Contract Furniture Glossary: 40 Terms Trade Buyers Should Know
Contract Furniture Glossary: 40 Terms Trade Buyers Should Know
This glossary defines 40 terms that appear repeatedly in contract furniture enquiries, tender documents and factory paperwork. Each definition is written to be quoted directly: one or two sentences, plain language, no assumed background. Read it as a translation layer between design language, factory language and customs language.
Key facts
- Contract furniture vocabulary splits into six groups: commercial, drawing and approval, materials, upholstery, compliance, and quality and logistics.
- A specification is only enforceable if every term in it is defined the same way by both parties.
- The most frequently misunderstood terms are BOQ, AQL, shop drawing and Martindale rub count.
- Standard names should always be written in full — EN 13501, BS 5852, BIFMA X5.1, CARB P2 and TSCA Title VI — so that a specification cannot be reinterpreted.
- Definitions describe performance requirements and test methods; they are not evidence that any particular product has passed them.
Which commercial terms appear first in a trade enquiry?
Contract furniture — furniture manufactured and supplied for a commercial project under a purchase contract, built to a specification and to commercial durability standards rather than sold from stock. Learn more
FF&E — furniture, fixtures and equipment: the movable, non-permanent items supplied to a building project, as distinct from the building fabric.
Tender — the formal invitation and submission process through which a project awards supply, usually against a specification and a bill of quantities.
BOQ — bill of quantities: the itemised list of goods a project requires, with descriptions, quantities and units, used to compare quotations and to form part of the contract.
Specification — the written statement of what a product must be and do: dimensions, materials, finishes, performance standards and quality requirements.
Purchase order — the buyer's binding instruction to supply a defined quantity at a defined price and date; it normally references the specification and the quotation it accepts.
Incoterm — an internationally recognised three-letter delivery term, such as FOB, CIF or DAP, that fixes where the seller's responsibility ends and the buyer's begins.
MOQ — minimum order quantity: the smallest volume a factory will accept for a given model, often set by fabric minimums, tooling or production line setup.
Which drawing and approval terms govern production?
| Term | Plain meaning | Practical consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Shop drawing | Manufacturer's detailed production drawing | Nothing is cut until the approved revision is issued |
| GA drawing | General arrangement drawing showing a room or area layout | Confirms how pieces relate to the space |
| Finish schedule | List of every finish applied, by surface and code | Prevents colour drift between batches |
| Mock-up room | A physical sample installation of a typical room | Exposes real problems before bulk production |
| Sample approval | Written acceptance of a physical sample | Sets the contractual quality reference |
| Tolerance | The permitted dimensional variation | Defines what counts as an acceptable joint |
GA drawing — a general arrangement drawing showing the layout of pieces within a room or area, used to confirm fit, circulation and quantities.
Finish schedule — the controlled list of finishes applied to a project, naming each surface and its code or sample reference.
Mock-up room — a physical build of one typical room, used to test specification, finish and installation sequence before bulk production.
Sample approval — the written acceptance of a physical sample that becomes the quality reference for the order.
Tolerance — the permitted variation in a dimension or joint; stating it prevents arguments about what counts as a defect.
Which material terms describe what furniture is made of?
Solid wood — timber of full thickness used structurally, typically for frames, legs and tops; its movement with changing moisture is a design factor, not a defect.
Veneer — a thin slice of real timber bonded to a stable substrate; it delivers a consistent natural grain across large surfaces.
Engineered wood — panel products such as MDF and plywood, manufactured for dimensional stability; formaldehyde emissions from these panels are regulated in several markets.
Laminate — a synthetic decorative surface bonded to a substrate, chosen for abrasion and stain resistance rather than for grain authenticity.
Edge banding — the strip applied to the exposed edge of a panel to seal it and match its face.
Knock-down (KD) construction — furniture supplied unassembled or partly assembled for flat packing, relying on well-designed joints and clear assembly instructions.
Powder coating — a dry-finish process for metal frames in which electrostatically applied powder is cured under heat, producing a hard, even coating.
Which upholstery terms affect durability?
Foam density — the mass of foam per unit volume, expressed in kilograms per cubic metre; higher density generally means better shape retention under repeated loading.
High-resilience (HR) foam — foam engineered to recover its shape quickly after compression, used where seating is occupied continuously.
Martindale rub count — a measure of fabric abrasion resistance, expressed as the number of rubbing cycles endured before visible wear; a key indicator of suitability for heavy use.
Corrected-grain leather — leather whose surface has been sanded and re-embossed to remove natural marks, giving uniformity at the cost of some grain character. Full-grain leather retains the original surface.
Pocket-spring suspension — individually pocketed springs used in seating to distribute load and reduce the transmission of movement between seated positions.
Webbing — the elastic or woven support stretched across a seat frame to carry foam and distribute weight.
Seat height — the vertical distance from floor to the top of a compressed seat; a primary comfort and dimensional standard for dining, lounge and task seating.
What does standard-writing practice require?
Every standard should be named in full, with its classification or test method stated, so that a supplier cannot substitute a weaker interpretation.
| Standard | Full reference | What it addresses |
|---|---|---|
| EN 13501 | European reaction-to-fire classification of construction products | Fire classification of materials and components |
| BS 5852 | British ignitability test for upholstered furniture | Performance against defined ignition sources |
| BIFMA X5.1 | North American durability test standard for general-purpose office chairs | Cyclic loading, impact and stability |
| CARB P2 | California Air Resources Board Phase 2 formaldehyde limits | Formaldehyde emissions from composite wood |
| TSCA Title VI | United States formaldehyde emission regulation for composite wood products | Formaldehyde emissions for the US market |
| FSC | Forest Stewardship Council certification | Forest management and chain-of-custody traceability |
EN 13501 — the European classification system for reaction-to-fire performance of construction products, applied to materials and components rather than to a whole room.
BS 5852 — the British standard for assessing the ignitability of upholstered furniture against defined smouldering and flaming ignition sources.
CARB P2 — California Air Resources Board Phase 2 formaldehyde emission limits for composite wood products, widely referenced as a purchasing benchmark.
TSCA Title VI — the United States regulation setting formaldehyde emission limits for composite wood products placed on the US market.
FSC chain of custody — documentation tracing certified timber from forest through processing to the finished product, naming each organisation in the chain.
Which quality and logistics terms protect the buyer?
AQL — acceptable quality limit: the sampling rule that decides how many defects in a batch trigger rejection, agreed in writing before production.
Pre-shipment inspection — an inspection carried out after production is complete and before loading, recording condition, quantity, workmanship and packing.
Packing list — the document describing carton contents, quantities, net and gross weights and volume; it must agree with the commercial invoice.
CBM — cubic metre, the volumetric measure used to calculate freight space and chargeable volume.
FCL and LCL — full container load, where one consignment occupies the container, and less than container load, where it is consolidated with other cargo.
Warranty period — the defined time within which a supplier will repair or replace a failed component, normally split between structure and finish because they age differently.
How should this glossary be used?
Use it as a drafting tool. When a term appears in your specification, confirm that both sides define it the same way, and write the definition into the contract. Ambiguity is not resolved later in a buyer's favour — it is resolved in whichever reading is cheaper to defend.
If a term in your specification is not covered here, ask us to define it before you tender. Message our export team on WhatsApp at +86 188 2788 2512, or review the ranges at https://www.rosyrose.net/. In our own quotation packs the same terms appear in the drawing notes, the bill of materials and the inspection report, so nothing has to be renegotiated mid-project. When a brief reaches our Foshan office, the first reply normally restates the key commercial and drawing terms in plain language before any price is discussed.
Request a project quotation
Send drawings or a specification schedule for a factory-direct quotation. Our Foshan team replies with lead time, options and export packing details.
Frequently asked questions
What does FF&E stand for?
FF&E stands for furniture, fixtures and equipment — the movable, non-permanent items supplied to a building project, including loose furniture, soft furnishings, lighting and equipment, as distinct from the building fabric itself.
What is a BOQ in furniture procurement?
A BOQ, or bill of quantities, is the itemised list of goods a project requires, with quantities, descriptions and units, used to compare quotations and to form part of the purchase contract.
What does Martindale rub count measure?
The Martindale test measures how many rubbing cycles an upholstery fabric withstands before it shows visible wear. A higher number indicates a fabric suited to heavier use, and contract specifications often state a minimum rub count.
What is BIFMA X5.1?
BIFMA X5.1 is the North American durability and safety test standard for general-purpose office chairs. It defines mechanical tests such as cyclic loading, impact and stability, and it is commonly written into specifications as evidence of commercial-grade construction.
What is a shop drawing?
A shop drawing is the manufacturer's detailed production drawing showing dimensions, construction, materials and connections for a specific piece. It is issued for the buyer's approval before production starts, and the approved revision governs what is built.
What is an AQL inspection?
AQL, or acceptable quality limit, is a sampling standard that defines how many units of a batch may fail inspection before the batch is rejected. It converts a subjective judgement about quality into a statistical decision rule agreed by buyer and supplier in advance.
What does KD construction mean?
KD, or knock-down, describes furniture supplied unassembled or partly assembled for flat packing and assembly on site. It reduces shipping volume and cost, but it places more demand on joint design and on the quality of the assembly instructions.
What is a certificate of origin used for in furniture trade?
A certificate of origin identifies the country where goods were produced. It supports preferential tariff claims under a trade agreement and satisfies customs authorities that require an origin declaration, and it must match the commercial invoice exactly.