Electricians, electrical engineers, and designers must create a wide array of electrical drawings as part of their work, including schematics, wiring, block and pictorial diagrams. Designing these diagrams requires a thorough understanding of the function of the circuit in question and the components and logic that make it up. Industry standards must also be adhered to, and it’s important to plan your layouts and use a consistent scale.
AutoCAD’s electrical drawings toolset was made to help electrical drafters and others create electrical drawings quickly and accurately. AutoCAD Electrical 2026 has lots of new features to help even further, including the ability to update wire number annotations in panel footprints, view an overview of recent drawing edits, display gauge information for cable markers and more.
AutoCAD’s Electrical toolset has been used and trusted by electrical design professionals for more than two decades, and offers many different 2D drafting and drawing tools specifically for electrical
AutoCAD electrical software provides access to an expansive library of more than 65,000 pre-made electrical symbols, and automated numbering of wires and generation of component tags to boost productivity and accuracy.
Whether you’re starting a new drawing from scratch or modifying existing electrical drawings, the AutoCAD Electrical toolset will give you the flexibility and precision you need for your work.
The Electrical toolset included in all standard AutoCAD subscriptions (not available in AutoCAD LT), offers many benefits to electricians and electrical designers. Specialized tools that are designed specifically for creating electrical drawings allow you to save considerable amounts of time, while control systems can be designed efficiently for further time savings.
AutoCAD electrical software’s library of 65,000+ electrical symbols, coupled with Autodesk AI-powered Smart Block placement, facilitates accurate component placement drawing management, helping to prevent costly mistakes. In complex projects, these features for enhanced productivity and accuracy are particularly useful. Automated wire numbering and automatic generation of customized reports meanwhile are great timesavers within the Electrical Toolset. Manufacturer catalog content such as drawings of control relays, pushbuttons, time relays and more help streamline your AutoCAD electrical plan experience.
AutoCAD Electrical is used by electrical engineers, designers, and drafters who need to create precise electrical schematics, panel layouts, and P&ID drawings efficiently. Included as part of an AutoCAD subscription, this specialized toolset enhances productivity with automated updates and extensive symbol libraries tailored for electrical design.
The AutoCAD Electrical toolset has a variety of advanced features designed specifically to help electrical drafters and engineers save time and improve accuracy when creating electrical schematics and wiring diagrams.
Rather than drawing PLC I/O modules from scratch, generate them automatically for precise and easy placement in your electrical plans.
AutoCAD’s Electrical toolset has been shown to boost productivity by up to 95%, thanks to its specialized tools and simple icon-driven menu system.
The Circuit Builder integrated within AutoCAD electrical software is prepopulated with data for the dynamic creation and annotation of circuits.
AutoCAD 2026’s updated Electrical toolset has many improvements to help you even further.
Benefit from dramatic improvements in file opening times, up to 11 times faster.
More efficient importing from Autodesk Docs which detects text, strikethroughs and boundary markups.
Enhanced machine learning identification and grouping of similar objects for fast conversion.
The addition of a ‘What’s Changed Insight’ feature quickly shows an overview of edits made during each edit session.
Keep track of collaborations effectively and work together efficiently with logs of over 35 types of design activities.
Creating detailed electrical plans and drawings has historically been a lengthy and laborious process. But with AutoCAD, now enhanced by Autodesk's AI to boost innovation and creativity, it’s possible for electrical drafters and designers to create them quickly and efficiently.
Access support and solutions for electrical drawing instantly with Autodesk’s integrated conversational AI assistant.
Use Autodesk AI to detect and replace existing drawing blocks quickly or automatically place blocks for efficient drawing processes.
Quickly gain an overview of feedback, and integrate it into designs, for a smoother collaborative workflow.
For electrical designers and engineers who may visit multiple sites over the course of a week, it’s important to have access to electrical drawing tools even when on the go. AutoCAD Web offers a comprehensive set of drafting tools for light editing and basic designs that are accessible online via tablets, phones and laptops, anywhere with an internet connection. This allows you to view and modify designs wherever you are, and collaborate with team members even while travelling. AutoCAD Web access included with both AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT subscriptions.
Industrial automation company Martz Technologies made the switch from AutoCAD LT to AutoCAD and it’s Electrical Toolset. Once they discovered its enhanced features for electrical drawings and productivity efficiencies, they never looked back.
Image courtesy of Osgood Industries
Find out how systems integration specialists MartinCSI have used AutoCAD’s Electrical Toolset to develop an electrical panel for an ice cream sandwich-making machine and more.
Image courtesy of MartinCSI
Technica International design and build product handling and automation systems for many different industries. By using AutoCAD electrical software they were able to make considerable productivity gains and time-savings.
Image courtesy of Technica International
Autodesk learning courses are designed to provide the essentials skills and several advanced skills required for using AutoCAD Electrical in a production environment. Learn how to use project-related tools to access/edit drawings, edit and draw with commands that are specific to the electrical design environment, insert/create schematic and panel symbols, generate Bill of Materials, Wiring and other reports.
AutoCAD's Electrical Toolset arms you with easy-to-insert ladders and connectors, quick-access projects, and effortless schematic reports. This set of 8 video tutorials includes:
In this learning series, you will learn the basics of workflow and project setup, schematic design, and customization in AutoCAD Electrical to enhance your efficiency and accuracy in electrical design. You will explore panel layouts, PLC modules, advanced tools, and learn to generate comprehensive reports that will help you save time and reduce errors. (Length: 3 hr. 35 min.)
Course overview
Learn the basics of AutoCAD Electrical to enhance your efficiency and accuracy in electrical design. By the end of this content, you will have a strong understanding of:
Are you using AutoCAD or other programs for electrical designs and plans? These methods often lack intelligence, requiring you to manually ensure accuracy without easy information extraction. Discover how AutoCAD Electrical can significantly improve your documentation process, save 25% more time, and allow you to run audits and extract critical data like BOMs and wire reports.
Discover the transformative power of AI in AutoCAD toolsets, enhancing efficiency, precision, and innovation for your CAD tasks. Learn how Autodesk's AI automates tasks, reduces errors, and optimizes design processes, accelerating the cycle from concept to completion. Explore AutoCAD's AI-driven tools for intelligent object recognition, predictive analytics, and seamless collaboration across AutoCAD toolsets.
AutoCAD electrical software goes beyond electrical schematic design, offering symbol libraries and functionalities for panel layouts, one-line, hydraulic, pneumatic, and P&ID drawings. In this class, discover how linked drawings and components update automatically, improving efficiency and design quality. Learn how to access symbol libraries, create custom drawing types, link components, and generate reports based on drawing types.
This case study showcases the integration of Autodesk software—AutoCAD Electrical, Inventor Cable and Harness, Vault Professional, and Fusion 360 Manage Extension—to enhance productivity, accuracy, and efficiency. Join Alstom and Autodesk's senior consultant as they discuss overcoming manual process challenges and driving transformative change through automation and connected workflows. Learn best practices for minimizing errors, improving collaboration, and avoiding costly delays and rework.
Electrical drawings are essential technical documents for the design and installation of electrical systems across all industries and environments. They provide a detailed roadmap for the placement of components and the configuration of wiring circuits, that are used by electricians and engineers. A wide variety of universal symbols for different components provide clarity of design that can be understood by anyone that needs to use or refer to them. This standardization and process-driven approach enhances the overall quality and reliability of electrical design projects.
Yes. AutoCAD Electrical Toolset 2026 is now available as part of your AutoCAD subscription. New features include faster file opening and enhanced markup capabilities.
AutoCAD comes with a number of different toolsets aimed at different types of industry professionals. The included AutoCAD electrical toolset is best for electrical engineers, drafters and designers. A free trial of AutoCAD is available.
For anyone working in an electrical profession, such as electrical designers and drafters, AutoCAD electrical software is more than worth it. The Electrical Toolset is packed with industry-specific features for greater productivity and efficiency, including Autodesk AI-powered Smart blocks and automatic wire numbering. Studies have suggested that AutoCAD electrical drawing software can improve productivity by up to 95%.
If you’re not sure of the AutoCAD electrical cost yet, you can start a free trial instantly from the Autodesk website. Students and educators can download a full version of the software for free if eligible. You can find out more about the AutoCAD electrical toolset here.
AutoCAD is a fully featured 3D and 2D CAD design package, with access to specialized features for electrical design. AutoCAD LT is a more budget-friendly version of the software for fast and efficient 2D drafting but without the advanced features. LT does not include the electrical toolset but AutoCAD does.
AutoCAD is a fully featured 3D and 2D CAD design package, with access to specialized features for electrical design. AutoCAD LT is a more budget-friendly version of the software for fast and efficient 2D drafting but without the advanced features. LT does not include the electrical toolset but AutoCAD does.
You’ll find a variety of resources here on Autodesk. Try searching the AutoCAD blog for regular features on matters relating to the AutoCAD electrical software. If you want to highlight your skills in AutoCAD electrical drawings then take a look at our AutoCAD certification page. Or check out our active AutoCAD Electrical Community Forums for tutorials, tips and mor
