Steel Detailing Company · Virginia
Drafting Buddies is a structural steel detailing company producing AISC-compliant shop drawings, erection drawings, connection details and Tekla 3D models for fabricators, contractors and engineers building across Virginia - from Northern Virginia's data center corridor to Hampton Roads industrial and infrastructure work.
Mill Test Tag · VA-DETAIL
Released
Fabrication Ready
Industry Why
Steel detailing only earns its keep on the fabrication floor. Our steel detailing services in Virginia are built around one goal - drawings and models that release straight to cutting, drilling and welding without a round of RFIs.
Every connection - bolted, welded, moment or shear - is detailed against AISC 360, AWS D1.1 and RCSC standards, so shop drawings pass EOR review the first time.
Structural steel models are built natively in Tekla Structures at LOD 300-400, with clash detection run against MEP and architectural models before drawings are released.
DSTV/NC1 files export directly to plasma, punch and drill-line equipment, cutting the manual re-entry that slows down Virginia fabrication shops.
From NoVA data center racking to Hampton Roads industrial and VDOT bridge steel, detailing accounts for the actual code cycle and project types active in Virginia right now.
What Steel Detailing Means
Steel detailing is the drafting discipline that sits between a structural engineer's design drawings and a fabricator's cutting table. A steel detailer in Virginia takes the engineer of record's structural steel drawings and builds a full 3D Tekla model, then extracts fabrication-ready shop drawings, erection drawings, connection details, anchor bolt plans and a material takeoff from that model - the complete package a steel fabricator and erection crew need to build the frame correctly the first time.
As a structural steel detailing company serving Virginia, Drafting Buddies works from IFC engineering sets and RFIs to produce single-part drawings, assembly drawings, general arrangement (GA) drawings and erection plans that meet AISC and project-specific fabrication standards. Whether the scope is a single miscellaneous steel package or a full structural steel detailing contract for a multi-story commercial building, the model is the single source of truth that shop drawings, erection drawings, BOM and CNC files are all pulled from - which is why Tekla accuracy at the modeling stage matters more than any other step in the process.
Field Erection · steel detailing drawings guide connection assembly on site
Sub-Services
Every steel detailing project in Virginia draws on a different mix of these eleven sub-services. Each one is scoped, modeled and delivered on its own, or bundled into a full structural steel detailing package.
Residential
Steel beams, moment frames and column schedules for custom homes, additions and townhome projects across Virginia, detailed to coordinate cleanly with the surrounding wood or light-gauge framing package. See related residential drafting when the home also needs architectural sheets.
Misc Steel
Shop drawings for stairs, handrails, guardrails, ladders, embeds and canopies that fall outside the primary structural steel package but still need fabrication-ready miscellaneous steel drawings.
Rebar
Bar bending schedules, placement drawings and rebar shop drawings for foundations, slabs and columns on steel-frame projects, coordinated with the structural steel model so embeds and anchor bolts land correctly.
BIM / 3D
Full structural steel BIM models in Tekla Structures, LOD 300-400, with clash detection run against architectural and MEP models before any Virginia commercial or data center project moves to fabrication. Aligns with our BIM services in Virginia.
Fab & Erect
Single-part, assembly and general arrangement shop drawings paired with sequenced erection drawings and piece marks, giving Virginia fabrication shops and erection crews one consistent drawing set.
Connections
Bolted and welded moment, shear, base plate, end plate, gusset plate and bracing connections detailed to AISC 360, AWS D1.1 and RCSC, ready for delegated connection engineering review. Produced as part of our Tekla steel detailing workflow.
Bridge
Structural steel detailing for highway, pedestrian and rail-adjacent bridge components - girders, diaphragms, bearing details and erection plans aligned with VDOT and AASHTO steel-bridge requirements.
Grating
Steel grating layouts for platforms, walkways and mezzanines, specifying bearing bar size and spacing, banding and toe plates for industrial and data-center facility fit-outs.
Precast
Steel embed and connection detailing that coordinates precast concrete wall and floor panels with the surrounding structural steel frame, including anchor layout and erection sequencing.
Pipe Rack
Multi-tier pipe rack structural steel - framing, bracing and pipe support coordination - for industrial, utility and Virginia data-center MEP yard projects.
Platform
Access platforms, catwalks and equipment mezzanines detailed with OSHA-compliant handrail and guardrail integration for industrial and data center facilities across the state.
Virginia Code & Market Context
Virginia steel detailing services have to track two moving targets: the state's building code cycle, and where structural steel demand is actually concentrated. Both shape how a shop drawing or erection package gets built.
The 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code took effect January 18, 2024, and has been mandatory for all permit applications since January 18, 2025. It is based on the 2021 I-Codes and 2020 NEC. The next code cycle has completed its comment period but was not yet adopted as of this writing.
These national fabrication standards govern connection design, welding procedure and bolted-joint detailing regardless of which VUSBC cycle is in effect, and apply to every structural steel package Drafting Buddies details in Virginia.
Northern Virginia's Data Center Alley around Ashburn and Loudoun County continues to drive demand for structural steel, pipe rack and platform detailing tied to hyperscale facility construction.
Shipyard-adjacent industrial steel work in Hampton Roads and VDOT bridge and infrastructure projects statewide keep bridge detailing and heavy connection detailing in steady demand.
Code-cycle status changes; confirm the current edition in effect with your local Virginia building official (AHJ) before submittal.
Jan 2025
2021 VUSBC mandatory statewide for all new permits
360 / D1.1
AISC and AWS standards governing connection & weld detailing
NoVA + HR
Two primary Virginia demand corridors: data centers & Hampton Roads industrial
Software & Deliverables
A steel model is only as useful as the software it moves through. This is the stack behind every Virginia steel detailing project we release.
Modeling
Primary 3D modeling platform for structural steel, connections, and LOD 300-400 coordination models.
Connections
Used for connection design verification and detailing on select fabricator-preferred workflows.
2D Drafting
Shop drawing and erection drawing sheet production, redlines and legacy 2D coordination.
BIM Coord.
Coordinating the steel model against architectural and MEP Revit models on federated projects.
Clash Check
Clash detection and 4D sequencing review across all trades before drawings are released.
QA / Review
Markup, redline tracking and submittal-package QA/QC before a drawing set goes to the fabricator.
CNC Export
Machine-ready CNC files exported directly from the Tekla model for plasma, punch and drill lines.
Data
IFC models for cross-platform BIM coordination, plus material takeoff and bill-of-materials spreadsheets.
The Process
Six steps from your first email to a fabrication-ready release.
Send structural engineering drawings, RFIs or a project package for the Virginia scope you need detailed.
We review tonnage, connection complexity and timeline, then send a fixed quote and delivery schedule.
The Tekla model is built, connections are designed, and shop/erection drawings are extracted.
Every drawing is cross-checked against AISC, AWS, RCSC and project-specific specification requirements.
You review the model or drawing set, mark up any changes, and we turn revisions around quickly.
Final shop and erection drawings, BOM and DSTV/NC1 CNC files are delivered, ready for the shop floor.
Project Types
Framing, connection and misc steel packages for commercial office, retail and mixed-use buildings.
Structural steel, pipe rack and platform detailing for hyperscale and colocation facilities in Northern Virginia.
Plant steel, heavy connections and equipment platforms for Hampton Roads and statewide industrial work.
Long-span framing, mezzanines and dock canopy steel for logistics and fulfillment buildings.
Institutional-grade shop and erection packages for education and healthcare projects.
Steel beams, moment frames and misc steel for apartments, townhomes and custom homes.
Girder, diaphragm and bearing detailing aligned with VDOT and AASHTO conventions.
Structural steel packages for municipal, state and federal facilities across Virginia.
Coverage
Fabricators, contractors and engineers across Northern Virginia, Richmond, Hampton Roads and beyond work with our detailing team remotely - no local office visit required. See related drafting services in Virginia for other disciplines.
Northern VA
Arlington
Northern VA
Alexandria
Northern VA
Fairfax
Northern VA
Ashburn / Loudoun
Northern VA
Reston / Herndon
Northern VA
Manassas
Northern VA
Woodbridge
Northern VA
Leesburg
Richmond
Richmond
Richmond
Henrico
Richmond
Chesterfield
Hampton Roads
Virginia Beach
Hampton Roads
Norfolk
Hampton Roads
Chesapeake
Hampton Roads
Newport News
Hampton Roads
Hampton
Other VA
Roanoke
Other VA
Charlottesville
Other VA
Lynchburg
Other VA
Fredericksburg
From Virginia Clients
“The Tekla model came back clean - connections matched our shop standard and the DSTV files ran straight through our CNC line with no rework.”
Steel Fabricator · Northern Virginia
“Erection drawings were sequenced exactly how our crew needed them. Piece marks matched the model with zero mismatches on-site.”
General Contractor · Hampton Roads
“We outsource our misc steel and platform packages here every quarter. Turnaround and QA have been consistent across every project.”
Structural Engineer · Richmond
Frequently asked questions
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Get a Quote
Send your structural steel drawings and we'll scope your shop drawings, erection drawings or full Tekla model with a fixed quote and delivery date.
© Drafting Buddies LLC - Steel Detailing Services in Virginia
Virginia · Serving fabricators statewide