, then sash depth, then wall thickness, then the glass line, then the drainage path. Follow that order and a mismatch shows up before the order is placed. This guide works through the pack in that sequence and lists the cross-checks that keep drawings, quotation and glass order telling the same story.
What the pack contains
A complete pack usually carries an elevation that sets out width, height and module positions; a section through the head, sill and jamb; a setting-out sheet for masonry or frame openings; and glass sizes with the build-up called out. The sheets only work together: the elevation gives the sizes, the section gives the depth and wall thickness, the setting-out gives the fixings. A single sheet read alone will not confirm a window.
Start with the overall dimensions
Begin where the building meets the window. Check the structural opening against the overall frame size, and confirm the gap the fixings have to bridge. Read the frame depth as drawn, which decides the wall reveal and whether the window sits flush or set back. Confirm the number of modules and their widths, then check that the modules plus the mullions equal the overall width. A pack that does not close its own dimensions fails at setting-out.
Sash depth and wall thickness
The section carries the two numbers that decide how the window performs. Sash depth governs stiffness across a wide light and the depth of the wall reveal. Wall thickness governs how much load a chambered section takes and where a fixing can bite. Read depth across the frame as drawn, and read wall thickness on an individual chamber wall rather than across a chamber, the mistake that makes a section look thicker than it is. The Adam Alux 95 series is drawn at 95 mm depth with a 1.4 mm wall.
The glass line and the build-up
Trace the glass line next, because it sets the maximum unit the frame will hold. The cavity drawn in the section has to match the cavity on the glass order, since the glazing bead is sized to that gap. Standard glazing on the 95 series is 5-20A-5, with single and triple build-ups on request. Check that the cavity drawn equals the cavity ordered and that the bead still clears the frame when the sash closes.
Drainage, gaskets and fixings
Water has to leave the window, so trace the drainage path from the track or sill to the outside. Look for a fall to the exterior and weeps that stay open, and find the gasket lines at the interlock and around the perimeter. The 95 series uses EPDM foam gaskets and an open, self-cleaning drainage path. Then check the fixings: where they land, and whether they sit in a thermal break.
Cross-checking one sheet against another
The final pass is a comparison rather than a reading. Lay the sheets side by side and confirm that the overall sizes on the elevation match the setting-out, that the section depth matches the frame depth called out, and that the glass line matches the glass schedule. Note every line you cannot trace and put those questions to the supplier in one list. A pack that answers all of them, in PDF with CAD available on request, is the one to build from.
FAQ
Frequently asked
What is the first thing to check on a window drawing?
The overall dimensions against the structural opening. Before depth, glass or drainage, confirm that the frame size, the module widths and the mullions add up and that the fixing gap is workable. A pack that does not close its own elevation will fail at setting-out.
How do I read wall thickness on a window section?
Measure it on an individual chamber wall, not across a chamber. A callout that spans a chamber makes a section look thicker than it is. Read depth across the frame as drawn and wall thickness on a single wall, exactly as the Adam Alux 95 series is drawn at 95 mm depth with a 1.4 mm wall.
Why does the glass line matter so much?
It sets the maximum unit the frame can hold and the size of the glazing bead. The cavity drawn in the section has to match the cavity on the glass order, or the bead will not close the gap. Standard glazing on the 95 series is 5-20A-5.
Where does water leave a window in the drawing?
Trace it from the track or sill to the outside: a fall to the exterior, weeps that stay open, and gasket lines at the interlock and perimeter. The 95 series uses EPDM foam gaskets and an open, self-cleaning drainage path. A blocked weep shows up later as a water mark inside the room.
What format should a drawing pack arrive in?
A readable PDF is the minimum, with CAD available on request so a fabricator can set out from the drawing rather than redraw it. The pack should carry the elevation, the section, the setting-out and the glass schedule. Ask for the whole set with the quotation.
Send your opening schedule
Series, glazing and finish come back as one quotation, with the full dimensional pack on PDF and CAD on request.