Abbreviations and Acronyms For Use On Drawings and Related Documents
Abbreviations and Acronyms For Use On Drawings and Related Documents
Abbreviations and Acronyms For Use On Drawings and Related Documents
38-2007
[Revision of ASME Y14.38-1999 (R2006)]
Abbreviations and
Acronyms for Use on
Drawings and Related
Documents
REAFFIRMED 2013
FOR CURRENT COMMITTEE PERSONNEL
PLEASE E-MAIL CS@asme.org
A N A M E R I C A N N AT I O N A L STA N DA R D
ASME Y14.38
ADOPTION NOTICE
ASME Y14.38, Abbreviations and Acronyms, was adopted on 8 November 1999 for use by the
Department of Defense (DoD). Proposed changes by DoD activities must be submitted to the
DoD Adopting Activity: Commander, U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Center
(ARDEC), ATTN: AMSRD-AAR-QES-E, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ 07806-5000. Copies of this docu-
ment may be purchased from The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), 22 Law
Drive, P.O. Box 2900, Fairfield, NJ 07007-2900, http://www.asme.org.
Review Activities:
Army — CR, IE, MI, PT, TM2
Navy — AS, CG, CH, EC, MC, NP, TD
Air Force — 13, 99
DLA — DH
OSD — NE
NSA — NS
Other — CM, MP, DC2
Abbreviations and
Acronyms for Use on
Drawings and Related
Documents
Engineering Drawing and Related Documentation Practices
A N A M E R I C A N N AT I O N A L S TA N D A R D
This Standard will be revised when the Society approves the issuance of a new edition. There will
be no addenda or written interpretations of the requirements of this Standard issued to this edition.
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ASME procedures and policies, which precludes the issuance of interpretations by individuals.
Copyright © 2008 by
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS
All rights reserved
Printed in U.S.A.
CONTENTS
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Committee Roster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Correspondence With the Y14 Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
1 Scope and Purpose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2 Where and How Abbreviations Should Be Used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
3 Basic Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
4 Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
5 Words and Terms and Their Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
6 Cross-Reference List of Abbreviations and Their
Words and Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Nonmandatory Appendices
A Table of Elements and Their Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
B Partial List of Engineering Societies and Industrial Associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
iii
FOREWORD
Subcommittee 38, Abbreviations, was formed in May 1995, and is a Subcommittee of the ASME
Standards Committee Y14, Engineering Drawing and Related Documentation Practices. The
Subcommittee is charged with the responsibility of compiling and maintaining a listing of abbrevi-
ations and acronyms for use on engineering drawings and related documents.
ASME Y1.1 was revised and redesignated as ASME Y14.38. This Standard is based on ASME Y1.1
and MIL-STD-12.
This revision of ASME Y14.38 incorporates the ASME Y14.38a-2002 addenda and comments
received since the release of the ASME Y14.38-1999 revision. No abbreviations or acronyms were
eliminated; however, one abbreviation was changed: SME was “standard military drawing,” and
it has changed to “standard microcircuit drawing.”
The successful completion of this Standard is attributed to the subcommittee members, contrib-
uting guests, and the departments and agencies of the U.S. Government.
Suggestions for the improvement of this Standard are welcome. They should be sent to The
American Society of Mechanical Engineers; Attn.: Secretary, Y14 Main Committee, Three Park
Avenue, New York, NY 10016-5990.
This revision was approved as an American National Standard on September 12, 2007.
iv
ASME Y14 STANDARDS COMMITTEE
Engineering Drawing and Related
Documentation Practices
(The following is the roster of the Committee at the time of approval of this Standard.)
SUBCOMMITTEE 38 — ABBREVIATIONS
K. S. King, Chair, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division P. L. Keeney, Textron Automotive Co.
D. V. Alvarez, Boeing Defense and Space Group G. M. Nelson, Boeing North American, Inc.
J. V. Burleigh, Consultant N. Stern, U.S. Department of the Army, ARDEC
L. G. Davis, Modern Technologies Corp.
v
CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE Y14 COMMITTEE
General. ASME Standards are developed and maintained with the intent to represent the
consensus of concerned interests. As such, users of this Standard may interact with the Committee
by requesting interpretations, proposing revisions, and attending Committee meetings. Corre-
spondence should be addressed to:
Secretary, Y14 Standards Committee
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Three Park Avenue
New York, NY 10016-5990
Proposing Revisions. Revisions are made periodically to the Standard to incorporate changes
that appear necessary or desirable, as demonstrated by the experience gained from the application
of the Standard. Approved revisions will be published periodically.
The Committee welcomes proposals for revisions to this Standard. Such proposals should be
as specific as possible, citing the paragraph number(s), the proposed wording, and a detailed
description of the reasons for the proposal, including any pertinent documentation.
Attending Committee Meetings. The Y14 Standards Committee regularly holds meetings or
telephone conferences, which are open to the public. Persons wishing to attend any meeting or
telephone conference should contact the Secretary of the Y14 Standards Committee or check the
Web site at http://www.asme.org/codes/.
vi
ASME Y14.38-2007