Why file names matter more than you think
Drawing sets change constantly, and files get copied into emails, chats and shared folders. Once a file leaves your studio, its name is the only thing that tells someone what they are looking at. A good name answers three questions without opening the file:
- Which sheet is this?
- What does it show?
- Is it the current revision?
The three parts of a drawing file name
1. Sheet number
A discipline letter followed by a number, such as A-101. Many firms follow the pattern used by the US National CAD Standard, where the letter identifies the discipline and the digits group sheets by type:
A— architecturalS— structuralM,E,P— mechanical, electrical, plumbingI— interiorsL— landscape
2. Title
A short description of the sheet: ground-floor-plan, north-elevation. Lowercase words joined by hyphens are easy to read and safe in every system.
3. Revision
Always last, always in the same format: rev-C. Putting it at the end means files sort by sheet, and the revision is where everyone looks for it.
Revision codes: letters, numbers or P and C
There is no single worldwide standard. Common approaches:
- Letters —
rev-A,rev-B,rev-C. Simple and widely used for design stages. - Numbers —
v1,v2,v3. Familiar to clients, and some firms switch from letters to numbers once a set is issued for construction. - P and C codes — in the UK, projects working to ISO 19650 commonly use
P01,P02for preliminary revisions andC01once a drawing is issued contractually.
The format matters far less than using one consistently across the whole project — and agreeing it with consultants at the start.
A convention you can copy
For most small studios this is enough:
[sheet]_[title]_rev-[letter].pdf — for example A-101_ground-floor-plan_rev-C.pdf
- Sheet number first, so files sort in drawing order.
- No spaces — use hyphens inside the title and underscores between parts.
- Revision last, in one fixed format.
- Never use “final”, “latest”, “new” or “copy”.
- Don’t use dates as revisions — they say when, not which.
Names that cause trouble
| File name | The problem |
|---|---|
plan_final.pdf | Every revision is “final” until the next one. |
plan_final_FINAL-2.pdf | Nobody can tell which is newer without opening both. |
Plan 12-09.pdf | A date, not a revision — and ambiguous between countries. |
Copy of A-101.pdf | Looks like a sheet, but carries no revision at all. |
Check your file names
Type one of your own file names below. This is the same parser Plott uses to group sheets and pick out the current revision — including the names it refuses to guess at.
Shows as the current version. Earlier ones stay in history, and every comment stays pinned to the version it was left on.
When Plott reads a folder, files with the same sheet number become one revision set, the newest revision is shown to the client, and earlier ones stay readable underneath. See how it works for architects.
Common questions
Should the revision go before or after the title?
After. Putting the revision at the end keeps files sorted by sheet number, and it is where people instinctively look for it: A-101_ground-floor-plan_rev-C.pdf.
Should drawing revisions use letters or numbers?
Either works. Letters (Rev A, B, C) are common during design; some firms switch to numbers once drawings are issued for construction, and UK projects following ISO 19650 often use P01 and C01. Consistency across the project matters more than the format.
Is it OK to put a date in a drawing file name?
As extra information, yes, but not instead of a revision. A date tells you when a file was made, not whether it is the current version, and date formats are read differently in different countries.
What does Plott do with a file name it can't read?
If a name looks like it should carry a revision but doesn't — final, latest, copy — Plott shows it as unversioned and flags it for you instead of guessing, because a wrong guess would put a superseded drawing in front of a client.