Electrical Drawing Checklist: 25 Checks

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This 25-point list is the gate we run before any issue-for-construction set leaves the office. It is deliberately mechanical — a gate, not a suggestion.

How to use this checklist

Run the checks in order and do not skip forward. The document-control block must be right before anything else matters, because an unchecked drawing with the wrong revision number is worse than no drawing. Mark each line pass, fail or n/a, and record who signed it. A structured drawing tool helps, because the schedule and the single-line can then be generated from one source.

The full rule set GorkyCAD applies to a project is documented in the product docs; the list below is the human review that sits on top of automated checks.

The 25-point checklist

#	Area	Check	Typical failure
1	Title block	Project name, number, site address identical on every sheet	Two different site addresses after a copy-paste
2	Title block	Revision, date and status (draft / IFC / as-built) current	"Rev C" on the drawing, "Rev B" in the transmittal
3	Title block	Drawn / checked / approved initials present	Self-approved set with no checker
4	Title block	Sheet numbering complete and sequential, index matches	Sheet 7 of 12 missing from the PDF
5	Title block	Scale and units stated; north arrow and key plan present	Two scales on one sheet, no note
6	Single-line	Supply characteristics (voltage, phases, frequency, fault level) shown	Fault level omitted, breaking capacity unverifiable
7	Single-line	Main and branch devices match the panel schedule exactly	One circuit added in the schedule only
8	Single-line	Device ratings, curves and poles stated for every device	"MCB 32A" with no curve, no pole count
9	Single-line	RCD/RCBO trips and types shown where required	30 mA assumed everywhere, type AC on DC leakage
10	Single-line	Spare ways and future capacity indicated	Panel shown 100% full, no spares
11	Panel schedule	Circuit numbers, descriptions and room references match the plan	Circuit 14 serves "Kitchen" on one sheet, "Utility" on another
12	Panel schedule	Connected load per circuit and total demand calculated	Column totals do not add up
13	Panel schedule	Phase balance shown for three-phase boards	One phase loaded at 60%, another at 20%
14	Panel schedule	Diversity / demand factors stated with basis	Total demand equals connected load, no basis
15	Panel schedule	Device type, rating, curve and breaking capacity for each way	Breaking capacity below the stated fault level
16	Cables	Cable designation, size, cores and insulation on every circuit	"4 mm²" with no core count or insulation type
17	Cables	Route, containment and installation method noted	Cable shown crossing a zone it cannot cross
18	Cables	Derating factors applied for ambient, grouping and thermal insulation	30 °C table values used at 45 °C ambient
19	Cables	Voltage drop calculated for the longest run of each circuit	Drop checked only at the board
20	Protection	Protective device rating ≥ design current and ≤ cable ampacity	Breaker above corrected Iz
21	Protection	Discrimination / selectivity between main and branch stated	Main and branch same rating, no selectivity study
22	Protection	Earthing system (TN-S, TN-C-S, TT, IT) stated and consistent	TN-C-S on the single-line, TT in the notes
23	Protection	Earth conductor size and bonding of extraneous parts shown	Bonding omitted at the water entry
24	Coordination	Symbols match the legend; legend matches IEC 60617 or the project standard	Legend has symbols that appear nowhere
25	Coordination	Notes, schedules and drawings agree; revision clouds closed	Superseded note still on sheet 3

Five errors that should stop the issue

Some failures are cosmetic. These are not.

Panel schedule and single-line disagree. The electrician will build from one of them, and it will be the wrong one.
Protective device above conductor ampacity. This is a code violation and a fire risk, not a drafting defect. It appears most often after a late cable substitution that was not re-checked.
Fault level not stated or breaking capacity insufficient. A 10 kA device on a 25 kA board is a latent failure with no visible symptom until a fault occurs.
Earthing system inconsistent between sheets. TN-C-S and TT require different RCD and bonding strategies; mixing them invalidates both.
Wrong revision issued. Superseded drawings on site cause rework, and the liability usually lands on the issuer, not the recipient.

If any of these five appears, stop and fix it before the remaining checks. A set with a beautiful title block and an undersized earth conductor is still a failed set.

Sign-off workflow that actually works

A checklist only changes outcomes when it is attached to a gate:

Designer self-check — run all 25, fix what is fixable, mark the rest.
Independent check — a second person runs the same list without seeing the first pass. That reviewer catches the assumptions the author has normalised: the label that makes sense only to whoever drew it, the note pointing at a sheet that was renamed, the circuit that is obvious until you try to trace it.
Discipline coordination — confirm cable routes, penetrations and panel locations against architecture and structure.
Approval — a named approver signs the sheet and the checklist. No signature, no issue.
Transmittal — record the revision, the date, the recipient and the file hash.

Keep the completed checklist with the project record. When a question arrives six months later, the checklist answers "was this reviewed?" faster than any email thread.

PDF and export tips

Export one PDF per revision, not per sheet. A single file with bookmarks is harder to mix up than twelve attachments.
Embed fonts and flatten markups; missing fonts shift text in title blocks.
Keep layers or a searchable text layer so electricians can search for "RCBO" and "C14" on site.
Check the scale bar after export. A drawing printed at 97% has a scale bar that lies.
Include the panel schedule as a table page, not as a screenshot of a spreadsheet — it stays readable on a phone.
Name files predictably: PROJECT-ELEC-RevC-2026-10-21.pdf. Future-you will be grateful.

If you also issue DXF or IFC, verify that text and symbol blocks survive the round trip. A symbol that becomes an exploded polyline is a symbol the next editor cannot count.

Run the automated pass first: open a demo project and let the 41 built-in rules flag the mechanical errors before you sit down with this list.

This checklist is a review aid, not a compliance certificate. Verify every item against the current edition of NFPA 70, IEC 60364 and the project specification, plus any local amendments, before issuing for construction.

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Frequently asked questions

How many checks should an electrical drawing review include?

There is no universal number; the right count depends on project type and stage. Twenty-five is a practical pre-issue gate covering document control, single-line, panel schedule, cables, protection and coordination. A full QA procedure for a large project will have more, often split by discipline and by design stage.

Who should sign off electrical drawings?

The designer who produced them, an independent checker, and an approver with the authority to release the package. On regulated work the approver must hold the qualification your jurisdiction requires. The checklist should record names and dates, not just initials.

What is the most common electrical drawing error?

In our experience it is a mismatch between the panel schedule and the single-line diagram, usually caused by a late change applied in one place only. The second most common is a protective device rating that no longer matches the cable after a substitution.

Should as-built drawings repeat the full checklist?

Yes, at reduced scope. As-builts must reflect what was installed, so the checks on circuit descriptions, device ratings, cable sizes and earthing are as relevant as at design stage. Document control matters even more, because as-builts are the record of the finished installation.

Can software replace a drawing checklist?

Software catches consistency errors — totals that do not add, devices that exceed cable ampacity, schedules out of sync with the model. It cannot confirm that the design intent is right, that the site conditions match, or that the approver is qualified. Use both: automated rules first, human review second.

How long should a 25-point review take?

For a typical dwelling board and ten circuits, 30–45 minutes including corrections. For a multi-board commercial package, plan several hours and split the list by area so that each reviewer covers a coherent slice rather than the whole set.

Does the checklist apply to IEC and NEC projects?

Yes. The document-control, coordination and cable checks are standard-agnostic. Items on continuous-load factors, standard device ratings and conductor protection need the clause numbers of the edition you are working to; the principle is the same, the numbers are not.

Sources

NFPA 70, National Electrical Code — Article 408 (switchboards and panelboards), Article 110 (general requirements), Article 250 (earthing and bonding).
IEC 61082-1, Preparation of documents used in electrotechnology — Rules.
IEC 60617, Graphical symbols for diagrams.
IEC 60364-6, Verification — initial and periodic verification of installations.
IEC 81346-2, Industrial systems, installations and equipment and industrial products — Structuring principles and reference designations.

Ready to issue a cleaner package? See plans and pricing, read the documentation, or continue with the breaker sizing guide and the watts to amps calculator. More checklists: blog.

Electrical Drawing Checklist: 25 Checks Before You Issue