At a glance
| Field | Say | Without it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Function | What it must do, where, for whom, how hard. | A domestic piece in a contract room. |
| 2 Size, datum | Finished mm, and what each is measured from. | A height nobody can check on site. |
| 3 Materials | Species, cut, boards, metal, stone, by reference. | The cheapest material the words allow. |
| 4 Finish, sheen | System, colour, sheen, sample reference, all faces. | A finish that cannot be matched later. |
| 5 Hardware | Each item by reference, finish code and load. | A different hinge, same words. |
| 6 Performance | The standard, edition and level the project sets. | “Heavy duty” with nothing to test. |
| 7 Evidence | Fire, timber and board evidence, by item code. | A claim with no document. |
| 8 Tolerances | Workshop and fitting tolerances, written down. | Tolerances argued at snagging. |
| 9 Packing | Protection, labels, sections that pass the route. | A piece that will not fit the lift. |
| 10 Site delivery | Address, route, who fixes, connects, protects. | Gaps between trades. |
| 11 Approvals | What must be approved first, and by whom. | Production started on a guess. |
| 12 Open items | What is undecided, who owns it, by when. | A “TBC” nobody owns. |
The sheet is the front page of one item: it points to the drawings and schedules, and does not replace them.
One page, one item, and a pointer for everything else
A specification describes in words what a drawing cannot show: the quality of materials, standards, how the work is done and tested. NBS says it covers matters such as performance criteria and in-use maintenance, that it should be coordinated with the drawings, schedules and models, and that discrepancies between them lead to errors and disputes. A one-page sheet for each item applies that to bespoke work. It gathers what the maker needs to price, draw and build the piece in one place, and it points to the drawing, the finishes schedule and the certificate file for the rest.
It is not the FF&E schedule, which is one line for each item across the whole project. It is the detail behind one line. Nor is it the clause bank: furniture specification clause library holds wording by material, and the joinery specification sheet shows how an open line gets priced down. This sheet is the layout that those clauses sit in.
Our design development page says work can start from a full package or from a sketch and a reference image. A sheet like this one is what turns either into something a maker can price, and a price you can compare with another.
The weak line, and what it leaves open
Each field has a line that looks complete and is not. The table gives one example for each, written for this page rather than quoted from any real specification, and what it leaves for the maker to decide. The stronger version of every line is in the paste-in wording below.
| Field | The weak line | What it leaves open | Go deeper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Function | “Banquette for the restaurant.” | How many covers, how many hours a day, who sits, how it is cleaned: the maker assumes. | Contract or domestic |
| 2 Size, datum | “About [length] long, standard height.” | “About” and “standard” are the maker’s choice, and with no datum the height cannot be checked on site. | Seat height, depth, width |
| 3 Materials | “Oak veneer on MDF.” | Which oak, which cut, which grade, matched how; which board; what is on the back. | Joinery specification |
| 4 Finish, sheen | “Dark satin lacquer.” | A colour reference, the system, the sheen measured against what, and which faces. | Sample hierarchy |
| 5 Hardware | “Soft-close hinges.” | Make, rating, finish and number: a different hinge fits the same words. | Ironmongery finish codes |
| 6 Performance | “Heavy duty.” | Heavy by what test? No standard, edition or level to check the piece against. | Standards map |
| 7 Evidence | “Fire retardant.” | Which regime, which standard, which report, tested on which composite, dated when. | Fire documentation matrix |
| 8 Tolerances | “Normal tolerances.” | Whose normal? The gap at the wall is argued at snagging. | Joinery tolerances |
| 9 Packing | “Packed to arrive safely.” | Who packs, what protects the finish, and whether it passes the stair or lift. | Delivery access survey |
| 10 Site delivery | “Delivered and fitted.” | To which floor, fixed by whom, services connected by whom, made good by whom. | RFQ pack scope split |
| 11 Approvals | “Subject to approval.” | Whose approval, of which drawing, before which step. | Shop drawing approval |
| 12 Open items | “TBC.” | Who decides, by when, and what the price carries meanwhile. | Comparing quotes |
Two of the twelve need extra care. Performance (field 6) should name a standard and an edition and say who sets the level; the figure itself comes from the project, from the standard you have chosen and from the standards map, not from a template. Evidence (field 7) asks for documents, not assurances: keep the reports against the item code, as the fire sheet describes.
Datums: say what a dimension is measured from
A dimension without a datum can be read two ways. “Height 750” could be to the top of the worktop or the top of the doors, from the floor as laid or from the structural slab. Name two datums on every sheet: finished floor level and the finished wall face, after any lining, and measure from them to the finished surface. Say finished every time, and mark any size that will be set after the survey with a star, citing the survey record: see site survey and dimension verification.
Seating needs one more word. Foam and feather compress when sat on, so the seat height of a banquette differs unloaded and loaded. State which one the sheet means, and read seat height, depth and width before choosing a value.
Prescriptive or descriptive: label each field
NBS explains that a prescriptive specification states exactly what is to be supplied, while a descriptive one states the result and leaves a specialist to design how to achieve it. With a descriptive specification, design responsibility generally falls to the contractor, and is often passed to a specialist subcontractor carrying professional indemnity insurance. NBS says the choice should be made at the outset, and, in a 2025 article, recommends labelling a specification with D and P so that it is clear who is responsible for which part.
A sheet can do the same field by field. A named hardware reference is P. A finish matched to a signed sample is P. A performance level to be met by a construction the maker designs is D. Put the letter beside the field when it is not obvious, and settle with your contract adviser what a D means for the piece before the sheet is issued. The shop drawing sheet shows how an approval can be limited to design intent.
Keeping it to one page
The sheet works because it is short enough to be read at the maker’s desk and checked against the piece. Five habits keep it so:
- One sheet for each item or group of identical items, with the item code from the FF&E schedule in the header. Variants of one design go on the same sheet as a short table of what differs.
- Cite, do not copy. The four shaded fields point to the drawing, the finishes schedule, the certificate file and the approvals log. Copy a value onto the sheet and you have two versions that can drift apart.
- One revision letter for the sheet, shown in the header and changed whenever a field changes, with the change noted in the schedule.
- Every field completed. Write n/a and the reason, or “open until [date], owner [name]”. A blank field cannot be told from a forgotten one.
- Send it with the drawings. The sheet is part of the pack a maker prices from: see folder 03 of the RFQ pack.
Specification wording
Paste into your schedule or specification and replace anything in [square brackets] with your own figures. Wording is a starting point: your specification governs.
SPECIFICATION SHEET. Item [code, FF&E schedule revision [letter]]. [Name]. Room [ ]. Sheet revision [ ], date [ ]. Read with drawing [number, revision] and the finishes schedule [reference]; if they differ, ask [designer] before work proceeds.
1 Function: [item] for [number] [users or covers] in [room], [commercial / domestic] use [hours] a day, cleaned by [method]. 2 Size, datum: finished size [W] x [D] x [H] mm, from finished floor level (datum A) and the finished wall face (datum B) to the finished surface. [Seat height [h] mm, unloaded / loaded.] Sizes marked * are set after the survey [reference].
3 Materials: [species], [cut], [grade or sample reference]; veneer [species, cut, matching] on [board and grade, to standard [ ]]; solid [species] lippings; [metal, alloy, thickness]; [stone, finish]. Concealed faces [balanced and sealed]. No substitution without written approval from [designer]. 4 Finish, sheen: finish [F-nn] to match control sample [S-nn], approved [date] by [name]; system [coats and type]; colour [reference]; sheen [matt / satin / gloss, as the sample]; all faces; viewed in [light].
5 Hardware: [item] [make and reference, from the hardware schedule] in finish [code], [number] for each [door / drawer]; rated [load, from the data sheet]; fixings to [wall construction, from the survey]. No substitution without written approval. 6 Performance: strength and durability to [standard and edition], level [set by the project: ]; surface resistance to [liquids, heat, abrasion] to [standards in the finishes specification], by report on a panel finished like the item. This sheet sets no value of its own.
7 Evidence before delivery: [fire standard and ignition source, from the fire risk assessment dated [ ]]; test report for each upholstery composite, [UKAS-accredited], dated within [ ]; timber [claim] with the seller's certificate code on the invoice; boards [class and declaration]. Filed against item [code], checked by [name]. 8 Tolerances: workshop [general class, or +/- mm for each dimension]; fitting [scribe to [ ] mm over [ ] mm; gaps [ ] +/- [ ] mm].
9 Packing: wrapped for [route and mode]; labelled with item code and room; supplied in [sections] sized to pass [access points, from survey [reference]]; packaging removed by [party]. 10 Site delivery: to [address, floor, route] within [window] of [site-ready date]; fixed by [party]; services connected by [trade]; protection and making good by [party]; scope split as Schedule [number].
11 Approvals: production begins only on written approval of shop drawing [number, revision] and control sample [S-nn] by [named role]; approval limited to design intent; departures marked on the drawing. 12 Open items: [item] open until [date], owner [name], priced as [option / allowance]. This revision supersedes all earlier ones.
Terms used on this page
- 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.
- 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.
Standards and sources
- NBS: Construction specifications: everything you need to know: Paul Swaddle, 5 Oct 2021; read 5 Nov 2026.
- NBS: Five essential tips for writing effective specifications: Dr Stephen Hamil, 2 Apr 2025; read 5 Nov 2026.
- NBS: RIBA Plan of Work 2020 and specification: Dale Sinclair, 17 Jun 2020; read 5 Nov 2026.
- No standard applies: none found that sets a one-item sheet's fields.
Questions we are asked
What should a furniture specification sheet include?
Twelve things: function and setting, finished size with its datum, materials and grade, finish and sheen with a sample reference, hardware, a performance standard and level, the evidence needed, tolerances, packing, site delivery, approvals, and open items. Cite the drawing, the finishes schedule and the certificate file for the detail instead of copying it.
Is a specification sheet the same as an FF&E schedule?
No. The FF&E schedule is one line for each item across the project and is an index. The specification sheet is the detail behind one line, for one item or group of identical items. The item code in the sheet header ties the two together.
Do I need a sheet for every piece?
For every bespoke item or group of identical items, yes, because that is what the maker prices from. Variants of the same design can share a sheet with a short table of what differs. Standard catalogue items need a reference rather than a sheet.
Should the sheet state a performance level?
It should name the standard and the edition and say who sets the level. This template sets no value of its own: the level comes from the project, from the standard you have chosen, and from advice where safety is involved. Leave the bracket open rather than copying a figure from elsewhere.
Do I have to name products or makes?
Naming a product makes that part prescriptive, with the designer responsible for the choice. If you would accept an equal, say who approves it, what data sheet is needed, and that it is priced as a separate option so the base price stays comparable.
Can a specification sheet replace drawings?
No. NBS notes that a specification covers what drawings and models cannot show, and that it must be coordinated with them. Geometry, positions and quantities belong on the drawings and schedules; the sheet cites them.
Download the factsheet
A two-page A4 PDF with the one-page template, the twelve fields and paste-in wording for every field, ready to adapt for your own piece.