Revit pipe fitting and pipe accessory tags: how to tag valves, elbows, and tees

A valve tag tells the reader which valve to close, and a missing one means a call to the engineer. Fittings sit on the same pipes and use a different tag category, so the two need separate handling.

This guide covers the job in order. You load the tags, place them, make them read the right values, and then decide which fittings deserve a tag. RayCAD is a Revit plugin for tagging MEPF drawings. Each step ends with where it slows a project and what RayCAD does there.

Which category does each component use?

• Pipe fittings. Elbows, tees, crosses, and reducers. The tag category is Pipe Fitting Tags.
• Pipe accessories. Valves, strainers, and similar inline items. The tag category is Pipe Accessory Tags.

A pipe tag does not cover either. Pipes have their own category, covered in the guide to tagging pipes.

How do you tag pipe fittings and accessories?

1. Load a tag for each category

1. Go to the Annotate tab and open the drop-down arrow on the Tag panel.
2. Choose Loaded Tags and Symbols.
3. Click Load and browse to a pipe fitting tag, then a pipe accessory tag. The tags that ship with Revit sit in the Annotations folder of your Revit library, under Piping.
4. Check that a tag name appears next to both Pipe Fitting Tags and Pipe Accessory Tags, then click OK.

The last tag you load for a category becomes the default. Load your firm's tags last.

2. Give valves a mark

1. Select a valve.
2. In the Properties palette, find Mark under Identity Data.
3. Type the valve number, such as V-101.
4. Repeat for each valve, or fill the Mark column in a pipe accessory schedule.

Mark is an instance parameter, so each valve holds its own value. Revit warns when two elements in a category share a Mark. Treat the warning as real, because a duplicate sends a tag to the wrong row in the schedule.

3. Tag one component with Tag by Category

1. Go to Annotate, Tag, Tag by Category, or type TG.
2. Set the orientation, and turn the leader on or off.
3. Click the valve or fitting. The tag appears.
4. Drag the tag to move it. Press Esc twice to leave the command.

Put a valve tag beside the pipe, level with the valve. A tag that sits past the end of the run can be read as a tag on the next pipe.

4. Tag every component with Tag All Not Tagged

1. Open the view. Select the elements you want tagged, or select nothing to tag all of them.
2. Go to Annotate, Tag, Tag All.
3. Choose All objects in current view or Only selected objects in current view.
4. Select Pipe Accessory Tags, Pipe Fitting Tags, or both.
5. Set Leader and Tag Orientation, then click OK.

Tag All skips elements that already have a tag, and it runs on the active view only.

Which pipe fittings deserve a tag?

Most do not. A pipe plan with a tag on every elbow is unreadable, and the fittings are obvious from the linework.

Tag a fitting when it carries information the reader cannot see:

• A reducer, where the size changes.
• A fitting with a mark, such as a unique tee in a manifold.
• A fitting your standard calls out, such as a cleanout on a drain.

Skip the elbows and the standard tees.

How do you change what a tag shows?

1. Select a tag and click Edit Family.
2. Save a copy under a new name.
3. Select the label and click Edit Label.
4. Add Mark, Type Mark, or the parameter you need.
5. Click Load into Project.

A tag that shows the same value on every valve reads Type Mark or an empty Mark. A custom parameter in the valve family can only be read by a tag if it is a shared parameter.

What goes wrong with pipe fitting and accessory tags?

What else breaks when you tag valves by hand?

Missed valves. A valve without a tag is a question on site. Any valve RayCAD could not place is listed with the reason, and RayCAD takes you to it. See how that reduces RFIs.

Model changes. When a valve moves, the tag stays where it was. RayCAD's Retag tool tags the valves you select again, with the same settings.

How does RayCAD tag valves and fittings end to end?

You pick the views. RayCAD finds the pipes, pipe accessories, and pipe fittings, decides where each tag goes, places it, and lists anything it could not place. You review the result. Click-saver plugins make clicking quicker and still leave you to decide and place each tag.

What should you check before you issue the sheet?

• Every valve has a tag and a unique mark.
• Tag values match the valve schedule.
• Fittings are tagged only where they carry information.
• No tag covers a pipe or another tag.

Start a free RayCAD trial on Revit 2021 to 2027, or email us for a demo and an onboarding call. The guide to tagging pipes covers the pipes these fittings connect.

What building a pipe accessory tagging script yourself really costs

• Time. Whoever builds and maintains the script is doing software development instead of the billable engineering and drafting work they were hired for.
• The AI loop.With Claude or ChatGPT it becomes an endless loop of “fix this”, “now fix that”. Each fix can break a case that worked before, and nobody on the team owns the code.
• Cost. Hours spent building and maintaining scripts, times your hourly rate, against $200 per month for RayCAD for the whole company.

You can build a pipe accessory tagging script, and this page shows how. For production MEPF sheets, RayCAD is the cheaper and safer choice. Try it free for 15 days.