Free US warning and work zone road signs blocks for AutoCAD (DWG): warning, school, work zone and object marker signs in colour

About the standard

The designations (W11-2 and so on, with R for regulatory, W for warning, S for school, M for miscellaneous and OM for object markers), the meanings, shapes and colours follow the sign designs of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), 11th edition. The MUTCD is the national standard for traffic control devices in the United States; states publish their own manuals or supplements with differences.

The library is not an official publication and is not certified. It is meant for plans, schedules and legends. For signs that are made and put up on a road, use the standard sign drawings and the rules of your agency, and check the requirements of your project for sizes, sheeting and placement.

Frequently asked questions

Which signs are in the library?

185 signs in 10 groups: 24 curves and alignment, 12 intersection warning, 22 advance control, merge and lanes, 28 road width, hills and ends, 25 road surface and conditions, 14 railroad crossings, 21 road users and animals, 7 school, 21 work zone and 11 object marker and detour signs. The page above lists every sign with its designation. Regulatory signs (stop, yield, speed, parking and prohibitions) are in the US regulatory signs library.

Will the signs look the same in my state?

The MUTCD sign designs are the national basis, and the states adopt them with local supplements, so a few signs and wordings differ by state. The signs in this library are the national designs. Use them as the base and replace the wording you need, or use the sign drawings of your state agency. Signs outside North America follow other systems, see the Vienna Convention road signs library.

Can I use the symbols in commercial projects?

Yes. They are free to use and modify in your own projects, including commercial ones. They are provided as is, without warranty.

Why are the signs on colour layers, and will they plot in colour?

A road sign means something by its colour, so each sign is made of solid colour fills on its own layers. They plot in colour with a colour plot style. If you plot with a monochrome style the signs turn black and white; they stay recognisable, but you lose the colour meaning, so use a colour style for signing plans.

Can I change a symbol or add attributes?

Yes. Open the DWG, edit a block with BEDIT to change it or add attributes, and save. To update drawings that already contain the block, run ATTSYNC or replace the block. Make a backup first: attribute values can be lost if ATTSYNC is used carelessly.

Where do I find a ready-made set of these symbols for AutoCAD?

AutoCAD itself ships only a small set of sample blocks, so a full symbol set has to come from a library. Download the ZIP on this page and open the DWG: every symbol is a block. Insert one with INSERT (Blocks palette, Libraries tab, then pick the DWG) or drag it from DesignCenter (ADCENTER). You can also download a single symbol on its own.