QUANTUM STEEL DESIGN - DRAWING SYMBOL PRACTICE
Original fictional exercises. Not to scale or a qualification test.

1. A triangle at the reference line
Image description: A horizontal reference line and a triangle below it. An arrow leads down to a joint.
What does the triangle below the line identify?
A. An arrow-side fillet weld
B. A bolt hole
C. A section cut

2. The flag at the junction
Image description: A small flag extends upward from the junction of the arrow and horizontal reference line.
What does the flag communicate?
A. Inspect next year
B. Make the weld in the field
C. A lifting point

3. A circle at the junction
Image description: An open circle surrounds the meeting point of the arrow and reference line.
What does this circle mean?
A. Round material only
B. Survey station
C. Weld all around the indicated joint

4. Information in the tail
Image description: The reference line ends in a forked tail with WPS-17 written beside it.
What is WPS-17 doing here?
A. Providing a supplementary reference
B. Stating a piece quantity
C. Giving an overall length

5. Two numbers after the weld symbol
Image description: A fillet symbol is followed by 2-6. The example uses inches as its declared units.
For this intermittent weld notation, what is 6?
A. Six separate joints
B. Center-to-center pitch
C. Six layers

6. A crossed circle before a dimension
Image description: A circle is dimensioned with the diameter symbol followed by 22 mm.
What distance does 22 mm describe?
A. Distance around the circle
B. Radius from the center
C. Diameter across the circle

7. R before a curved-feature dimension
Image description: A quarter-circle curve with an arrow from its center labeled R30 mm.
What does R30 mm specify?
A. A radius of 30 mm
B. A diameter of 30 mm
C. Thirty repeated parts

8. Arrowheads between extension lines
Image description: Two extension lines rise from a rectangle. A horizontal line with inward arrowheads lies between them and is labeled 200 mm.
Which feature communicates the measured distance?
A. The rectangle fill
B. The dimension line and its value
C. The page edge

9. A plus/minus value
Image description: A rectangular strip is labeled 100 ± 0.5 mm.
What interval does this explicit dimension permit?
A. 100 to 100.5 mm
B. 99.5 to 100 mm
C. 99.5 to 100.5 mm

10. An arc between two edges
Image description: Two lines meet at a point. An arc between them is labeled 45 degrees.
What does the degree sign identify?
A. The angle between indicated directions
B. A 45 mm radius
C. A material temperature

ANSWER KEY
1. A. The triangle identifies a fillet weld. Below the reference line means the arrow side in this AWS-style notation.
Reference: https://www.millerwelds.com/-/media/miller-electric/files/pdf/articles/welding-symbol-chart.pdfr

2. B. The flag identifies a field weld. It does not authorize field work or resolve project approval requirements.
Reference: https://www.millerwelds.com/-/media/miller-electric/files/pdf/articles/welding-symbol-chart.pdfr

3. C. This circle denotes welding all around the indicated joint, not every joint in the drawing.
Reference: https://www.millerwelds.com/-/media/miller-electric/files/pdf/articles/welding-symbol-chart.pdfr

4. A. A tail can carry a process, specification, or other reference. Obtain the referenced instruction before relying on it.
Reference: https://www.millerwelds.com/en-us/resources/knowledge-hub/welding-basics/how-to-read-and-understand-weld-symbols

5. B. The first number is segment length; the second is center-to-center pitch. Here those values are 2 and 6 inches.
Reference: https://www.millerwelds.com/en-us/resources/knowledge-hub/welding-basics/how-to-read-and-understand-weld-symbols

6. C. The diameter symbol identifies the full distance across a circular feature through its center. A 22 mm diameter corresponds to an 11 mm radius. It does not identify the bolt size, hole purpose, or applicable tolerance by itself; read those from the rest of the drawing.
Reference: https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2026-04/DOE-HDBK-1016-93_VOL2.pdf#page=84

7. A. R introduces a radius: the distance from a circular arc’s center to the curve. It is not the total width across the corresponding circle. Locate the leader’s target and confirm the drawing units and tolerance before using the number.
Reference: https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2026-04/DOE-HDBK-1016-93_VOL2.pdf#page=84

8. B. A dimension line carries a value between its indicated limits. Extension lines locate those limits relative to the object. Read the stated dimension rather than measuring this illustrative screen image, which is not to scale.
Reference: https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2026-04/DOE-HDBK-1016-93_VOL2.pdf#page=84

9. C. The plus/minus value gives equal variation above and below the nominal dimension. Subtract 0.5 from 100 for the lower limit and add 0.5 for the upper limit. This example describes one dimension; it does not override other fit, geometry, or project requirements.
Reference: https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2026-04/DOE-HDBK-1016-93_VOL2.pdf#page=84

10. A. In this dimension callout, the degree sign identifies angular measure. The arc shows the directions involved; it is not a length dimension. Check which faces, edges, or centerlines the callout actually references before transferring an angle to a part.
Reference: https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2026-04/DOE-HDBK-1016-93_VOL2.pdf#page=84