You’ve accepted the quote. You’ve signed the initial documents. You’ve paid the deposit. Now what? The shop drawing and CAD approval phase is where your custom steel doors transform from a price on a page to precisely engineered construction documents ready for fabrication. It is also the phase where client participation is most critical — and where misunderstandings about the process cause the most significant delays.

What Happens When Your Deposit Is Received

The moment your deposit is received and your initial order documents are signed, your project enters the shop drawing queue. HERRERO’s engineering team is allocated to your project and begins the CAD process. The queue operates in order of receipt — projects approved before yours are completed first, and your project moves through the queue as production capacity allows. Lead times are confirmed during this phase and documented on your final contract.

What CAD Shop Drawings Are

CAD shop drawings are not the architectural drawings your architect produced. They are fabrication engineering documents — specific to your exact opening dimensions, wall conditions, and product specifications — that govern every detail of how your HERRERO units will be manufactured. Each unit in your order receives one CAD drawing showing precise dimensions of wall conditions and product sizes, anticipated clearances between door/window frames and wall/waterproofing elements, hardware placement locations, glass lite dimensions and layout, and any special conditions noted during the ordering process.

These drawings are engineering documents with legal significance — your signature and initials on each item constitute authorization to begin manufacturing. Read them carefully.

How to Review Your CAD Drawings

When you receive your first submittal, review each drawing against these checkpoints: confirm that rough opening dimensions match what’s in the field (measure again if there’s any question), verify that product dimensions produce the reveals and clearances you’re expecting, check hardware placement against your hardware specification, confirm that glass lite layout matches your design intent, and verify any special conditions — arch dimensions, non-standard clearances, WUI requirements — are correctly represented.

If a drawing requires changes, do not sign it. Redline the desired alterations directly on the drawing and return it to your HERRERO representative with a clear explanation of each change. A signed drawing authorizes fabrication as drawn — signing a drawing with noted changes that weren’t actually incorporated creates expensive problems.

The Revision Process

Your order includes: one draft set, one original submittal (First Submittal), and one revision submittal (Second Submittal). Changes beyond normal errors not caught in the First Submittal — such as design changes, specification changes, or additions to the scope — are billed at $225 per hour for additional engineering time. Any additional revisions may also place your production schedule on temporary hold.

Change order administration fees apply to any change requiring a CAD modification after initial sign-off: $125 per change order request, plus $225 per hour for additional engineering time. Changes after production begins can stop production of the entire order — not just the changed unit. Plan your specification decisions carefully before approving drawings.

Hardware Must Be Finalized Before Approval

This is the most common cause of revision delays: hardware choices not being finalized before drawings go to approval. Hardware has specific physical dimensions that affect frame preparation, cutout locations, and structural reinforcement in the steel frame. A door handle set with a different backset than specified requires a new cutout location. A lock with different thickness requires different frame prep. Delay in hardware finalization delays your entire order.

Before approving any CAD drawing, confirm: handle set brand, model, finish, and backset; lock system (single point, multipoint, electronic); key cylinder specification; and any specialty hardware such as flush pulls, cremone bolts, or panic hardware. Provide HERRERO with hardware cut sheets for any specified items so dimensions can be verified before frame preparation is designed.

CAD Drawing Validity and Pricing

CAD drawings are valid for a maximum of 30 days from the date of the first shop drawing. If your order is not placed into production within this period, drawings may need to be requoted — pricing is subject to change based on possible international or domestic price fluctuations in steel, zinc, glass, and other materials. This validity window creates an incentive to review and approve drawings promptly. Delays in approval delay your production start and, potentially, your pricing.

The Approval That Starts Production

When you sign the final set of shop drawings, your order is placed in the production queue. For orders $20,000 and above, a production progress payment is also due at this point. Once in production, the order cannot be canceled without significant financial consequence — the minimum cancellation fee after shop drawing approval is 20% of the total order value, and after 7 days from approval, the order cannot be canceled under any circumstances as production is underway.

The shop drawing approval process is the most important phase of your custom steel door order. Take it seriously, review it thoroughly, and use it to catch any specification issues before they become fabrication problems. Questions at any point in the process? Contact your HERRERO representative directly. To get started with an estimate, use Marco at quote.herrerodoors.com.