When dimensioning diameters the default on most CAD systems is to put the diameter symbol before it's measurement.
I was always taught to do the same when making notations within text.
However I have just shifted industries from Mechanical to Civil, and joined a new company, and am being picked up upon this habit with them saying it is incorrect.
The contention is that you don't say a diameter 14mm, you say a 14mm diameter.
My contention is that you also don't say pound 10 but you still put the symbol first, or radius 14mm, but still put the r first.
I comlpetely agree with you. It should be Ø14mm, and not 14mmØ, simply because mm are units of something, like pounds, acres, litres or decibels, and should go AFTER the number indicating the size of said unit. The diameter symbol is NOT a unit, it indicates the type of measurement used (Radius, Diameter, Arc, Angle, Profile, etc.) and therefore is more meaningful when placed BEFORE the number. It is also easier to understand with the diameter symbol first and units later rather than units and measurement type after. At least that's how they teach it in mechanical drafting school. Perhaps in architectural drafting school they teach it the other way around ?
However, it is common practice in architecture and civil work to put the diameter symbol at the end. God only knows why they do this, but it only takes a few reads before you get used to it. I suggest you adapt to the methods of your company, not the opposite. Unless you want to nag everyone every time you see a 14mmØ and are ready to have customers call you saying they screwed up an assembly because they misunderstood your dimension. It happenned to me a few years back. Not pretty.
It is fairly well known that engineers don't like architects, and vice-versa. It is not a Universal Truth, but ask around. Both misunderstand and underestimate the implications of the other's work.
Most metric standards have the symbol in front of the value whereas most imperial standards show it after. The reason for this is because it is the convention in some countries to use a slashed zero, so placing the diameter symbol after a value could see it being misread. Even where it is not a convention, some users with place a slash through a zero for clarity and so this can result in values being misread.
The radius symbol is also before for consistency with the diameter symbol.
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