IFC vs IFR vs IFA: Engineering Drawing Status Codes Explained

Walk onto any engineering or construction project in the world and you will find drawings stamped with codes:

• IFR

• IFA

• IFC

• AFC

These codes are not administrative labels. They carry legal, contractual, and safety significance that affects every party on the project. IFR, IFA, IFC, and AFC are the four primary document status codes used across EPC engineering deliverables.

Each status represents a formal lifecycle stage where the deliverable is reviewed, approved, released for construction, and ultimately reconciled against built reality.

This guide explains every standard drawing status code, what each one means, when it applies, and how they sequence through the engineering design lifecycle.

Why Do Drawing Status Codes Exist?

Engineering projects generate hundreds or thousands of documents all moving between designers, contractors, clients, and regulators at different stages of completion and approval.

Without status codes, every recipient of a drawing faces the same problem: is this the version I'm supposed to be working from? Is it approved? Has the client seen it? Can I build from it?

The status codes appear in the document number, the revision block, and the Master Document Register (MDR). They create an unambiguous, traceable record of where every document sits in the approval lifecycle. Combined with revision numbers, approval signatures, and transmittal records, they create the document control framework that determines who can do what with every piece of engineering information on the project.

What Do the Status Codes Mean?

IFR: Issued for Review

IFR is the first formal issue of an engineering deliverable to other disciplines for review. IFR is internal to the EPC contractor. The client is not yet formally part of the review cycle at this stage.

When a drawing is issued at IFR status, it means:

• The originating discipline has completed their work to a level suitable for technical review

• The drawing is being formally distributed to other disciplines, technical checkers, or the lead engineer for comment

• The document is NOT approved for use in construction, procurement, or client submission

• Changes are expected

IFR triggers specific downstream activities depending on document type. P&ID IFR releases trigger instrument index review, line list review, equipment list review, and HAZOP study scope review. The review feedback is consolidated through the inter-discipline check (IDC) workflow.

On electrical engineering projects, an IFR single-line diagram may be issued to the protection engineer, the civil engineer (for switchroom layout), and the instrumentation engineer (for SCADA interface) simultaneously. Each reviewer checks the drawing from their discipline's perspective and returns comments. The originating engineer incorporates the comments, updates the revision, and may re-issue at IFR for further review or advance to IFA.

What you must NOT do with an IFR drawing:

• Use it as the basis for construction or fabrication

• Submit it to the client as the authorised design intent

• Raise purchase orders or procurement packages against its specifications without noting that the document is under review

• Issue it via transmittal as the accepted design

IFA: Issued for Approval

IFA is the formal issue of an engineering deliverable to the client for approval. After internal IDC review and incorporation of comments, the deliverable is released as IFA.

The client engineering team reviews the deliverable, raises comments if required, and formally responds with an approval status code.

Issued for Approval means that the document or drawing gives to the client or delegated authorised person or organisation the opportunity to review and approve its use for further developments or activities. Some examples include project-critical documents such as the P&ID and General Arrangement drawings.

When a drawing is issued at IFA status, it means:

• Internal engineering review is complete

• The document represents the design team's position and is ready for client scrutiny

• The client must formally respond with one of: Approved, Approved with Comments, Rejected, or Resubmit

• The document is still NOT ready for construction

The IFA stage is where client authority is exercised over the design. Clients review IFA drawings against the project specification, their own technical standards, regulatory requirements, and contractual obligations. The review outcome determines whether the design proceeds as submitted or requires revision.

Client response codes typically include:

What you must NOT do with an IFA drawing:

• Proceed to construction without receiving a Code 1 or Code 2 client response

• Treat a "Revise and Resubmit" response as approval

• Start fabrication of long-lead items whose specification may change following client comments

IFC: Issued for Construction

IFC drawings are the final, approved version of design documents. Until a drawing carries IFC status, it has no contractual standing as a construction instruction.

The IFC mark on a contract document states that the subject document is ready for construction. IFC drawings are verified by an authorised department or client and designated as 'Issued for Construction.'

When a drawing is issued at IFC status, it means:

• All internal and client reviews have been completed

• Client approval (Code 1 or Code 2 with comments incorporated) has been received

• The document is the authoritative version for construction, fabrication, and procurement

• Any work performed contrary to the IFC drawing is the contractor's responsibility

• Changes to an IFC drawing require a formal revision

IFC is the status code that triggers construction activity. Contractors are entitled to build to IFC drawings. If a contractor builds to a superseded IFC revision, the legal position depends on the transmittal record and acknowledgement, which is why controlled distribution of IFC documents is fundamental to project governance.

What you must NOT use IFC drawings for:

• Construction is authorised only to the current IFC revision

• IFC drawings are not as-built records. They record the approved design; field modifications may deviate and must be captured in the as-built process

The critical distinction between IFA and IFC

After internal IFC review and incorporation of comments, the deliverable is released as IFA. The client engineering team reviews the deliverable, raises comments, and formally responds with an approval status code. Once that approval is received and comments are incorporated, the drawing advances to IFC.

Confusing IFA and IFC is one of the most common and consequential errors in engineering project management. An IFA drawing is seeking approval. An IFC drawing has received it.

AFC: As-Built for Construction (As-Built)

AFC reflects the actual installed configuration after construction is complete. It is the final revision of each drawing, updated to reflect what was actually built in the field.

As-built documentation is created during and after construction:

• Field personnel mark up printed or digital copies of IFC drawings with actual site conditions

• The design team incorporates those markups into the electronic drawing

• The revised drawing is reviewed and issued as As-Built (AFC)

As-built drawings are the permanent record of the asset as constructed. For operational assets with long service lives, the as-built documentation is the foundation of every maintenance, modification, and decommissioning activity for the life of the asset.

Missing or inaccurate as-built documentation is one of the most common complaints from asset operators. IFC drawings are not as-built records. They record the approved design; actual field conditions may deviate. The as-built process captures those deviations. When as-built updates are left until project close-out, the resulting documentation frequently does not reflect what was actually installed.

What Other Status Codes Are There?

Beyond the four primary codes, several additional status designations are commonly used on engineering projects:

• IFI: Issued for Information. A document distributed to a party for their information only. Typically used for distributing reference documents, reports, or third-party specifications to stakeholders who need awareness but not authority.

• IFT: Issued for Tender. A document issued as part of a tender package for contractors to price against. IFT documents are typically more complete than early feasibility drawings but may not yet have been through the full IFA review cycle.

• IFP: Issued for Procurement. A document issued specifically to support equipment or material purchasing. The specification is at a sufficient level of completion to generate accurate quotations and purchase orders.

• GFC: Good for Construction. Used interchangeably with IFC in some organisations and sectors, particularly in building construction. GFC are construction drawings and specifications designated for the project that are approved by the local governing bodies and the clients.

The Drawing Status Lifecycle: How Do Codes Sequence on a Project?

Drawings cycle through various phases, from tender, to IFA, and IFC. As a project moves onward, the amount of detail increases. The tender, IFA, and IFC designation denote how the drawings and drawing packages are being used. They are often the same physical drawing at increasing levels of completeness and approval.

A typical lifecycle for a key engineering drawing on an EPC project:

• Concept/Tender Stage: Drawing produced at a preliminary level. Issued at IFT or IFP status to support cost estimation and tender responses.

• Preliminary Design: Drawing developed with increasing detail. Issued at IFR for internal inter-discipline review. Revision A issued, reviewed, comments consolidated, Revision B issued for further review.

• Detailed Design: Drawing developed to full engineering standard. Issued at IFA (Revision C or similar) to the client for formal approval. Client reviews and responds.

• Construction Issue: Comments from IFA review incorporated. Drawing reissued at IFC status (Revision 0, or Revision 1 if the convention uses numerical for construction stage). Formally transmitted to contractor.

• Field Revision: Engineering change during construction. Updated drawing issued at IFC Revision 1. Superseded revision formally withdrawn from field use.

• Handover: All IFC drawings updated with field markups. Final revision issued as As-Built (AFC). Transmitted to asset owner as part of O&M documentation package.

Manage Drawing Status with Confidence Using DroxQ

Understanding drawing status codes is one thing. Enforcing them consistently across a multi-party EPC project is another. DroxQ is a purpose-built engineering project management platform designed for solar, BESS, and grid connection project teams.

With DroxQ, drawing status is not a label in a spreadsheet. It is enforced by the system:

• Document register with live status tracking: Every drawing's current status code is visible in real time across the entire project team

• Configurable approval workflows: IFR → IFA → IFC transitions require the correct sign-offs before a drawing can advance in status

• Transmittal management: Every formal issue of a drawing is accompanied by a numbered transmittal with purpose code, acknowledgement tracking, and audit trail

• Supersession enforcement: When a drawing is reissued at a new IFC revision, the previous revision is automatically superseded in the system

• As-built capture: AFC markups are captured against the specific IFC revision being as-built, creating a direct, traceable link

For engineering teams that manage complex multi-party project documentation, DroxQ provides the structure that email threads and shared drives cannot. See how Australia's solar and BESS project teams are managing drawing status without the confusion, with DroxQ.

FAQ

What is the difference between IFA and IFC in engineering drawings?

IFA (Issued for Approval) is the formal issue of an engineering deliverable to the client for review and approval. IFC (Issued for Construction) drawings are the final, approved version of design documents. The critical distinction: an IFA drawing is seeking the client's approval. An IFC drawing has received it.

Can construction proceed from an IFR drawing?

No. IFR (Issued for Review) is the first formal issue of an engineering deliverable to other disciplines for review and is internal to the EPC contractor. The client is not yet formally part of the review cycle at this stage.

What is an as-built drawing and how does it differ from an IFC drawing?

IFC drawings are not as-built records. They record the approved design. An as-built drawing is the final version of each drawing, updated to reflect what was actually installed in the field. The as-built process involves field personnel marking up IFC drawings with actual site conditions during and after construction.