The short version
- Measure the clear opening width and height from a level line.
- Pick a style (battened, slatted, louvred) and a slide type (cantilever or tracked).
- Type the opening, height, overlap, and ground clearance.
- The leaf width and every member length are worked out for you, not by you.
- Fill the title block, then download the dimensioned PDF and cut list.
- The whole thing takes minutes. See the live drawing further down.
Step 1: Measure the opening
Stretch a level line across the opening and measure from it. The two numbers that matter are the clear opening width (between the inside faces of the posts) and the height. On flat ground that is all you need. On a slope you also take the height on the left and the right, and for a tilting top you take four datum measurements. The raked-ground guide walks through exactly how.
Take a few points across the opening, not just the two ends, so a dip in the middle does not catch you out. A sliding gate has to clear the ground along its whole travel, so the lowest point sets the gap.
Step 2: Pick the style and slide type
Choose the infill the customer wants: battened, slatted, or louvred. Then decide how it slides. A cantilever gate hangs from rollers on one post and suits sloping or messy ground. A tracked gate runs on a ground wheel and suits flat, even ground for less money. If you are not sure, the cantilever vs tracked guide picks it apart.
Step 3: Type the numbers
Open the model and type the opening width, the height, the overlap, and the ground clearance. Set the rake mode to match the site: level, single rake, or double rake. As you type, the drawing redraws, so you see the gate take shape against your numbers.
This is where the tool earns its place. The leaf is wider than the opening (it overlaps the post and, on a cantilever gate, carries a counterbalance tail), and working that out by hand is fiddly and easy to get wrong. The configurator does it from your opening width, so the closing gap is right and the gate is the correct length.
Step 4: Set the frame and infill
Pick the frame tube to suit the span (a sliding gate steps up from a pedestrian gate section) and set the batten or slat spacing. Aluminium is the usual choice for a sliding gate: it is lighter to move, does not rust, and finishes to AS 3715 powder coat or AS 1231 anodising. Every change recomputes the geometry and the member lengths, so the drawing and the cut list stay in step.
Step 5: Fill the title block
Add your business name, the client, the date, the revision, the finish callout, and your logo. This is what makes the sheet read as yours when it lands on a builder’s desk. Set it once and it carries onto every drawing. For everything that belongs on the sheet, see what to include on a gate fabrication drawing.
Step 6: Download the drawing and cut list
Export the dimensioned PDF (front elevation, plan, and a 3D view) and the cut list. The cut list prices your quote and cuts your metal; the drawing builds the gate. Drawing and viewing on screen is free, and a paid plan adds clean PDFs, a STEP file, and your branding.
See it in CAD60
Here is a real sliding-gate drawing the engine produced from a handful of measurements. It is a battened gate on raked ground. Spin the 3D model, flip through the drawing, then open it and change a number to watch the whole thing redraw.
Same numbers as the example. Change anything you like once it opens.
Draw your sliding gate now
Pick a style, type your opening and height, and CAD60 draws the dimensioned gate and the cut list. Start here:
Browse the full catalogueQuestions people ask
How do you make a shop drawing for a sliding gate?
Measure the clear opening width and height from a level line, pick a style and a slide type, type the numbers into the configurator, set the frame and infill, fill the title block, and download the dimensioned PDF and cut list. The whole thing takes minutes and the drawing is ready to build from.
What measurements do I need for a sliding gate drawing?
The clear opening width and height between the post faces, the ground clearance you want, and the overlap past the post. On sloping ground you also take the heights on the left and right, or four datum measurements for a double rake. From those, the leaf width and every member length are worked out for you.
Why is the sliding gate wider than the opening?
Because the leaf has to overlap the post when shut, so there is no gap at the closing edge, and a cantilever gate adds a counterbalance tail behind the opening. So a 4000 mm opening gives a gate leaf wider than 4000 mm. The drawing shows both the opening and the leaf, dimensioned separately.
Do I need to draw it by hand first?
No. You type the dimensions and the drawing is generated, dimensioned, with a title block and a cut list. There is no hand drafting and no CAD lines to draw. You are checking numbers, not drawing geometry.
Can I get the gate on sloping ground?
Yes. Pick the rake mode that matches the site: level for flat ground, single rake when the bottom follows a slope, or double rake when the top tilts too. Type the heights from a level datum line and the gate is drawn to follow the ground. See the raked-ground guide for how to measure it.
What do I get to download?
A dimensioned drawing (front elevation, plan, and a 3D view) and a cut list, as a print-ready PDF. A paid plan gives clean, un-watermarked PDFs, a STEP file for CAD, and your own branding on the title block. Drawing and viewing on screen is free.
Will the drawing show the cut list?
Yes. The cut list is built from the same numbers that draw the gate, so every member, profile, and length matches the drawing exactly. It is what you price the quote from and cut the metal against.