utsnitt

Utsnitt is a Swedish noun meaning a cross-section or cutaway view, typically produced in technical drawings to reveal the interior structure of an object by slicing along a chosen plane. In architecture, engineering, and product design, a utsnitt presents what cannot be seen from the exterior, such as internal walls, ducts, or layers of material. A common typology includes full sections, where the plane passes completely through the object; half sections, where only half is drawn; and offset or aligned sections, used to maintain a coherent representation of irregular shapes. Section lines or hatching indicate the different materials on the cut surfaces, with conventions varying by origin and field. Dimensions and annotations accompany the utsnitt to identify sizes, materials, and construction details.

In practice, utsnitt drawings are paired with plan and elevation views to give a complete understanding of a building or component. They are essential in construction documentation, mechanical design, and educational contexts to illustrate internal relationships and assembly sequences. The term is primarily used in Swedish, with cognate forms in other Scandinavian languages.

Beyond technical drawing, utsnitt can also refer more loosely to a clipped passage or excerpt from a text, film, or source document, though this sense is less common in technical contexts. See also cross-section, section drawing, architectural drawing.