At a glance
| Document | The question it answers | One row or page is | Master for | First issued (our mapping) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FF&E schedule | Which items, where, how many, and what status? | One item, and each finish variant | Item code, room, quantity, supplier, status, order | Stage 3; live through 5; as fitted at 6 |
| Finishes schedule | Which finish is used, and what exactly is it? | One finish, with a code | Colour reference, system, sheen, the sample it must match | Stage 3; frozen at Stage 4 |
| Specification sheet | Exactly what is to be supplied, and to what standard? | One item, or a group of identical items | Materials, construction, hardware, performance, tolerances, evidence | Stage 3 to 4, before the maker prices |
| Materials board | How will the choices look and feel together? | One scheme, room or package | Nothing contractual: it presents a choice. The signed control sample is the benchmark | Stage 2 to 3, at design review |
The RIBA Plan of Work does not name these four documents: the stage column is our reading of practice. UK usage throughout: a schedule is a table that lists things; a specification is written wording.
Four documents, four questions
The four terms overlap in everyday talk, and the same words do not mean the same thing on every project. This sheet follows UK practice. A schedule is a table that lists things, one row for each. A specification is written wording about quality, standards and workmanship. NBS describes a specification as a structured, detailed account of quality, standards, workmanship, materials and completion, and says it puts into words what drawings and models cannot show. In the same article it advises holding lists such as schedules and quantities in the model rather than in the specification (Paul Swaddle, 5 October 2021). In American usage ‘specs’ or a ‘spec sheet’ can mean a product data sheet or the whole specification book, so check which one a document means.
- The FF&E schedule asks “which items?” It is one row per item and finish variant, with code, room, quantity, supplier and status. See the FF&E schedule template for the columns.
- The finishes schedule asks “which finish?” It is one row per finish, with a code, its definition and the sample it must match. It describes finishes, not movable products.
- The specification sheet asks “exactly what, to what standard?” It is one page per bespoke item or group of identical items. See the one-page specification sheet.
- The materials board asks “how does it look and feel together?” It gathers real or digital samples so that choices can be judged side by side under proper light. It is a design and approval aid, not a contract document.
None of them replaces the drawings. Position, geometry and detail belong on the drawing, and the other documents cite it.
What goes where: one master for every fact
NBS advises saying each requirement once, in the right place, and using cross-references to avoid repetition and conflicts (Swaddle, 2021), and asks that reference codes in the specification match those on drawings and models, so that a change in one is carried to the other (Hamil, 2 April 2025). Those articles are about building specifications, not furniture packages, but the point carries over directly: give every fact one master, and have every other document cite it by code.
The table sets out a master for each fact a furnishing package carries. Where a document must show a fact for convenience, such as a one-line size in the schedule, treat it as a copy and give the drawing revision beside it.
| Fact | Master: write it here | Cite it, do not retype it, in | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Item code, room, quantity | FF&E schedule | Drawings, finishes schedule, specification sheet header, quotation, purchase order | The item code is the thread through every document. Never reuse one. |
| Size, position, details | The drawing: design-intent first, then the approved shop drawing | FF&E schedule (finished size, with the drawing revision); specification sheet | NBS places complex dimensions, positions and geometry in the drawings or model, not in the specification. |
| What a finish is: colour reference, system, sheen, the sample it matches | Finishes schedule | FF&E schedule ‘Finish ref’ column; specification sheet | Retype a finish and the copies drift apart. |
| Where a finish is used | The item’s own row and specification sheet, which say which faces | Finishes schedule, as a ‘used on’ list rebuilt at each revision | A list kept by hand in two places goes out of date first. |
| Materials, construction, hardware, performance, tolerances, evidence, packing | Specification sheet, and the specification it sits in | FF&E schedule (one-line description in the sheet’s own words); quotation | Written once, where a maker looks when pricing. |
| How a finish looks as approved | The signed control sample, labelled and filed | Finishes schedule and FF&E schedule (sample reference); specification sheet | The board presents the choice. The signed sample is what production is judged against. |
| Status, supplier, order, dates | FF&E schedule | Programme; long-lead register | Status goes stale fastest when it is copied. |
| Approval status and date | Approvals log (shop drawings and samples) | FF&E schedule ‘Shop drawing’ and ‘Sample status’ columns | The schedule holds the status word and the reference to the log. |
Who owns each, and when it appears
The RIBA Plan of Work 2020 does not name an FF&E schedule, a finishes schedule or a materials board, and it says it does not decide who does the tasks: that is for the Responsibility Matrix and the appointments (Overview, PDF pages 7 to 8 and 57). It does describe the Outline Specification as conveying the quality of the proposed finishes to the client through sample boards shown at a design review (PDF page 117), and the Final Specifications as the design team’s Stage 4 documents that set the contractual requirements, including workmanship and tolerances (PDF page 132). It adds that where Employer’s Requirements are issued at the end of Stage 3, some schedules or detailed specifications may be needed to take risk out of procurement (PDF page 53). The table applies that to furnishing packages by analogy. Treat it as our reading of common practice, and replace it with what your own appointment says.
| RIBA stage (2020) | What usually exists | Usually led by | Gate before the next stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Concept Design | Materials board and option samples; outline specification; first list of finishes | Designer; client reviews | Client accepts the concept, and the boards shown at design review. |
| 3 Spatial Coordination | First issue of the finishes schedule and the FF&E schedule; budget prices; draft specification sheets for bespoke items | Designer, with maker advice when asked | The set issued with a revision letter, ready to price (see the RFQ pack). |
| 4 Technical Design | Specification sheets final; finishes frozen against signed control samples; shop drawings and quotation from the maker | Designer owns the schedules and sheets; maker returns shop drawings and quote data | Release for manufacture against a named drawing revision and signed samples. |
| 5 Manufacturing and Construction | FF&E schedule status moves (ordered, in production, delivered, installed); change only by revision | Designer or FF&E coordinator; maker reports | Delivery, installation, and snagging criteria agreed beforehand. |
| 6 Handover | FF&E schedule and finishes schedule updated as fitted; care and O&M information | As in Stage 5 | Acceptance and handover record. |
Every document passes through the same steps: written, issued with a revision letter, priced from, approved, and then changed only by a new revision. See where bespoke work sits in the RIBA Plan of Work for the maker’s side of the same stages.
Common mistakes, and the fix
Most of the trouble comes from one cause: a fact in two places. The first row is the commonest, a finish that is described in the schedule, described again in the finishes schedule, and then edited in only one of them.
| Mistake | What goes wrong | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| A finish typed into two documents and edited in one | The maker prices one version and the finisher works to the other. | Define the finish once, in the finishes schedule. Cite F-nn elsewhere. If a copy is unavoidable, mark it “copy of F-nn, rev [ ]”. |
| The FF&E schedule used as the specification | Cells grow into paragraphs, a change is missed, and nobody reads them closely. | Keep the schedule line to one line. Put the detail on the specification sheet. |
| The materials board treated as the approval | The board stays on the studio wall while production matches a different batch. | Sign and file a control sample for each finish and cite its reference. The board presents the choice. |
| No revision letter on the finishes schedule | A maker prices an old issue. | One letter for each issue, and issue the documents as a set with a register. |
| Item codes reused or changed | Orders, certificates and photographs no longer match the pieces. | Codes are unique and never reused. Withdraw a code, do not recycle it. |
| Circular references: the schedule says “see specification” and the sheet says “as schedule” | Nobody ever states the size or the finish. | Give every fact one master, and write it there. |
| ‘Spec’ used in two senses | One party sends a product data sheet where the other wanted a specification sheet. | Define the four terms in the brief, using the wording below. |
What to send a maker, and what to expect back
Our pricing page says that for designers and architects we price against your drawings and finishes schedule and return a detailed breakdown suitable for a competitive tender, and our hospitality FF&E page invites you to send an FF&E schedule, room-type drawings or moodboards. A moodboard or a sketch can start a conversation. The schedules and sheets above are what turn it into a price you can compare: the RFQ pack shows where each one sits (the schedule in folder 02, the specification and finishes in folder 03, samples and approvals in folder 04).
Our sampling page describes sample boards that are labelled, photographed and filed as part of the project record, with control samples made once the specification is frozen, and our pricing page says how samples are handled is agreed alongside the commission before they are made. The board you present at Stage 2 and the control sample you sign at Stage 4 are different things: keep both, and cite the sample by its reference. The sample hierarchy sheet sets out the steps in between.
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.
FF&E schedule: the list of every furnishing item on [project], one row per item and finish variant, with item code, room, quantity, supplier, status and the reference of each document that governs the item. It is an index and does not replace the documents it cites. Finishes schedule: the list of finishes used on [project], one row per finish, giving its code, its definition (colour reference, system, sheen), the control sample it must match and, for information, where it is used.
Specification sheet: for each bespoke item or group of identical items, one page stating function, finished size and datum, materials, finish by reference, hardware, performance, evidence, tolerances, packing, site delivery, approvals and open items. Materials board: the board of physical or digital samples used to select and present materials and finishes together. It is a design and approval aid and is not a contract document; the signed control sample [S-nn] is the benchmark.
Each requirement is stated once, in the document named in Schedule [ref], and cited elsewhere by code. Where documents appear to differ, [party] is to be asked before work proceeds. The order of precedence between documents is as set by [contract clause or appointment reference].
Item codes [B-nn], finish codes [F-nn], sample codes [S-nn] and drawing numbers are unique and are never reused. A change to a code, or to what it stands for, is made by a new revision letter on the document that holds it and is notified to [parties] in writing.
The FF&E schedule is held by [party], the finishes schedule by [party], the specification sheets by [party] and the materials board by [party]. The maker supplies [quotation references, shop drawings, packed sizes] for entry by [party] and does not edit the designer's documents. The four are issued together as a set on the document register at [each stage]. A quotation names the register revision it priced.
Terms used on this page
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Standards and sources
- NBS: Construction specifications: everything you need to know: Swaddle, 5 Oct 2021; read 5 Nov 2026.
- NBS: Five essential tips for writing effective specifications: Hamil, 2 Apr 2025; read 5 Nov 2026.
- RIBA Plan of Work 2020 Overview (RIBA, 2020): read 5 Nov 2026; paraphrased. Copyright RIBA.
- No standard applies: we found none that defines these four documents.
Questions we are asked
What is the difference between an FF&E schedule and a finishes schedule?
An FF&E schedule lists the items: one row for each piece, with its code, room, quantity, supplier and status. A finishes schedule lists the finishes: one row for each, with its code, colour reference, system, sheen and the sample it must match. The item row cites the finish by code, so a finish is defined once and used many times.
Is a specification sheet the same as a specification?
No. The specification is the written document, as NBS describes it, covering quality, standards, workmanship and testing for the whole project or package. A specification sheet is the one-page version for a single bespoke item or group of identical items. In American usage ‘spec sheet’ often means a manufacturer’s product data sheet, so say which you mean.
Is a materials board an approval?
No. A board presents a choice so it can be judged in context. What production is judged against is the signed, dated and filed control sample, and the schedules should cite that sample by reference. The Outline Specification described by the RIBA uses sample boards to convey finish quality at a design review: that is communication, not release for manufacture.
Which of the four does a maker price from?
From the drawings together with the schedule rows, the finishes and the specification sheets for the items in the package. Our pricing page says we price against drawings and a finishes schedule. The RFQ pack sheet shows where each belongs in what you send.
Do I need all four on a small job?
Not always. A single item may need only its schedule row and a specification sheet. The finishes schedule earns its place when several items share finishes, and a materials board when a client has to choose. Whatever you use, keep each fact in one place.
Can one spreadsheet hold all four?
A workbook can hold the two schedules and the specification sheets as tabs, but keep one master for each fact, give each tab its own revision letter, and remember that a materials board is a physical or visual object that a spreadsheet cannot replace.
Who writes each document, the designer or the maker?
Usually the designer or architect writes all four, and the maker adds quotation references, shop drawings and packed sizes. Your appointment and Responsibility Matrix decide, and the answer can differ for an FF&E agent or a contractor package.
Download the factsheet
A two-page A4 PDF with the comparison table, the document flow, the master-for-each-fact rule and paste-in definitions for a brief, to keep with your project file.