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Flow Meter CAD Symbol Reference: P&ID Design Layouts According to ISA Standards
Quick Answer: Flow meter symbols on P&ID drawings follow ISA 5.1. A flow transmitter such as a Coriolis or electromagnetic meter is normally shown as a circle with FT or FIT inside. Silver Instruments provides .dwg and .dxf CAD blocks matched to actual meter dimensions and tag naming rules.
What ISA 5.1 Says About Flow Meter Symbols
We see many P&ID packages from EPC contractors in Vietnam, Malaysia, Chile, and Saudi Arabia. The most common issue is not the symbol shape. The problem is the tag number and the bubble type. ISA 5.1 defines the letters and the placement rules. Older versions still appear in many CAD libraries. ISA-5.1-1984 with later updates is still widely referenced. New projects often use ANSI/ISA-5.1-2009. Both use the same basic flow meter logic. F stands for flow. T stands for transmitter. I stands for indicator. Q stands for totalizer. So an electromagnetic flow meter with a local display and 4-20 mA HART output is usually a FIT bubble on the P&ID. A Coriolis mass flow meter with pulse output for batch control may be tagged as FQIT if it shows flow rate and total.
A field mounted flow transmitter is a circle with no line through it. A panel mounted indicator often has a horizontal line through the middle. A function hidden behind a control panel may use a different symbol. These details are in ISA 5.1. If your instrument index uses ISA-5.1-1984, you can still map the same tag letters to a current CAD block.
Common CAD Block Details for Inline Flow Meters
Most CAD symbol packs from instrument vendors do not follow the same insertion point or layer naming. That creates extra work for the piping team. Silver Instruments keeps the CAD block origin at the center of the meter body. The layer names follow common P&ID layer standards such as INSTRUMENT, TEXT, and SIGNAL. The blocks use nonplotting attributes for tag numbers if you need that option. A typical 2D symbol for an inline flow meter is a circle with a line through the pipe run. An orifice plate is different. The ISA 5.1 symbol for an orifice plate uses two short parallel lines across the pipe. Flow direction is left to right. The tag number sits above the symbol. The signal line connects from the top of the bubble to an indicator or a PLC input.
For CAD layout of inline devices, keep clearance for flanges and wiring. A DN50 electromagnetic flow meter needs about 300 mm of total length on the drawing because the physical body is about 200 mm long. We have seen packs where the CAD block is smaller than the real meter. Then the mechanical team hits piping conflicts during installation. Because this is a practical problem, Silver Instruments links the CAD symbol to the actual dimensional drawing. The dimensions match the drawing of the DN15 to DN300 electromagnetic flow meter models. For Coriolis meters, the block includes sensor support legs and junction box orientation for DN3 to DN150 sensors. For vortex meters, the block includes the bluff body orientation and the pressure tapping point. For oval gear meters, the block shows inlet and out
One Project Example From a Desalination Plant in Vietnam
A customer in Vietnam asked us last year for a CAD block set for a seawater desalination plant. The P&ID used ISA 5.1 bubble tags but the mechanical layout used a 3D model from a different software. The customer needed the 2D symbol and the dimensional drawing in one package. We sent the .dwg and .dxf files within two days. The tag list included 14 electromagnetic flow meters, 6 Coriolis mass flow meters, and 2 vortex meters for brine recirculation. That package avoided a long back and forth between the piping team and the electrical team.
Different drawing standards still cause confusion. A paint manufacturer in Malaysia had similar issues on solvent batching lines. The Coriolis meter tag was FT only. The totalizer was missing from the P&ID. The batch controller could not get a total pulse from the DCS. We helped them correct the tag to FQIT and updated the CAD block text attribute. The solvent batch viscosity was around 50 cP. The flow rate was 0 to 1200 kg/h. With the correct block, the DCS received the pulse and the batching cycle ran without manual reset.
Silver Instruments CAD Support and Standards
Silver Automation Instruments supplies CAD symbols for all main product lines. That includes Coriolis mass flow meters, electromagnetic flow meters, ultrasonic flow meters, vortex flow meters, oval gear flow meters, thermal mass flow meters, pressure transmitters, and paperless recorders. Send us your pipe size in DN, pressure in bar, temperature in °C, and flow range. We will send the matching CAD block and a quote. Tel: +86-25-68650347. WhatsApp: +86-25-52155837. WeChat: +86 15365082610. You can also check flow-meter.com.au for dimensional drawings.
Five FAQs on Flow Meter CAD Symbols and P&ID Layouts
Question: Which ISA standard covers flow meter symbols?
Answer: ISA 5.1 covers instrumentation symbols and identification. Use the version stated in your project specification. Common versions include ISA-5.1-1984 with updates and ANSI/ISA-5.1-2009.
Question: Do you provide CAD blocks in .dwg and .dxf format?
Answer: Yes. Silver Instruments supplies both formats for all flow meter types and pressure transmitters. We also supply paperless recorder blocks if your panel layout drawing needs them.
Question: What is the difference between FE and FT on a P&ID?
Answer: FE means flow element. FT means flow transmitter. An orifice plate is often an FE. An electromagnetic or Coriolis meter is usually an FT or FIT. If the device also totalizes, use FQ or FQIT.
Question: Can you match your CAD symbol to my existing layer names?
Answer: Yes. Send us your layer standard and tag format. We adjust the block attributes to match your project. We can send a sample block before you make a final decision.
Question: How do I get a quote for flow meters and CAD files?
Answer: Send us your pressure in bar, temperature in °C, pipe size in DN, and flow range. Use Tel: +86-25-68650347 or WhatsApp: +86-25-52155837. We reply within 12 hours.
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