North arrow
Shows which way north is on the drawing.
Easily confused with
How to read it
Under the A/E/C Graphics Standard the plan north arrow points to the top or the left of the drawing. Where the site sits at an angle, a second, dashed arrow shows true north as the project defines it, such as grid north or magnetic north. The Army's print-reading manual says site plans carry a north-pointing arrow for site north, not magnetic north.
Also searched as: north point.
This explains what a symbol represents on a drawing. Conventions vary between firms and standards, and a drawing's own legend takes precedence.
Differences by country or standard
Drawings differ in which north the arrow means. The Army manual's site plans use site north. Vermont's transportation agency marks Vermont State Plane Grid North or magnetic north. The A/E/C standard draws plan north and true north as two arrows.
Read next
- Next in Blueprint symbolsSection markerMarks where the drawing is cut through to show a section. The arrow shows the way the section looks; the circle gives the section's number and the sheet it's drawn on.
- The same shape in Ford dashboard symbolsFord Auto-Start-Stop indicatorFord’s Auto-Start-Stop indicator: green when the system has stopped the engine, flashing amber when the driver needs to act, gray and struck through when the system isn’t available.
More blueprint symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with arrows, circles or letters and numbers.
Sources
- A/E/C Graphics Standard, Release 2.2, ERDC/ITL SR-23-1, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, CAD/BIM Technology Center, sec. 4.2.3.4
- Construction Print Reading in the Field, TM 5-704 / AFM 85-27, Departments of the Army and the Air Force, para. 2-3a
- CADD Drafting Standards Manual, Section 7, Vermont Agency of Transportation, sec. 2.5
- Blue Print Reading: Interpreting Working Drawings, E. M. Wyatt, 1920, Bruce Publishing Company, Milwaukee (Internet Archive), Arrows
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 30, 2026. How we research
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