diff --git a/crates/dxf/src/model/write.rs b/crates/dxf/src/model/write.rs
index 3ee234153..6d2879cd9 100644
--- a/crates/dxf/src/model/write.rs
+++ b/crates/dxf/src/model/write.rs
@@ -1478,6 +1478,13 @@ const MODEL: &str = "*Model_Space";
 const PAPER: &str = "*Paper_Space";
 
 impl Drawing<'_> {
+    /// Set `$LUNITS` without making callers construct low-level group tags.
+    pub fn with_linear_units(mut self, units: i64) -> Self {
+        self.header.retain(|(name, _)| !name.eq_ignore_ascii_case("$LUNITS"));
+        self.header.push(("$LUNITS".into(), vec![Tag::i(70, units)]));
+        self
+    }
+
     /// The whole file as tags, ending with `0 EOF`, and how many entities were left out
     /// ([`EntityKind::Other`], and a MULTILEADER before 2007 or an ACAD_TABLE before 2004, which it has no groups for: pass
     /// those in `raw_entities`).
diff --git a/crates/dxf/tests/model_write.rs b/crates/dxf/tests/model_write.rs
index 1f1df5fcb..8ece9c5bb 100644
--- a/crates/dxf/tests/model_write.rs
+++ b/crates/dxf/tests/model_write.rs
@@ -596,7 +596,8 @@ fn the_file_around_the_content() {
         raw_objects: vec![Tag::s(0, "DICTIONARY"), Tag::s(5, "901"), Tag::s(330, "A")],
         raw_classes: vec![Tag::s(0, "CLASS"), Tag::s(1, "IMAGEDEF")],
         ..Drawing::default()
-    };
+    }
+    .with_linear_units(2);
     let (tags, skipped) = drawing.tags();
     assert_eq!(skipped, 1, "the entity with no groups to write");
     assert_eq!(tags.last().map(|t| (t.code, t.str())), Some((0, "EOF".to_string())));
@@ -617,6 +618,7 @@ fn the_file_around_the_content() {
     assert_eq!((d.header.acadver().as_deref(), d.header.ltscale(), d.header.insunits()), (Some("AC1032"), 2.0, 6));
     assert_eq!(d.header.vars.iter().filter(|(n, _)| *n == "$INSUNITS" || *n == "$ACADVER" || *n == "$HANDSEED").count(), 3);
     assert_eq!(d.header.point("$EXTMAX"), Some([100.0, 50.0, 0.0]));
+    assert_eq!(d.header.vars.iter().find(|(name, _)| *name == "$LUNITS").map(|(_, tags)| tags[0].i64()), Some(2));
     // Blocks, their records and the layouts that name them.
     let names = d.block_names();
     let block = d.block("DOOR").expect("the block");