A UK FF&E schedule template: the columns that matter

At a glance

Thirty-six columns in all. Use only the columns your project needs, but keep the compliance group: a blank cell cannot be told from a forgotten one.

The schedule is an index

An FF&E schedule is a line-by-line list of every furnishing item on a project, used to specify, price, order and track the items. It does not replace the drawings, the finishes schedule, the quotations, the purchase orders or the certificates. It points to them. Each group of columns on the drawing below indexes one document, so that anyone reading a row can find the evidence behind it.

The grouping is simple. Identity says what the item is and where it goes. Specification says exactly what is to be supplied. Commercial and procurement say who supplies it and where it is in the buying process. Approval records what has been signed off. Compliance, highlighted on the drawing, records the evidence that the item meets the brief.

The columns, one by one

Copy the column names into a spreadsheet, one row per item and finish variant. Example entries are in square brackets for you to replace. A spreadsheet version of this template could follow.

The compliance columns

Most schedule templates stop at a single field for fire rating. For a UK project that is not enough, because the evidence differs by item and the rules differ by building. Three points from the sources we have read:

• The regime depends on the building. FIRA’s guide says holiday apartments and houses are covered by the 1988 Regulations and hotels are not: hotel furniture is governed through the fire risk assessment under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Chalet hotels and similar mixed premises are a grey area, so ask the project’s fire risk assessor.
• A claim is not evidence. FIRA notes there is no formal scheme for proving compliance with a standard, so a supplier can simply claim it. That is why the schedule records a test report reference, its date and who checked it.
• The test belongs to the item tested. Each upholstery composite, meaning cover, interliner and filling together, needs its own test, and test data applies to the item evaluated, not to every item supplied.

Tip: never leave a compliance cell blank. Write n/a and the reason, so that a blank can only mean a missed item.

Worked rows

The same columns filled in, as placeholders, for a banquette and a brass-inlaid cabinet. The cabinet row shows how to record a column that does not apply: say so and say why.

Rules that keep the schedule honest

• One row per item and finish variant, with a unique item code that is never reused.
• One status list, fixed at the start, so that a filter means the same to everyone.
• One revision letter per issue, with the change note recording what moved.
• Every cell completed. Use n/a and the reason, never an empty cell.
• Evidence lives in files, not in the cell. The cell holds the reference; the certificate sits in the certificate file.
• The schedule is an index, not a compliance record. The certificates, the test reports and the fire risk assessment are the record.

The FF&E schedule is issued as revision [letter] and held by [party]. One row per item and finish variant; item codes are unique and never reused. Every cell is completed: write n/a and the reason, not a blank. Status is one of: specified, quoted, approved, ordered, in production, delivered, installed, snagged, accepted.

Finished size: width x depth x height in mm as finished. Finish ref: the code in the finishes schedule [reference]. Sample ref: the approved sample [S-nn] the item is to match. COM details: where [designer] supplies fabric or leather, its reference, width, quantity and batch, with its fire test evidence.

Fire regime: [fire risk assessment under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 / Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988]. Hazard category: [low / medium / high / very high] as set by the fire risk assessment dated [date]. Fire standard: [BS 7176 / BS 7177 / BS 5867-2]. Composite ref: cover, interliner and filling tested together; a different composite needs its own test. Test report: [UKAS-accredited, no more than 1 year old], reference and date. Label fitted: [yes / no / n/a].

Timber claim: [FSC 100% / FSC Mix / FSC Recycled / PEFC / none] for each timber item. Certificate no.: the supplier's chain-of-custody certificate number as shown on the delivery documents, checked against the certification body's database by [name] on [date]. Other evidence: [environmental product declaration / chemical or emissions declaration / declaration of performance], only where the brief requires. Checked by, date: [initials, date].

Shop drawing: drawing number and status [submitted / approved / approved as noted / revise and resubmit]. Sample status: sample ref and date approved. Revision: schedule revision at which the row last changed. Change note: what changed, and the variation reference.

Standards and sources

• FIRA: Fire safety of furniture and furnishings, non-domestic sector (2010 edition): read via a hosted copy on 5 Nov 2026; check FIRA for the current edition.
• Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, regulation 3: page read 5 Nov 2026.
• FSC UK: Choose FSC and Is it FSC? buyer guides: delivery-document checks and claim types (page dated 7 Jul 2026).
• Make Bespoke Studio journal: Hotel FF&E explained: what FF&E covers.

Questions we are asked

What is an FF&E schedule?

A line-by-line list of every furnishing item on a project, with its code, room, description, finish, size, supplier, quantity and status, used to specify, price, order and track the items. The most useful versions also record compliance evidence.

What columns should an FF&E schedule have?

Six groups: identity (code, room, item, quantity, drawing reference), specification (description, finished size, materials, finish and sample references), commercial (supplier, quote, price basis), procurement (status, order, dates, delivery), compliance (fire, timber and test evidence) and approval (shop drawing, sample, revision, change).

What is the difference between an FF&E schedule and a finishes schedule?

A finishes schedule lists the surface finishes, colours and materials in each space and cross-refers to samples. An FF&E schedule lists the items. The FF&E schedule should reference the finishes schedule rather than repeat it.

Do hotels and holiday lets follow the same fire rules for furniture?

Not under the guidance we have read. FIRA’s guide says holiday apartments and houses are covered by the 1988 Regulations, while hotels are covered by the fire risk assessment under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Mixed premises are a grey area, so confirm with the project’s fire risk assessor. The fire regime column records which applies.

Is an FF&E schedule a compliance record?

No. The schedule is an index. The certificates, the test reports and the fire risk assessment are the record, and the schedule holds the references that lead to them.