BSI revises engineering drawings standard

16 February 2017


Great Britain - The British Standards Institution (BSI) has revised BS 8888:2017 - Technical product documentation and specification. The latest version is a comprehensive update to the UK’s national framework standard for engineering drawings and geometrical tolerancing.

Dan Palmer, head of market development for manufacturing and services, said, “BS 8888 is the descendent of the world’s original engineering drawing standard, BS 308, and the revised standard is aimed at engineers who were trained using BS 308 as well as new users. The benefits of BS 8888 include improved productivity, reduced costs, and enhanced quality. For industry, this can mean fewer disputes over compliance or noncompliance of components, reduced scrap and re-works rates, and fewer queries due to incomplete specifications.”

BS 8888 defines the requirements for the technical specification of products and their component parts. The standard explains the way in which engineering drawings outline and present these specifications, and covers all of the symbology and information that engineers and designers need to include on their drawings, whether they are produced in 2D or in 3D, created using CAD systems and 3D modelling.

A spokesperson added: “The updated standard is expected to be particularly useful to mechanical engineers, engineering designers, and design engineers in the UK, working in engineering and manufacturing companies, particularly in defence, aerospace, automotive, rail, nuclear and other general manufacturing sectors. Essentially, any engineering drawing should comply with the requirements of BS 8888. Independent design consultancies or design agencies are also set to benefit from BS 8888.”