CoreSkills+ shares practical knowledge based on real project experience. This is not professional advice and does not replace the advice of a qualified practitioner. Always verify drawing requirements against the current NCC and relevant Australian Standards for your specific project.
Wall Setout Plans
The minimum required to build every wall in the correct place, first time
A wall setout plan is a dimensioned layout of all non-structural partitions on a given level. It is not a floor plan with extra dimensions. It is a standalone construction document with one job: tell the person with a chalk line on a bare concrete slab exactly where every stud wall, Hebel panel, and brick partition goes. This page explains what belongs on that drawing, why each element is there, and what happens on site when any of it is missing or wrong.
Drawing comparison
What is wrong with this drawing
Dimensions to finished face not structuralMissing wall tagsDimensions not set out to grid linesWall set out to structural columnsDoor openings not dimensioned
The mental model — what this drawing is actually for
⊞
Who reads it?
The builder's setting-out carpenter or foreman, standing on a bare concrete slab with a measuring tape and chalk line.
Primary audience
◈
What does it do?
It tells that person exactly where to snap a chalk line so every non-structural wall frame is built in the right place, first time.
Single purpose
≠
How is it different from a GA plan?
The GA plan communicates design intent. The wall setout plan communicates construction instruction. Same walls, completely different purpose.
A1400s vs A1100s
⊙
What do dimensions run from?
Always from the structural grid. Partitions are dimensioned to their structural face from the nearest grid line, never to the finished plasterboard face.
Core rule
≡
What is the minimum?
Dimensions from grid to structural face, wall tags on every wall, structural columns referenced, and door openings dimensioned. Everything else is a builder or client preference.
Non-negotiable
What each element is for — and why it matters
Everything on a wall setout plan either helps the setting-out team snap a chalk line in the right place, or it does not belong on the drawing. Open each item below to understand the role it plays and the problem it prevents.
The minimum required to build walls in the correct place
Non-negotiable, regardless of builder or client preference
Five things that cannot be left off
Every builder and client preference aside, there is a floor below which the drawing cannot do its job. These five items are the minimum, they match directly to what a correct wall setout plan shows. Furniture, finishes notes, door symbols, accessible path annotations, and services overlays are GA plan content. They do not belong on a wall setout plan.
→
Dimensions from grid to structural face of every partition
Without these the builder is guessing. The grid ties every wall back to the same fixed reference used on the concrete setout and structural drawings.
→
Every wall tagged
Without a wall tag the builder cannot determine which wall system to build, stud size, insulation, lining, acoustic or fire rating. Whether the drawing is colour coded or black and white, every wall needs a tag.
→
Dimensions set out from grid lines
Without grid references the dimension strings have no fixed origin and cannot be traced back to the structural set.
→
Structural columns correctly referenced
Columns are the dimensional origin for adjacent partitions. Without them shown and referenced, the builder cannot locate walls relative to structure.
→
Door openings dimensioned
Without dimensioned door openings the builder cannot position the rough opening correctly. Frame goes in, the opening is in the wrong place, and it has to be reframed.
In our experience at Arkitask, the most common omissions on received documentation packages are missing wall tags, dimensions not referenced to the grid, and door openings without dimensions. All three are faster to add than to explain to a builder on site.
What goes wrong — and the pain it causes
Consultant coordination and submissions
Wall setout plans are submitted to the following consultants for review and approval before construction issue. The intent is not box-ticking, each consultant is checking something specific that only they can confirm.
Client
Confirms spatial outcomes match the approved design
Structural Engineer
Confirms partitions clear structural elements and column sizes are correct
Acoustic Consultant
Confirms intertenancy and separation walls carry the correct wall type for the required Rw
BASIX Assessor
Confirms insulated wall constructions are consistent with thermal performance assumptions
Section J Assessor
Confirms wall constructions meet energy efficiency requirements
Drawing reference — AS 1100.301-2008
Number
Drawing Title
Scale
AS 1100.301 Classification
A1401
Wall Setout Plan — Basement 2
1:100
Location drawing
A1402
Wall Setout Plan — Basement 1
1:100
Location drawing
A1403
Wall Setout Plan — Ground Floor
1:100
Location drawing
A1404–
Wall Setout Plan — Level 1, 2, 3... (per level)
1:100
Location drawing
A1490
Wall Setout Plan — Typical Level (if applicable)
1:100
Location drawing
Referenced to AS 1100.301-2008 Clause 1.5.2.2(b)(i). Wall setout plans are classified as location drawings. Typical scale 1:100 per AS 1100.301 Table 2.6.
Free Checklist
Wall Setout Plan — Pre-Issue Checklist
Dimension layer guide and pre-issue coordination checklist for Australian projects.
