# Export a floor plan to DXF: units, layers and checks

By FloorDraft · Updated 2026-09-13

Original: https://floordraft.online/en/guides/export-floor-plan-to-dxf

Calibrate and review your design, sign in, choose DXF from Export & backup, then select the unit and layers. Open the downloaded file in CAD and measure a known wall before passing it on.

[Review and export your plan](https://floordraft.online/en/editor)

Use the editor on a computer. Editing is free; Google sign-in is required for PNG, PDF and DXF exports.

## Choose DXF when the recipient needs geometry

| FloorDraft output | Suitable for | Important distinction |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PNG | A visual layout in a message or document | A picture of the layout |
| PDF | Viewing and a convenient printed overview | Fits the drawing onto the page for viewing |
| DXF | Continuing the drawing in CAD | Geometry and layers; verify units and symbols |
| Design backup | Restoring a drawing in FloorDraft | Keep the reference image separately |

## Try a sample DXF in your CAD software

Download a simple wall drawing to check how DXF opens in your CAD software. The example is 4000 mm long and 120 mm thick, with an 800 mm opening that starts 1000 mm from one end.

Choose the file in the unit you use: millimetres, centimetres or metres. All three files describe the same wall. A 4000 mm total length is 400 cm or 4 m.

Open the file and measure the two wall segments, the opening and the wall thickness. In the millimetre file, the wall segments should be 1000 mm and 2200 mm, separated by an 800 mm gap. If your measurements differ, check the import unit.

- [Millimetre DXF](https://floordraft.online/samples/verified-wall/wall-mm.dxf)
- [Centimetre DXF](https://floordraft.online/samples/verified-wall/wall-cm.dxf)
- [Metre DXF](https://floordraft.online/samples/verified-wall/wall-m.dxf)

## Choose a unit that the recipient expects

FloorDraft offers millimetres, centimetres and metres for DXF. A 3000 mm reference length should measure 3000 drawing units in a millimetre file, 300 in a centimetre file, or 3 in a metre file. Specify the unit in the handoff instead of asking the recipient to guess.

The CAD file contains wall outlines, opening symbols, furniture blocks and supported annotations on named layers. A raster background is a tracing reference; it is not automatically converted into those objects or included as editable walls.

## Review openings before exporting

1. Check that each intended wall opening belongs to the correct wall.
2. Resolve overlapping openings and openings that extend beyond a wall endpoint.
3. Review free-standing door or window symbols: they do not automatically cut a wall.
4. Check scale status. Calibrate if possible; estimated exports carry an estimate note.
5. Choose the layers the recipient needs and keep a design backup.

## Verify the handoff in the receiving application

If text appears as boxes, inspect font availability in the receiving CAD application. If dimensions are off by a factor of 10, 100 or 1000, check the import unit before changing the geometry.

Different CAD applications may display symbols and text differently, so review the file in the software that will be used. Keep your original FloorDraft project for later edits: DXF files cannot be imported back into FloorDraft.

| Check | What success looks like |
| --- | --- |
| Reference measurement | A known 3 m span matches the chosen unit |
| Walls and openings | Expected wall thickness and actual gaps |
| Door movement | Hinge and swing match the reviewed design |
| Layers | Intended layers are visible and selectable |
| Text | Labels display with an available font |
| Full extent | No missing or unexpectedly remote objects |

## Questions

### Do I need to pay for DXF export?

FloorDraft provides DXF export for free after Google sign-in. You can draw and download a design backup without signing in.

### Is the export a construction-ready drawing?

It is a design handoff. The recipient must check measurements and any construction or regulatory requirements for the intended use.

## References

Use the example dimensions to follow the calculations, then repeat them with your own measurements. The examples are not building standards.

- [FloorDraft usage and export terms](https://floordraft.online/en/terms)
- [FloorDraft editor help](https://floordraft.online/en/help)

## Continue your plan

- [How to draw a floor plan to scale](https://floordraft.online/en/guides/draw-a-floor-plan-to-scale)
- [Trace a floor plan from an image, step by step](https://floordraft.online/en/guides/trace-a-floor-plan-from-an-image)
- [Print a floor plan to scale and check the result](https://floordraft.online/en/guides/print-a-floor-plan-to-scale)
- [Prepare a CAD floor plan for your renovation team](https://floordraft.online/en/guides/prepare-cad-plan-for-renovation-team)

[Review and export your plan](https://floordraft.online/en/editor)