A
A1-A3
The EPD modules covering raw material supply, transport to the factory and manufacturing, i.e. the impacts up to the factory gate. They exclude transport to site, installation, use and end of life.
Also called: cradle to gate, product stage
Approved as noted
A common review outcome meaning the work may proceed once the noted corrections are made, without a further full review. Anything marked 'revise and resubmit' must not be made until reissued.
Also called: approved with comments, approved subject to comments, revise and resubmit
As-built drawings
Drawings updated at completion to show what was actually built and installed, including any changes made on site. They are what an owner needs for repairs or later refurbishment.
Also called: as-installed drawings, record drawings
Attic stock
Extra finished items or materials from the same batch, kept by the owner after handover to replace damaged or worn pieces later. The quantities and storage are agreed in the specification.
Also called: spares, overage, extra stock, replacement stock
B
BS 5852
The British Standard that describes how upholstery is tested with smouldering and flaming ignition sources, including the wooden-crib sources used for contract seating. It is a test method, not a certificate or a guarantee on its own.
Also called: BS5852, BS 5852:2006, crib test method
BS 7176
The British Standard that specifies how resistant upholstered seating for non-domestic use must be to ignition, by hazard category, tested as combinations of cover, interliner and filling. Compliance is shown by test evidence and a label.
Also called: BS7176, BS 7176:2007
C
Certifire
A UK third-party certification scheme under which fire doorsets and other fire-resisting products are tested, audited and labelled so the label proves the product matches what was tested. It is the usual practical evidence for a fire door.
Also called: BWF-CERTIFIRE, third-party fire door certification
Chain of custody
The documented route that certified timber takes from forest to finished product, with each handler certified so the claim is not lost. A company can only make a certified-timber claim on its invoices if it holds a valid certificate covering that product.
Also called: CoC, FSC chain of custody, PEFC chain of custody
COM
Fabric (or leather) chosen and supplied by the client or designer for the maker to upholster, instead of being bought from the maker's range. The maker will normally need its details, quantity and test evidence before agreeing to use it.
Also called: customer's own material, COL, customer's own leather, client-supplied fabric
Commodity code
The numerical code that classifies a product for customs, which decides duty rate and which import and export rules apply. Built-in joinery, loose furniture, lighting and stone can fall under different headings.
Also called: HS code, tariff code, harmonised system code, CN code
Contractor's designed portion
A defined part of the works that the contractor, rather than the design team, has to design and detail, typically specialist items. The contract sets out what that portion is and the contractor's liability for it.
Also called: CDP, contractor's design portion
Control sample
The one sample that the client or designer has approved and the maker keeps as the benchmark against which production is judged. It should be labelled, dated and signed.
Also called: master sample, approved sample, reference sample, golden sample
Crib 5
Shorthand for the BS 5852 flaming ignition source (a small wooden crib) required for medium-hazard contract seating, such as most hotels, restaurants and pubs. 'Crib 7' is the larger source used for high hazard.
Also called: crib five, ignition source 5, IS5, Crib 5 fire test
D
DAP
An Incoterm where the seller delivers to a named place, ready for unloading, and carries risk to that point, while the buyer handles import clearance and pays import duty and VAT.
Also called: delivered at place
DDP
An Incoterm where the seller also clears the goods for import and pays duty and import VAT, which in the UK means the seller needs the right registrations such as an EORI number. It can be harder to deliver than it sounds.
Also called: delivered duty paid
Declared unit
The quantity of product to which an EPD's results apply, such as one chair, one square metre or one kilogram. Two EPDs can only be compared if their units are made comparable.
Also called: functional unit, reference unit
Defects liability period
The period after practical completion during which the contractor must come back and put right defects at its own cost. Its length and the money held until it ends are fixed by the contract.
Also called: DLP, rectification period, defects period, maintenance period
Descriptive specification
A specification that states the required result and performance, and leaves a specialist or contractor to design and detail how to achieve it. Design responsibility for that part generally passes to whoever completes it.
Also called: performance specification, performance-based specification, outcome specification
Design responsibility matrix
A table recording, for each element of a project, who is responsible for its design, its detail, its performance and its approval. It is built early and updated as responsibility changes.
Also called: DRM, responsibility matrix
Design-intent drawings
Drawings from the design team that show what the item should look like and achieve, with enough detail to price it, but not the maker's construction detail. They sit before shop drawings.
Also called: concept drawings, GA drawings, tender drawings, architect's drawings
E
E1 (formaldehyde class)
A European class for formaldehyde released by wood-based panels such as MDF and chipboard, with E1 the common baseline for interior use. Lower classes and project requirements (for example BREEAM) can ask for stricter limits or tested evidence.
Also called: E1, E05, E2, CARB phase 2
Early procurement package
A group of long-lead items bought ahead of the main contract, usually under a separate order, so they arrive when needed. It requires design and samples to be settled sooner.
Also called: early order package, advance order
Embodied carbon
The greenhouse gas emissions caused by making, transporting and installing materials (and, in a wider sense, maintaining and disposing of them), expressed in kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent. For a fit-out, the upfront share is often what clients ask for.
Also called: upfront carbon, embodied emissions, kgCO2e
EORI number
A registration number businesses need to make customs declarations when moving goods into or out of the UK or EU. A supplier offering DDP into the UK will normally need one.
Also called: EORI, Economic Operators Registration and Identification
EPD
An independently verified report of a product's environmental impacts across its life cycle, produced to agreed rules so similar products can be compared. A furniture EPD reports per declared unit (for example per chair) and is only valid for a set period.
Also called: environmental product declaration, Type III declaration
EUDR
EU law requiring operators who place certain commodities, including many wood products and furniture, on the EU market to show they are deforestation-free and legally produced. Reported application date is 30 December 2026 for larger operators; later for micro and small ones: check the official text.
Also called: EU Deforestation Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, deforestation-free regulation
Euroclass
The European system for classifying how a material reacts to fire, from A1 (non-combustible) to F, with extra letters for smoke production (s1 to s3) and flaming droplets (d0 to d2). Building regulations use it to set the classes wall and ceiling linings must achieve.
Also called: BS EN 13501-1 class, reaction to fire class, B-s1,d0, C-s3,d2
F
FD30 / FD60
Labels for fire doorsets that resist fire for 30 or 60 minutes under test; an S suffix means smoke seals are included. The rating belongs to a complete tested doorset (leaf, frame, seals, hardware), not to the leaf alone.
Also called: FD30S, FD60S, 30-minute fire door, fire door rating
FF&E
The loose and some fixed items that furnish and equip a building but are not part of its structure or services, such as seating, tables, headboards, lamps and sometimes fitted joinery. Where the line falls between FF&E and construction scope (for example built-in joinery or a TV's power outlet) is set by the contract, not by the term.
Also called: FFE, FF and E, furniture, fixtures and equipment, furniture, fittings and equipment, FF+E
FF&E procurement agent
A firm appointed to buy, track, receive and sometimes install FF&E on a client's behalf, often for hotels. It is different from the designer who specifies the items, although some designers act as agent or principal.
Also called: purchasing agent, FF&E purchasing agent, procurement manager, owner's representative
FF&E reserve
Money set aside regularly, often as a percentage of hotel revenue, to pay for replacing furnishings over time. The rate and the replacement cycle are normally set by lenders, brands or the management agreement.
Also called: capital reserve, replacement reserve, furniture reserve
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.
Also called: furniture schedule, FFE schedule, furniture and equipment schedule
FFFSR
UK regulations that set fire resistance requirements for upholstered furniture, mattresses and similar items supplied for private use in a dwelling. Hotels and other non-domestic premises are generally dealt with through the fire safety order and risk assessment rather than these Regulations.
Also called: Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, 1988 fire regulations, the 1988 regs
Finishes schedule
A schedule listing the surface finishes, colours and materials used in each space (walls, floors, joinery faces, metals), usually cross-referenced to samples. It describes finishes rather than movable products.
Also called: finish schedule, materials schedule
First article
The first finished item from a production run, inspected and approved against the drawings and samples before the rest is made. It is the production counterpart to a prototype.
Also called: first article inspection, first-off approval, FAI
FSC Mix Credit
An FSC claim in which certified and other wood are mixed and credit for the certified share is sold on, so an individual item need not itself contain certified timber. It differs from a percentage claim, which states the certified share of the product.
Also called: FSC Mix, FSC Mix %, FSC credit claim
G
Golden thread
The digital record of design, construction and safety information that must be kept accurate and accessible for higher-risk residential buildings under the Building Safety Act. Product substitutions need to be recorded there with their safety check.
Also called: golden thread of information, key building information
Guarantee
A written commitment to put something right if it fails within a stated period, enforceable only if it is in writing. A consumer guarantee should be clear and cannot take away statutory rights.
Also called: manufacturer's guarantee, consumer guarantee
H
Hazard category (BS 7176)
The level of ignition resistance BS 7176 expects of upholstered seating, graded low, medium, high or very high according to how risky the building and its use are. The standard gives typical examples; the fire risk assessment decides the actual category.
Also called: low/medium/high/very high hazard, BS 7176 hazard, risk category
I
Incoterms
ICC standard trade terms that fix which party (seller or buyer) arranges and pays for transport, insurance and customs, and where the risk of loss passes. They govern a sale contract between buyer and seller, not title to goods or payment timing.
Also called: Incoterms 2020, delivery terms, EXW, FCA
Inspection and test plan
A plan listing the checks to be made at each stage of manufacture, the evidence recorded and who must be present. It turns 'quality control' into points you can verify.
Also called: ITP, quality plan, pre-shipment inspection
Interliner
A layer placed between the outer cover and the filling to improve fire performance of the whole seat. If it is in the tested composite it must be in the production.
Also called: fire barrier, interliner fabric, FR barrier
ISPM 15
The international standard for treating and marking wooden packaging (crates, pallets, dunnage) used in cross-border shipping so it cannot carry pests. A crate that carries the mark has been heat treated by an authorised operator.
Also called: wood packaging mark, heat treatment stamp, IPPC mark
L
Lacey Act declaration
A declaration US importers must file for many wood and plant products, naming species, country of harvest and quantity, to show they were legally sourced. The importer carries the duty, so exporters must supply the data.
Also called: PPQ 505, plant and plant product declaration
Long-lead item
An item whose making and delivery takes long enough that its order date drives the project programme, so it has to be ordered earlier than the rest. Typical examples are hand-finished, imported or custom-made pieces.
Also called: long lead item, LLI
M
Materials board
A physical or digital board gathering the actual samples of materials and finishes chosen for a scheme so that they can be judged together under proper light. It is a design and approval aid, not a contract document by itself.
Also called: finish board, mood board, sample board, colour board
Metamerism
When two colours look the same under one light source but different under another, so a sample approved in the studio can look off on site. Approving under defined light, and checking under a second source, reduces the risk.
Also called: metameric match, colour shift under different light
Mock-up room
A fully fitted example room built before the roll-out of a hotel or residential scheme so the owner and designer can inspect and approve everything in place. Production of the repeated rooms is normally released only after it is approved.
Also called: model room, show room mock-up, guestroom mock-up, sample room
O
O&M manual
The document pack handed over at completion telling the owner what was installed and how to look after it: care instructions, finishes, spares, certificates and contacts. For FF&E it often includes as-built drawings and warranties.
Also called: operation and maintenance manual, handover pack, care and maintenance file
P
PCR
The rulebook for producing EPDs for a product group, setting what is counted and how, so that EPDs made to the same rules can be compared. Furniture EPDs usually follow the construction PCR plus a furniture add-on.
Also called: product category rules, c-PCR, complementary PCR
Practical completion
The point at which building work is complete enough to be used, with only minor items left to put right, and from which the defects period normally runs. Exactly what counts is decided by the contract and often disputed.
Also called: PC, substantial completion
Prescriptive specification
A specification in which the design team states exactly what products, materials and workmanship are required, leaving the contractor to supply and install them as described. Design responsibility stays with the design team.
Also called: prescriptive spec, closed specification
Principal designer
Under the CDM Regulations 2015, the designer appointed by the client on a project with more than one contractor to plan, manage and coordinate the health and safety side of the design phase. Interior designers are also 'designers' under the same Regulations.
Also called: PD, CDM principal designer
Property improvement plan
A list of upgrades a hotel owner must carry out, set by the brand or franchisor when a hotel joins or renews, often covering FF&E replacement. It can dictate cycles and specifications.
Also called: PIP
Prototype
A full-size or near full-size working example of an item made before the main run so its proportions, comfort, finish and construction can be checked and signed off. Changes are far cheaper at this stage than once production starts.
Also called: first-off, pre-production sample, proof piece
R
RAMS
The pair of documents a contractor prepares before a task: the risk assessment of what could go wrong and the method statement of how the work will be done safely. Delivery and installation of heavy or fragile items normally needs them.
Also called: risk assessment and method statement, method statement
Range report
A project document recording the appearance range of a natural material (for example a stone) that has been agreed as acceptable, with the features accepted and rejected. It becomes the yardstick for judging the delivered or installed material.
Also called: stone range report, approval range
REACH
The chemicals regulation, in the EU and separately in Great Britain as UK REACH, that controls registration, restriction and communication about substances in products. For furniture the practical question is information about substances in articles.
Also called: UK REACH, EU REACH
Responsible person
The person (usually the employer or building controller) with legal duty for fire safety in non-domestic premises, who must have the fire risk assessment done. Furniture suppliers should be given the hazard category that comes out of it.
Also called: person responsible, duty holder (fire)
Retention
A percentage of each payment held back by the client until the defects period ends, as security for finishing and putting right the work. A Bill before Parliament in 2026 proposes banning it in construction contracts; check its current status before relying on this.
Also called: retention money, retention bond
RIBA Plan of Work 2020
The RIBA's eight-stage framework (stages 0 to 7) for organising building projects, from strategic definition to use. Bespoke work typically moves from design intent in the early stages to the maker's detailed drawings, samples and manufacture in the later ones.
Also called: RIBA stages, Plan of Work, stage 4
RRFSO
The 2005 Order that places fire safety duties on the responsible person for most non-domestic premises, including a fire risk assessment. It is why furniture fire levels in hotels and restaurants are set by risk assessment, not by a furniture-specific statute.
Also called: Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Fire Safety Order, FSO
S
Scribe
A deliberately generous edge or strip on joinery that is trimmed on site to follow an uneven wall, floor or ceiling so no gap shows. The allowance must be designed in, because it cannot be added afterwards.
Also called: scribing allowance, scribing, scribe strip
Shadow gap
A deliberate recess between two surfaces that reads as a thin dark line and hides small misalignments. It must be dimensioned and its tolerance stated.
Also called: reveal, recessed joint, shadow line
Shop drawings
Detailed drawings prepared by the maker or supplier showing exactly how an item will be built, with dimensions, materials, fixings and finishes, for the designer to check before manufacture. They interpret the design team's drawings; they are not a chance to redesign.
Also called: fabrication drawings, workshop drawings, production drawings, millwork drawings
Snagging
Checking finished work against the drawings, specification and approved samples and listing what does not comply or does not work. There is no formal snagging standard, so criteria need to be agreed up front.
Also called: snag list, punch list, defects list, handover inspection
Specification sheet
A single-item sheet that fixes what is to be supplied: product or build description, materials, dimensions, finishes, performance requirements and the evidence needed. For a bespoke piece it is written for that item rather than lifted from a catalogue.
Also called: spec sheet, product data sheet, cut sheet, data sheet
Stage payment
A payment due when an agreed point in the work is reached (for example on order, when making is complete, on delivery) rather than all at once. The milestones should be tied to something checkable.
Also called: milestone payment, interim payment, instalment
Statement on origin
A declaration, usually on the invoice, that goods qualify as originating in the UK under the UK-EU trade agreement so they can enter the EU at zero duty. It is only valid if the goods actually meet the origin rules.
Also called: origin declaration, rules of origin, preferential origin
Submittal
The package a supplier sends for approval before ordering or building: drawings, product data, samples and certificates. In UK practice you may also hear 'for approval' or 'approval documents'.
Also called: submission, submittals package, approval package
Surface spread of flame
The older British test (BS 476 Part 7) that classes how quickly flame spreads across a surface, with Class 1 the best. It is largely replaced by Euroclass, but existing certificates still use it.
Also called: BS 476-7, Class 1 / Class 0
SVHC
A chemical identified under REACH as a serious concern and added to a candidate list, which triggers duties to pass on information when an article contains more than a set concentration. Great Britain keeps its own list under UK REACH.
Also called: substance of very high concern, REACH candidate list
T
Tolerance
The permitted difference between a stated dimension or position and what is actually achieved, such as length, flatness, plumb or gap width. Manufacturing and on-site installation tolerances are different and should be specified separately.
Also called: manufacturing tolerance, installation tolerance, permissible deviation
U
UKTR operator
Under the UK Timber Regulation, the person or company that first places timber or timber products on the GB market, who must carry out due diligence on legality. Those who then buy or sell it on are traders and must keep supplier and customer records.
Also called: UK Timber Regulation operator, operator (timber)
Upholstery composite
The combination of outer cover, any interliner and the filling in a piece of upholstered seating, which is tested together. Each different composite in a piece needs its own passing test.
Also called: upholstery combination, cover and filling combination
V
Value engineering
A structured review of a design to cut cost without losing the function or performance the client needs. Done badly it swaps materials and quietly drops compliance evidence, so each change should be recorded and re-approved.
Also called: VE, value management, cost reduction
Variation order
A written instruction to change what was agreed after the contract or sign-off, stating the effect on price and time. Verbal changes to items already ordered are a common source of dispute.
Also called: change order, VO, change request, instruction to vary
VOC
Gases released from paints, lacquers, adhesives and boards that can affect indoor air quality. Project standards such as BREEAM set limits and accept particular test methods.
Also called: volatile organic compounds, TVOC, low-VOC
W
Warranty
A promise written into a contract that something is as stated, so that if it is not the other party can claim compensation. A collateral warranty extends such a promise to a party outside the main contract.
Also called: contractual warranty, collateral warranty
Whole life carbon
The total greenhouse gas emissions of a building across its life, combining embodied carbon with operational energy emissions and end of life. It is assessed to a recognised method such as RICS's.
Also called: WLC, whole-life carbon assessment