What Does a CAD Drafter Do?
Red pen markups on an engineer's sketch are the raw material for a CAD (computer-aided design) drafter, who turns them into clean, dimensioned drawings ready for review. Engineering firms, contractors' offices and facilities departments all employ drafters to produce site plans, floor plans and utility layouts in AutoCAD or MicroStation. Some drafters handle as-built drawings, updating them after renovations so the records match the building.
Also known as: CAD Specialist, Computer-Aided Design Specialist
CAD Drafter Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a CAD drafter include:
- Turn engineers' sketches and redlined markups into finished drawings in AutoCAD or MicroStation.
- Draft site plans, floor plans and utility layouts to the office's layer and sheet standards.
- Update as-built drawings after renovations so facilities records match the building.
- Check dimensions, notes and symbols against markups before drawings go out for review.
- Plot, scan and file drawing sets, keeping revision numbers and dates in order.
- Convert old paper drawings into CAD files by scanning and tracing them.
- Draw grading, road and pipe profiles from survey data for civil projects.
- Maintain block libraries, templates and title blocks for the drafting team.
- Measure rooms and equipment on site when existing drawings are missing or wrong.
- Coordinate drawing changes with engineers and contractors through each project phase.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a CAD drafter, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- AutoCAD and MicroStation
- Drafting standards, layers and sheet setup
- Reading engineering and survey drawings
- Accurate math and measurement
- Revit basics for building projects
- Autodesk Certified Professional credential, where employers ask for it
- File and revision control
- Focus through long, detailed drawing sessions
Education and Training
Two years of drafting study, ending in the associate degree that BLS reports as typical for architectural and civil drafters, is the standard preparation. Community college and technical school courses teach AutoCAD, drawing standards and the construction basics a first CAD job calls for. Autodesk certification is optional, though it gives a new drafter one more thing to show an employer.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $55,650 - $80,870 per year, with a median of $66,150.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Architectural and Civil Drafters.
BLS projects employment of architectural and civil drafters to grow about 5 percent from 2025 to 2035. Expect roughly 9,100 openings a year across the group. Drafters who also model in Revit or civil design software tend to get the better jobs, since software now handles much of the routine line drawing that once filled a drafter's day.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Architectural and civil drafters.