WIC, WM, HWC, STO: Floor Plan Symbols & Abbreviations

Every symbol on a floor plan follows from one idea: the plan is a horizontal slice through the home about 1 to 1.5 metres (4 to 5 feet) above the floor, seen from above. What the slice cuts through is drawn heaviest. What lies below it is drawn thinner. What sits above it is dashed.

Symbols vary between countries, architects and drawing software, so one rule comes first: the plan’s own legend wins. Use this page for whatever the legend doesn’t explain, which on a sales plan is usually everything. For reading the plan as a whole, see how to read a floor plan.

Line types

Line	What it looks like	What it means
Thick continuous	The heaviest line on the sheet, often filled	Something cut by the plan: walls, columns, window and door frames
Medium continuous	A clear, lighter line	Edges seen below the cut: worktops, steps, bath rims, balcony edges
Thin continuous	Hairline	Furniture, floor patterns, hatching, dimension lines
Dashed	Short dashes	Above the cut or hidden: wall cupboards, beams, lowered ceilings, roof lights, the floor above, a loft hatch
Dotted	Small dots	Varies; sometimes items outside the contract: optional furniture, future work, or things to be removed
Chain (dash-dot)	Long dash, dot, long dash	Centre lines, structural grid lines and axes of symmetry
Break line	Straight line with a sharp zigzag	The drawing stops here; the object carries on. Also where the cut crosses a stair
Section line	Heavy chain line with arrows and letters at each end (A–A)	Where a section drawing is cut, and which way it looks

Walls and hatching

Symbol	What it looks like	What it means
Solid wall	Two lines filled black or dark grey	A wall. Sales plans draw every wall this way, whatever it’s made of
Thick wall	Filled band as wide as the outer walls	External, party or load-bearing wall
Thin wall	Narrow double line, filled or empty	Partition, usually non-load-bearing
Diagonal hatching	Parallel lines at 45° between the wall lines	Brick or masonry (UK and US convention)
Cross-hatching	Two sets of 45° lines crossing	Often blockwork or stone; check the legend
Stippled with small triangles	Dots and little triangles, like gravel	Concrete. Reinforced concrete may add diagonal hatching or be drawn solid dark grey
Wavy or looped band	A continuous loose zigzag between two lines	Insulation, in a cavity or on the outside
Rectangle with an X	A box with two diagonals, in a wall section	Timber stud or sawn timber cut through
Double line with glazing lines	Like a window, but between two rooms	Glass partition
Dashed or coloured wall outline	Walls drawn broken or tinted	Walls to be demolished. Colours vary: new work is often red, removals yellow or green. Check the legend

Doors

Door	What it looks like	Notes
Single hinged door	Gap in the wall, a straight line for the leaf and a quarter-circle arc from its tip	The hinge is where leaf meets wall; the arc shows the floor it sweeps
Double doors	Two leaves hinged at opposite sides, arcs meeting in the middle	French doors are glazed double doors, often to a garden or balcony
Double-acting door	Arc drawn on both sides of the wall	Swings both ways, as in a café door
Sliding door	Leaf drawn as a thin rectangle beside the opening, with an arrow	Runs along the face of the wall
Sliding patio door	Two overlapping thin rectangles in an outside wall	One panel slides behind the other
Pocket door	Leaf drawn inside the wall, usually dashed	Disappears into a cavity in the wall
Bi-fold door	Two short leaves drawn as a V or zigzag, sometimes with small arcs	Common on wardrobes
Entrance door	Often a thicker leaf, a threshold line and sometimes a label	Flat entrance doors in blocks are usually fire doors
Opening, no door	Gap in the wall, with no leaf or arc	Sometimes with a dashed line across the top for an arch or a head above
Fire door	Normal door with a label: FD30 or FD60 (UK), EI30 (EU)	Resists fire for 30 or 60 minutes; keep the self-closer
Door size	80/205 (Poland), 2868 (US), 826 × 2040 (UK)	Width, then height: in cm, in feet and inches (2 ft 8 in × 6 ft 8 in), or in mm
Hand of a door	L or P (Polish lewe, prawe), LH or RH (UK and US)	Which side the hinges are on

Windows

Window	What it looks like	Notes
Standard window	Gap in the outside wall filled with two or three thin parallel lines	The lines are the frame and the glass
Fixed window	A single thin line in the gap	Doesn’t open
Sliding window	Two thin lines side by side, overlapping in the middle	One sash slides past the other
Bay window	Window lines on three or more angled sides, projecting out	Room sizes “into bay” include this
Floor-to-ceiling glazing	Window lines across a gap, often marked hp=0	Also called a French window when it opens like a door
High-level window	Window lines dashed, or labelled HL	Above the plan’s cut; you can’t see out standing up
Roof window or skylight	Dashed rectangle, sometimes with an X	In the roof or ceiling above
Window size	150/150 (Poland), 3050 (US)	Width over height in cm; or 3 ft 0 in wide by 5 ft 0 in high
Sill height	hp=85, sill ht 850, or AFF 34″	Height of the window’s bottom edge above the floor

Stairs, lifts and voids

Symbol	What it looks like	What it means
Straight stair	Row of narrow rectangles, one per tread, with an arrow	The arrow starts on this floor and points UP or DN
Cut line	A diagonal or zigzag line across the flight	Where the plan’s cut crosses the stair; beyond it, dashed or nothing
Quarter landing	Flight turns 90° at a square platform	An L-shaped stair
Half landing	Two parallel flights with a platform across the end	A U-shaped or dogleg stair
Winders	Treads fanning out like triangles at a corner	Turns without a landing; the narrow ends are hard to walk
Spiral stair	Circle with treads radiating from a small centre circle	The centre circle is the pole
Void or open to below	Rectangle with an X from corner to corner	No floor here: a double-height space or stairwell. US plans write OTB
Lift	Rectangle with an X, with a door opening on one side	The lift shaft
Loft or access hatch	Dashed rectangle, labelled LH, AH or hatch	Opening in the ceiling above

Kitchen

Fixture	What it looks like	Notes
Worktop	Band about 60 cm (24 in) deep along a wall	The base cabinets under it aren’t drawn separately
Wall cupboards	Dashed line about 30–35 cm (12–14 in) from the wall	Above the cut
Sink	Rectangle with one or two rounded bowls and a small circle for the drain	A ribbed area beside it is the drainer
Hob or cooktop	Square with four circles, sometimes five	Gas or induction isn’t shown
Oven or cooker	Square, labelled O, OV or CKR, or drawn under the hob	Range cookers are wider, 90–110 cm
Extractor hood	Dashed rectangle over the hob	Above the cut
Fridge	Square or rectangle, labelled REF, F, FF or F/F	About 60 cm wide; American-style 90 cm
Dishwasher	Square in the worktop, labelled DW or D/W, sometimes dashed	Under the counter, so often dashed
Washing machine	Square labelled WM or W/M	In European flats often in the bathroom or kitchen
Dryer	Square labelled D or TD	W/D means a washer and dryer, often stacked
Island or peninsula	Freestanding or attached worktop block	A thin line beyond its edge is a breakfast bar overhang

Bathroom

Fixture	What it looks like	Notes
Bath	Long rectangle with a rounded inner outline and a drain circle at one end	Usually 150–180 × 70–80 cm (5–6 ft × 30 in)
Shower tray	Square or rectangle with two diagonals meeting at the drain, or a drain circle	Usually 80–100 cm (32–40 in) square
Walk-in shower	Tray or floor area with a single thin line for a glass screen	No door arc
Wet room	Floor drain with fall arrows pointing to it	The whole floor is waterproofed
Toilet	Oval bowl with a narrow rectangle against the wall for the cistern	A shallow or no rectangle means a wall-hung toilet with a hidden cistern
Basin	Oval or rectangle against the wall, with a small drain circle	On a rectangular vanity unit when drawn inside a box
Towel radiator	Thin rectangle, sometimes drawn as a ladder	On a wall, often near the shower
Floor drain	Small square or circle with a cross or grid	Labelled FD on US plans
Extractor fan	Small square or circle with blades, or EF	Needed in a bathroom with no window

Electrical

US drawings follow American conventions; UK and EU drawings mostly follow the international standard IEC 60617. Sales plans rarely show any of these.

Item	US symbol	UK and EU symbol
Power socket	Small circle with two short parallel lines through it (duplex receptacle)	Semicircle with a short line; two lines, or a 2, for a double
Socket near water	Receptacle symbol labelled GFCI or GFI	Socket symbol, sometimes labelled with its protection
Cooker or 240 V outlet	Receptacle symbol labelled 240V, or R for a range	Usually a labelled cooker point or switch
Switch	Letter S, joined to its light by a dashed curve	Small circle with a slanted line and a short tick at the end
Two-way switch	S3 (three-way in US terms), S4 for four-way	Small circle with slanted lines in both directions
Dimmer	Often S with a D or DM	Switch symbol with an extra mark, often a D; check the legend
Ceiling light	Circle with four short rays, or a circle with an X	Circle with an X
Recessed downlight	Small circle, sometimes shaded or with R	Small circle, often shaded
Wall light	Circle on a short stub from the wall	Light symbol drawn on the wall, often with a short bracket line
Ceiling fan	Circle with four blades	Same
Smoke alarm	Circle labelled SD or SA	Circle or square labelled SD or with a smoke symbol
Carbon monoxide alarm	Circle labelled CO	Same
Thermostat	Circle or square labelled T	Same
TV and data	TV; a triangle is often used for telephone or data	Labelled TV, TEL or data point
Fuse board	Shaded rectangle labelled EP or panel	CU (consumer unit, UK); in Poland often TM (tablica mieszkaniowa)

Heating, cooling and ventilation

Item	What it looks like	Notes
Radiator	Long thin rectangle against a wall, usually under a window	Labelled R, RAD, or grzejnik in Poland
Underfloor heating	Zone hatched or drawn with looping lines, labelled UFH	Ogrzewanie podłogowe in Poland, often written out
Boiler	Square labelled B or BLR	Kocioł (gazowy) in Poland, often written out
Hot water cylinder	Circle labelled HWC	UK, usually in the airing cupboard
Water heater	Circle labelled WH	US
Air conditioning, indoor unit	Long thin rectangle high on a wall, often dashed, labelled AC	Split system
Air conditioning, outdoor unit	Rectangle with a circle for the fan, on a balcony or roof	Takes balcony space
Fan coil unit	Dashed rectangle in the ceiling, labelled FCU	Common in UAE flats
Supply or return grille	Square with diagonals, or a rectangle with parallel lines	Air in or air out; arrows show which
Ventilation duct in a wall	Small rectangle inside a thick wall, crossed or hatched	Polish drawings tell ventilation, flue and smoke ducts apart by how the square is filled: open with a diagonal (ventilation), half black (flue) or fully black (smoke)
Fireplace	Recess in a wall, often hatched, labelled FP	A projecting chimney breast in the UK

Structure and services

Item	What it looks like	Notes
Column	Small filled square or circle, often where grid lines cross	Can’t be moved
Beam above	Two dashed lines across a room, sometimes labelled	Downstand beam; podciąg in Poland. Lower ceiling under it
Bulkhead or lowered ceiling	Dashed outline with a ceiling height	Often hides ducts or pipes
Service shaft or riser	Small rectangle with a diagonal cross	Pipes and cables between floors; pion or szacht in Poland
Soil vent pipe	Small circle, labelled SVP	UK. Fixes where the toilet can go
Structural grid	Chain lines with letters and numbers in circles at the ends	A, B, C one way; 1, 2, 3 the other
Level mark	Triangle or crossed circle on a line, with +0.00 or FFL +12.40	Floor height above a datum, in metres
Ceiling height	h=2.70, CH 2.6 m, or CLG HT 8′	Height from floor to ceiling
Sloping ceiling	Dashed lines marked with heights such as 1.40 and 2.20	Areas under low slopes may count at half or not at all
North arrow	Arrow or compass rose marked N	Which way the windows face
Scale bar	Short ruler marked 0–1–2–5 m or 0–4–8 ft	Stays true when the plan is zoomed

Abbreviations

Abbreviations are the least standard part of any plan. Labels such as RAD, CU and SD appear in the symbol tables above; these are the rest.

Rooms and spaces

Abbreviation	Meaning	Where
BR, BDRM, BED 1	Bedroom	US; BED 1 in the UK
MBR, PBR	Master or primary bedroom	US
BA, BATH	Bathroom	US, UK
½ BA	Half bath: toilet and basin, no bath or shower	US
PWDR, PWD	Powder room: a guest toilet	US, UAE
ENS	En suite: a bathroom opening off a bedroom	UK
WC	Toilet	UK, EU
LR, LIV	Living room	US, UAE
RECEP	Reception room	UK
DR, DIN	Dining room	US, UK
K, KIT	Kitchen	Everywhere
K/D	Kitchen/diner	UK
UTIL	Utility room	UK
LDRY	Laundry	US, Australia
WIC	Walk-in closet	US, UAE
WIR	Walk-in robe	Australia
CL, CLO	Closet	US
LIN	Linen closet	US
PAN, P	Pantry	US
CPD, C	Cupboard	UK
AC	Airing cupboard, for the hot water cylinder	UK
HP	Hot press: the airing cupboard	Ireland
STO, ST, STR	Store	UK, US
W, WR	Wardrobe	UK
MAID	Maid’s room	UAE
BAL, BALC, TERR	Balcony, terrace	Everywhere
T&B	Toilet and bath	Philippines
CR	Comfort room: a toilet	Philippines
OTS	Open to sky: a shaft or courtyard with no roof	India
P, POK	Pokój: room	Poland
ŁAZ	Łazienka: bathroom	Poland
PP, HOL	Przedpokój or hol: hall	Poland
AK	Aneks kuchenny: kitchenette	Poland
GARD	Garderoba: walk-in wardrobe	Poland
KL	Komórka lokatorska: storage unit outside the flat	Poland

Fixtures and appliances

Abbreviation	Meaning	Where
DW, D/W	Dishwasher	Everywhere
REF	Refrigerator	US
F/F, FF	Fridge freezer	UK
W/D	Washer and dryer	US
WM, W/M	Washing machine	UK, EU
TD, D	Tumble dryer	UK
SHWR, SHR	Shower	Everywhere
TLT	Toilet	US
LAV	Lavatory: a basin in the US, a toilet in the UK	US, UK
B, WB	Basin, wash basin	UK
WH	Water heater	US
HWC	Hot water cylinder	UK
B, BLR	Boiler	UK
HP, ASHP	Heat pump, air source heat pump	UK, EU
FP	Fireplace	US, UK

Services and structure

Abbreviation	Meaning	Where
AC, A/C	Air conditioning	US, UAE
SVP	Soil vent pipe	UK
FD	Floor drain in the US; fire door in the UK	US, UK
FD30, EI30	Fire door, 30 minutes	UK; EU

Notes on the drawing

Abbreviation	Meaning
NTS	Not to scale
TYP	Typical: applies to every similar item
℄, CL	Centre line (CL can also mean closet)
AFF	Above finished floor
FFL	Finished floor level
CLG, CH	Ceiling, ceiling height
HL	High level
UP, DN	Stairs going up, down
OTB	Open to below: no floor, the room below rises through
HW	Hot water; in a flooring note, hardwood
max	Measured at the widest point
hp, Hp	Sill height (Poland)
h=	Room height (Poland)
PU, pow.	Usable floor area, area (Poland)
GIA, NIA	Gross and net internal area (UK)
BUA	Built-up area: usually suite plus balcony (UAE)
sq ft, ft²	Square feet; 1 m² is 10.76 sq ft

Watch the double meanings

Some letters change meaning with the plan’s country: AC (airing cupboard in the UK, air conditioning in the US and UAE), LAV (basin in the US, toilet in the UK), FD (floor drain or fire door), CL (closet or centre line), B (basin or boiler), W (wardrobe or washing machine) and P (pantry in the US, a room or a right-hand door in Poland) and HP (hot press in Ireland, heat pump on newer plans, sill height on Polish ones). When the context doesn’t settle it, ask whoever issued the plan.

Check your own plan

Find the legend and title block. Note the country and the scale, or “not to scale”.
Name every line type, especially the dashed ones.
Mark the structure: thick walls, columns, beams, risers. These stay in any renovation.
Check each door arc for clashes and each window’s sill height.
Resolve abbreviations with double meanings.
List what’s missing: radiators, boiler, fuse board, fridge space. Ask for them.

If the symbols still don’t add up to rooms in your head, upload the plan to FloorTo3D: walls, doors, windows and rooms are read from the drawing and the flat opens furnished in 3D. It reads best when walls are filled black or grey, as on most sales plans. More in floor plan to 3D.

Questions

What does W/D mean on a floor plan?

A washer and dryer, or the space and connections for them. On US plans it usually marks a laundry closet with the machines side by side or stacked. UK and European plans write WM and TD instead.

What does WIC mean on a floor plan?

WIC, W.I.C or W.I.C. is a walk-in closet: a small storage room you can step into, usually off the main bedroom, with hanging rails and shelves along its walls. A WIC room needs about 1.2 m (4 ft) of width for rails on one side and 1.8 m (6 ft) for rails on both; narrower, it is really a deep cupboard. Australian plans write WIR, for walk-in robe, and Polish plans garderoba. Layouts and sizes are in the walk-in closet guide.

What does WM mean on a floor plan?

A washing machine, or the space and plumbing left for one. WM or W/M is the UK and European label, usually on a square in the kitchen or bathroom; US plans write W/D for a washer and dryer. Next to a bedroom door, a lone W more often means wardrobe.

What is HWC on a floor plan?

A hot water cylinder: the tank that stores hot water for the taps, drawn as a circle labelled HWC. On UK plans it usually stands in the airing cupboard (AC). A plan with a combi boiler has none.

What does STO or ST mean on a floor plan?

A store: a storage cupboard or small room with no other use, written STO, ST or STR. On UK plans it is often under the stairs or off the hall. Check its size before counting on it, as some are only shelves deep.

What does WH mean on a floor plan?

A water heater: the tank that heats and stores hot water, usually drawn as a circle about 60 cm (2 ft) across in a closet, laundry or garage on US plans. UK plans write HWC for the same tank. In a bathroom, WH next to a toilet or basin can instead mean wall-hung.

What does HP mean on a floor plan?

On an Irish plan, HP is the hot press: the airing cupboard round the hot water cylinder. On newer UK and European plans, HP or ASHP marks a heat pump, usually its outdoor unit on a wall or balcony. On Polish drawings, a small hp next to a window is its sill height.

What does open to below mean on a floor plan?

That there is no floor in that part of the upper level: the room underneath rises through two storeys, as over a double-height living room, a hall or a stairwell. It is drawn as a rectangle with an X corner to corner and labelled open to below or OTB. That area doesn’t count towards the upper floor.

How are dimensions shown on a floor plan?

As thin lines with ticks or arrows at each end and the size written above them: in metres or millimetres on European plans, feet and inches (12’6” × 10’2”) on US and UK sales plans. Sales plans often give one size per room, sometimes its maximum. More in how to read floor plan dimensions.

What is the symbol for a door on a floor plan?

A gap in the wall with a straight line for the leaf and a quarter-circle arc for its swing. Sliding doors are a thin rectangle beside the opening, pocket doors a dashed leaf inside the wall, bi-folds a zigzag.

What does an X mean on a floor plan?

It depends where it is. A rectangle with an X corner to corner is a void, a lift shaft or a service riser. A small circle with an X is a ceiling light. A dashed rectangle with an X is usually a roof window or skylight.

What does AC mean on a UK floor plan?

On a UK plan, AC almost always means airing cupboard: a cupboard round the hot water cylinder, used for drying and storing linen. On US and UAE plans, AC or A/C means air conditioning.

Floor plan symbols and abbreviations