What ISO 13567 actually specifies
ISO 13567 (current edition ISO 13567-1/-2:2017) is the international standard for structuring CAD layers in construction. It does one thing: it defines a layer name as a sequence of fixed-length fields, each carrying a coded value, concatenated into a single alphanumeric string. It is adopted nationally as BS EN ISO 13567 (UK), DIN EN ISO 13567 (Germany), and NF EN ISO 13567 (France).
The standard separates the concepts a layer name has to carry - who drew it, what it represents, how it is drawn, and its physical status - into independent fields. Three are mandatory. The rest are optional, used by agreement on a given project.
The mandatory fields
Every compliant layer name starts with three fields, in this order:
| Field | Length | Carries | Example codes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agent responsible | 2 chars | The discipline or party that owns the layer | A architect, S structural, E electrical, M mechanical |
| Element | 6 chars | What the layer represents, from a classification table | CI/SfB or Uniclass codes |
| Presentation | 2 chars | How the content is drawn | E element graphics, T text, H hatching, D dimensions |
The element field is the heart of it. The six characters are not free text - they reference a building classification system. ISO 13567 does not define those codes itself; it points to national tables, most commonly CI/SfB or Uniclass. A wall, a door, a roof window each have an assigned code in that table, and that code goes in the element field.
The optional fields
After the three mandatory fields, ISO 13567 allows a defined run of optional fields, always in this fixed order:
| Field | Length | Carries | Example codes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | 1 char | Physical condition | N new, E existing to remain, R removal, T temporary |
| Sector | 4 chars | Spatial subdivision | 00 ground floor, 01 first floor |
| Phase | 1 char | Project stage | P pre-design, D design, C construction |
| Projection | 1 char | View type | 0 plan, 1 elevation, 2 section, 3 3D |
| Scale | 1 char | Drawing scale band | A 1:1 through K 1:5000 |
| Work package | 2 chars | Procurement package | project-defined |
A team picks which optional fields it uses and commits to that choice across the project. Drop a field one office uses and another does not, and two "ISO 13567" files no longer line up - the interoperability the standard exists to provide depends on everyone agreeing on the same optional subset.
A coded name, decoded
Take the layer A-G2510-EN. Field by field:
| Segment | Field | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
A | Agent responsible | Architect |
G2510 | Element | A wall element, per the classification table |
E | Presentation | Element graphics (the geometry itself, not text or hatch) |
N | Status | New construction |
So A-G2510-EN is the architect's new wall geometry. The same wall as a hatched fill would change the presentation field; the same wall marked for demolition would change the status field to R. The structure is rigorous, and once you know the table, it is unambiguous.
Compare that to the layer it replaces. A drawing arrives with MURO-PORT-EST from an Italian consultant, or A-WALL-FULL from a US office, or WAND-NEU. Each means roughly "new exterior wall." None of them is A-G2510-EN, and no rule turns one into the other automatically.
Why the codes are hard by eye
ISO 13567 is precise because it is coded, and hard to use for exactly the same reason. G2510 is correct and compact. It is also opaque: a drafter who has not memorized the classification table cannot look at A-G2510-EN and know it is a new wall. They reach for a reference sheet. The numeric element field, the single-character status and presentation flags, the abbreviated agent code - all of it is optimized for the machine and the filename length, not for a person scanning a layer list.
This is the standard's genuine trade-off, not a flaw. Numeric codes are shorter than readable names, they tie directly into BIM classification, and they survive language boundaries because they are not words. The cost is that a human cannot verify by eye that an unfamiliar code is right, and cannot tell what an incoming non-compliant layer should map to without knowing both the source's intent and the target code.
That gap - intent on one side, code on the other - is where a person spends real time, and where a machine that knows the meaning has the advantage. MorphoCAD's AI reads what an incoming layer is for, in plain language or a foreign one, and proposes the matching ISO 13567 code. MURO-PORT-EST, A-WALL-FULL, and WAND-NEU all resolve to the same wall target because the AI recognizes the concept, not the spelling. ISO 13567 is the second standard MorphoCAD targets out of the box, alongside AIA / NCS and custom templates.
Where ISO 13567 is used
ISO 13567 is the common layer framework in EU and international practice, where AIA / NCS is the North American counterpart. It is frequently required or expected on EU public-sector and cross-border projects, and it ties cleanly into BIM classification through Uniclass, which is why UK ISO 19650 workflows point to ISO 13567-2 for layer naming. If you receive drawings from European consultants, or deliver into an EU project, the coded layer name is what the project demands - and what every non-compliant inbound file has to be conformed to.
What the standard does and does not give you
ISO 13567 defines the coded target with full rigor: the fields, their order, their lengths, and where the element codes come from. It gives you no mechanism to convert a non-compliant file. A drawing that arrives with readable, foreign, or house-style layer names is not closer to ISO 13567 for having a standard to point at - someone still has to read each layer's intent and assign the right code. MorphoCAD is that step: it maps inbound layers to the ISO 13567 code by meaning, shows every proposed code with a confidence score for review, and applies the rename only after you approve. The standard says what compliant looks like; MorphoCAD moves your files there.
FAQ
Are ISO 13567 layer names readable without a reference table?
The agent and status flags are learnable, but the 6-character element field is a classification code (CI/SfB or Uniclass). Without that table, A-G2510-EN does not announce itself as a new wall. The codes are precise for the machine, opaque to the eye - which is the core trade-off of the standard.
What are the mandatory fields in ISO 13567? Three, in order: agent responsible (2 characters), element (6 characters), and presentation (2 characters). Status, sector, phase, projection, scale, and work package are optional and used by project agreement.
Where do the element codes come from? ISO 13567 does not define them. It references national building classification tables - most commonly CI/SfB or Uniclass. The element field carries the code for the building part the layer represents.
Is ISO 13567 the same as AIA / NCS?
No. AIA / NCS uses readable hyphenated fields (A-WALL-FULL-N) and is the North American standard. ISO 13567 uses compact numeric codes and is the international one. They are conceptually aligned but not interchangeable. See the standards comparison guide for both side by side.
Can MorphoCAD convert files to ISO 13567 automatically? It proposes the ISO 13567 code for each incoming layer by reading its meaning, then applies the changes you approve. It is review-first, not unattended: low-confidence or genuinely ambiguous layers are left unmapped for you to decide. ISO 13567 is one of its built-in target standards.
Does MorphoCAD handle foreign-language layer names?
Yes - that is the clearest case for it. An explicit synonym table covers seven languages and the AI decodes abbreviations and house jargon beyond that, so MURO, WAND, and WALL all map to the same ISO 13567 element code.