Why a Contract Furniture Package Goes to Several Factories: Splitting an FF&E Schedule by Factory Type
Seating, casegoods, upholstery, metal frames and fixed joinery come from different factories. Here is what that means for your quotation, drawings, compliance, inspection and loading.
An FF&E schedule for a hotel, an office or a student residence reads as one list. It is not made by one factory. As our Guide puts it, furniture manufacturing is highly specialised: seating, casegoods, upholstery, metal frames and fixed joinery come from different factories. So before a contract furniture package is priced, the schedule is split by factory type, and each line goes to the factory that runs the production line for it.
This article sets out what that split means for an FF&E contractor: how a schedule divides, what changes at quotation, drawings and samples, compliance, inspection and loading, and what stays single — one quotation, one set of documents, one counterparty and full containers. It is written for FF&E contractors and project teams. For the same logic across building materials as well as furniture, see how specialised China’s supply chain is and how a BOQ is split into factory-level RFQs on fbmsourcing.com. For the order sequence itself, see from FF&E schedule to container.
Why one factory does not make the whole schedule
We buy from the factory that runs the production line for your product, and we use each factory only for what its line actually makes. On a guestroom package, for example, lounge chairs, desk chairs, ottomans and sofas come from the seating and upholstery factories, not from the casegoods factory that makes the bedside tables and desks around them.
The alternative is to hand the whole schedule to one supplier. Our Guide is direct about why that is not the same thing: most of what is sold in China as coming straight from a factory is sold by traders, and every layer is paid for by you. Splitting the schedule by factory type is how each line is priced by the factory that makes it.
How a contract furniture schedule splits by factory type
The split follows your schedule, not a fixed template, and on a hospitality package it runs along these lines:
- Seating and upholstery — lounge chairs, desk chairs, ottomans and sofas, upholstered in the fabric you specify or supply (COM).
- Casegoods — bedside tables, desks, dressers and TV units, luggage racks and minibar cabinets, made to your drawings in the veneer or laminate and finish you sign off.
- Metal frames — pieces built on a metal frame, such as outdoor dining sets with powder-coated steel frames.
- Fixed joinery — guestroom wardrobes, headboard walls and minibar units, bathroom vanities, reception desks, bar counters, banquettes, wall panelling and feature joinery, all built to your drawings to fit the building.
Where a line does not sit neatly in one of these groups, it goes to the factory whose line makes it. The product pages for hotel guestroom furniture and fixed furniture and joinery show the same split part by part.
A worked example: three factories, one container
A restaurant group operating in Dubai needed WPC outdoor dining tables and armchairs for its terraces, reclining leather lounge sofas and marble-top coffee tables for its indoor lounges. No single factory makes all of these well. The outdoor sets went to a factory specialising in WPC furniture extrusion and steel fabrication, the recliner sofas to an upholstery factory running dedicated recliner-mechanism lines, and the marble coffee tables to a casegoods workshop experienced in stone-top furniture.
The result, in the words of the case study: one specification list, three specialist factories, one inspection standard and one consolidated container for Jebel Ali. That is the pattern the rest of this article describes.
What the split changes at quotation
We collect quotations from the factories that run the production line for each product, compare them on price, capability and experience, and quote you per line. Each line shows the item, specification, materials, fabric and finish, dimensions, unit price, quantity, packing and lead time, priced like-for-like against your specification, with any substitution flagged.
Several factories price the schedule, but you receive one quotation: all quotations, invoices and shipping documents are issued by FBM Sourcing. Because the quotation is per line, a product group can also be priced on its own — which matters when you want to test one product group first, as described below.
What the split changes at drawings, samples and finishes
Each custom piece is drawn by the factory that makes it. For custom products the factory prepares shop drawings and a detailed material list, going back and forth with you until you sign off drawings, veneer or laminate, fabric and finish; nothing goes into production until you have signed them off. On a split schedule that means several sets of drawings from several factories, and coordinating those rounds is part of what we manage. For large orders, samples are couriered to you for approval before production.
The point of signing off one specification is that the package still has to read as one room. A guestroom’s casegoods, bed and headboard, seating and fixed joinery have to match one specification and arrive together, even though they come from different factories. Your signed-off fabric and finish selections are the reference every factory works to, and the reference the goods are inspected against.
What the split changes at compliance
Our main markets are North America and Australia, where contract furniture is specified against local standards. The first step in choosing a factory is checking that it holds the test reports or certifications for that specific product, confirmed before we quote, and a report has to be for the specific model — not for a similar product and not for the factory in general. On a split schedule, that means each report comes from the factory that makes the product it covers.
- Seating and upholstery for California — upholstered furniture sold in California is checked against the flammability requirements of Technical Bulletin 117-2013, with the seating or upholstery factory, before we quote.
- Casegoods and fixed joinery for the United States — composite wood in casegoods and joinery must be TSCA Title VI compliant and labelled, which is a question for the casegoods and joinery factories.
Our compliance page sets out what to ask for by market. Tell us where the project is when you send the schedule, and the check is made group by group.
Send the schedule as it is
Send your FF&E schedule or product list room by room with quantities, drawings for any custom pieces, your fabric and finish selections, and where the project is. We split it by factory type and price it line by line.
What the split changes at inspection and loading
Our own QC team inspects the goods from each factory when bulk production is finished, before shipment, checking quantities, dimensions, finish, fabric and foam, hardware and packing against the signed-off specification. You receive a report with photos and video. Any item that does not meet the agreed standards is recorded in the inspection report, and your own project team is welcome to attend the inspection with us. The factories differ; the inspection standard does not.
Loading is where the package comes back together. The minimum order is a full container; product groups of the same project can share containers, and we consolidate goods from several factories into full containers. We do not ship loose cargo. After loading you receive a container loading report showing what went into each container, so unloading on site is easy; tell us how your site team wants cartons labelled.
What does not multiply: one counterparty
A schedule split across several factories does not mean several suppliers for you to manage. We contract with the factory in our own name, and that contract is what protects you. All quotations, invoices and shipping documents are issued by FBM Sourcing, and payment goes only to the company account named on the PI — never to an individual, never to a factory.
For products we source, all communication runs through us, and factory names, contacts and quotations stay with us. Products we source carry the warranty period stated on the PI, and you deal with FBM Sourcing, not with each manufacturer.
Mixed schedules: product groups you already have suppliers for
Every order runs one of two ways, and a split schedule can use both, group by group. For suppliers you nominate, we charge a 5% commission; for products we source for you, we quote a direct price.
- Products we source — we find the factory that runs the production line for your product. Sourcing, drawings, quality control, consolidation, loading and after-sales are inside the price, and sea freight is quoted before shipment.
- Suppliers you nominate — you keep the supplier, and we manage the order: specification and PI check, drawing coordination, production follow-up, quality control, consolidation into full containers, loading and export documents. The supplier’s charge for delivering the goods from its premises to the loading point is added at cost, and after-sales falls under the supplier’s own warranty, which we can help you coordinate.
If your schedule mixes groups you already buy in China with groups you do not, tell us which is which when you send it. The two models are set out side by side on our How We Work page, and the nominated-supplier model is covered in detail in working with a supplier you nominate.
Start with one product group
Because the schedule is split by factory type, a product group is a natural unit to start with. Many clients start with one category. We share examples of previous quotations to show the price range; further sourcing work requires an upfront sourcing fee, fully credited toward your first order.
The split also carries forward. Once a category has been bought from a factory, we keep it for your following projects so quality stays consistent, and we keep widening the supply chain behind the scenes. Any change is agreed with you in advance.
What to send so the schedule splits cleanly
- An FF&E schedule or product list, room by room, with quantities — plus drawings for any custom pieces.
- The specification or a reference photo or link for each item: dimensions, materials, fabric and finish.
- Your fabric and finish selections, or ask us to propose them; tell us if fabric is supplied by you (COM).
- Where your project is, so we check the standards your market requires.
- Which product groups, if any, you already have suppliers for.
For what to settle in each of these before you ask for prices, see what to lock before you request quotes.
The FBM Furniture role in a split package
FBM Furniture is the furniture sourcing line of FBM Sourcing Limited. We manage the complete furniture package for overseas commercial projects — hotels, offices, aged-care and healthcare facilities, apartments and student accommodation — from sourcing to after-sales. We are a sourcing agent, working on your side. We do not manufacture, run a showroom or sell a range. We split the package across the factories that actually make each part, and bring it back together in full containers; you deal with us, and we carry the responsibility.
FBM Sourcing has been sourcing since 2014, with 1,000+ containers shipped to 20+ countries. For the scope of the sourcing role, see what a commercial furniture sourcing partner does for an FF&E contractor; our FAQ answers the questions clients ask before they order.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a contract furniture package go to several factories?
Because furniture manufacturing is highly specialised: seating, casegoods, upholstery, metal frames and fixed joinery come from different factories. We buy from the factory that runs the production line for each product and use each factory only for what its line actually makes, so the FF&E schedule is split by factory type before it is priced.
Do we have to deal with each factory separately?
No. We contract with the factory in our own name, and all quotations, invoices and shipping documents are issued by FBM Sourcing. For products we source, all communication runs through us, and factory names, contacts and quotations stay with us. Payment goes only to the company account named on the PI, never to a factory.
Can goods from different factories ship in the same container?
Yes. The minimum order is a full container; product groups of the same project can share containers, and we consolidate goods from several factories into full containers. We do not ship loose cargo. After loading you receive a container loading report showing what went into each container.
How is quality kept consistent across several factories?
Every factory works to the same signed-off specification, fabric and finish. When bulk production is finished, before shipment, our own QC team checks quantities, dimensions, finish, fabric and foam, hardware and packing against that specification, and you receive a report with photos and video. Any item that fails to meet the agreed standards is recorded in the inspection report.
How are you paid when a package is split across factories?
It depends on who found the supplier, group by group. For suppliers you nominate, we charge a 5% commission; for products we source for you, we quote a direct price. Either way, all quotations, invoices and shipping documents are issued by FBM Sourcing.
Can we start with one product group?
Yes, where your project fits our service. Many clients start with one category. We share examples of previous quotations to show the price range; further sourcing work requires an upfront sourcing fee, fully credited toward your first order.
More from FBM Furniture
Send the schedule as it is
Send your FF&E schedule or product list room by room with quantities, drawings for any custom pieces, your fabric and finish selections, and where the project is. We split it by factory type and price it line by line.