Table Tops for Commercial Furniture: Marble, Sintered Stone and Laminate Specified for Use

A table top is chosen from a sample and judged for years on a floor. Quotations for the same drawing can differ in the places the schedule leaves open: the material name, the thickness, the edge, the way slabs are selected and matched, and the core under a laminate. This page sets out what to record for marble, sintered stone and laminate table tops before you request quotes from China, and which destination rules to name.

FBM Furniture works with companies only: Developers · General Contractors · Builders · Commercial Project Owners · Interior Design & Construction Companies · FF&E Solution Providers. Send the table schedule, drawings, quantities and the project location, so we can compare the same specification line by line.

Product scope

• Marble and other natural stone tops for dining, café and coffee tables
• Sintered stone tops, where the specification names the material
• Laminate and compact laminate tops for restaurants, cafés and function rooms
• Tops supplied with their bases, or supplied separately to fit bases from another maker

This page specifies the top material. For the table as a whole, including bases, fixing and exposure, see our page on restaurant and café tables and, for office tables, meeting and boardroom tables. The contract materials and finishes overview shows how the covering, board and finish pages fit together.

What to specify before requesting quotes

Schedule field	What to record
Item code and quantity	One code per top type, with the quantity per outlet, area or phase.
Material	The material named as the specification writes it: the stone, the sintered stone product, or the laminate or compact laminate with its decor code.
Size and shape	Length, width or diameter, thickness, the shape as drawn and any corner radius.
Edge	The edge profile and how it is made, with an approved sample of the edge and a corner on the exact material.
Finish	The finish name and code for the surface and the edge, with an approved sample for each.
Core and substrate	For a laminate or veneered top, the core board and the edge material, and how the edge is bonded. For a stone top, any backing or support the specification calls for.
Selection and matching	For stone, how slabs are selected and matched across an outlet, and the range of variation the project accepts.
Cut-outs	Umbrella holes, cable grommets or other openings, marked on the drawing, with the party that supplies the parts that fit.
Fixing to the base	How the top is joined to the base, who supplies the fixings and whether the top is removable.
Use and exposure	Indoor, covered terrace or open terrace as the project states it, and the contact the surface must tolerate, such as hot items, wet cloths and cleaning agents, as the operator describes it.
Evidence required	The test report or declaration the specification asks for, with its edition, for the top offered and the destination named.
Packing	How tops are protected, stacked and marked by outlet and item code, and the packed weight and dimensions of each package.

The table is a checklist. Add a line for anything your project needs that is not listed, such as a table number or a branded edge detail.

Marble and other natural stone

State the stone by name as the specification writes it, and agree how the stone is selected. Natural slabs differ from one another, so the project should approve a range of samples taken from the same production rather than a single showroom piece, and record how pieces are matched across an outlet. Ask the maker whether any sealer or coating is applied to the stone, what it is, and how the top is to be cleaned. Stone tops are handled and packed differently from bases, so ask for the packing method, the way each package is marked so that damage can be traced, and the packed weight. Our case study of marble-top tables for a restaurant chain in the Middle East describes bases and stone tops made in separate workshops, then paired up and checked together for slab thickness, edge polish and fit on each base.

Sintered stone

Name the product and its reference as the slab maker writes it, and the thickness and finish. Ask the maker to state the composition of the slab in writing, so that your adviser can check it against any rule that applies at the destination, such as the Australian rule on engineered stone below. Ask how the edge is formed, whether any part of the top is built up or joined, and how the top is supported. Approve a finished sample of the top with its edge, not a small tile.

Laminate and compact laminate

Name the surface (laminate or compact laminate), the decor code, the thickness and the finish. For a laminate top, the core under the surface is part of the specification: ask for the core board named, the edge material and how the edge is bonded. For a compact laminate top, ask the maker to state what the top is made of through its thickness, and how the edge is finished. Approve the decor and the edge on a finished sample, since a decor chip shows colour and pattern but not the edge or the corner.

Rules to name in the specification

The rules that apply to table tops depend on the destination, the venue and the materials, including any wood-based panels. This page does not set out a standard for stone, sintered stone or laminate table tops as such: tell us the standard your specification cites, and we ask each factory for the evidence it holds for the exact top offered. The provisions below were read from the published text on the dates shown; your specifier or adviser decides what applies to your project.

• United States, composite wood: 40 CFR Part 770 contains formaldehyde emission standards, testing and certification provisions, and other requirements for the manufacture, including import, distribution and sale of composite wood products, component parts that contain composite wood products and finished goods that contain composite wood products (§ 770.1(a)). The part defines composite wood product as hardwood plywood made with a veneer or composite core, medium-density fiberboard and particleboard. Under § 770.30(a), importers must take reasonable precautions to ensure that the composite wood products they sell or supply, whether in the form of panels, component parts or finished goods, comply with the emission standards and other requirements of the subpart, and under § 770.30(d), beginning 22 March 2019, importers of articles that contain regulated composite wood products must comply with the import certification regulations at 19 CFR 12.118 through 12.127. A laminate top on a particleboard or medium-density fiberboard core is read against these definitions. We read the part in the eCFR, current as of 16 October 2026, on 20 October 2026.
• Canada, composite wood: see our Canada compliance page.
• Australia, engineered stone: our article on engineered stone table tops and regulation 5M of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 sets out what the regulation says about engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs, read as it appears in Compilation No. 147, compilation date 13 July 2026. The regulation defines engineered stone by reference to the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011, which that article did not read. If a top is described as engineered stone, or you are unsure how a slab is classed, ask the maker for the composition in writing and take advice before ordering. See also our Australia and New Zealand compliance page.

Our United States compliance page explains how we approach the main US rules for furniture.

Samples, approval and acceptance on delivery

Approve a finished sample of each top, with its edge and a corner, on the exact material, not a photograph or a small chip, before bulk production, and record the approval in writing against the item code. For stone, approve the range. Keep the approved sample as the reference for the bulk order. Our guide to samples, finishes and approvals sets out the sequence, and our article on contract furniture inspection by product group explains why seating, tables and upholstery are checked differently. When bulk production is complete, our own team performs one inspection before shipment, checking quantities, dimensions, finish, hardware and packing against the signed-off specification, and you receive a QC report with photos and video. Your team is welcome to attend. On delivery, check a sample of cartons against the order: item code, finish, thickness, edge and quantity, and note any difference in writing, with photographs, on the day.

What to request from the factory

• The material name, thickness and finish for each item code, with the sample reference.
• A finished sample of each top with its edge and a corner, and for stone a sample range from the same production.
• A written statement of the composition of any sintered or stone-effect slab.
• For laminate tops, the core board and the edge material named for the top offered.
• The evidence the specification asks for, issued for the top offered and the destination named.
• A packing and marking description by outlet and item code, with the packed weight and dimensions of each package, and a statement of any proposed substitution for approval before production.

Send the table schedule, drawings and quantities together. FBM Furniture is the furniture-focused team of FBM Sourcing, which manages the entire China procurement package for overseas construction projects.

Frequently asked questions

What should a table top specification include?

Record, for each item code, the top material named as the specification writes it, the thickness, the size and shape with any corner radius, the edge profile, the finish name and code, the core and edge material for a laminate top, the cut-outs, how the top is fixed to the base, the evidence the specification asks for, and the packing by outlet. Add an approved sample for each top and edge.

How do we handle natural variation in marble tops?

No two natural slabs are identical, so agree the range before production. Ask how slabs are selected and matched across an outlet, approve a sample range taken from the same production rather than from a showroom range, and record the approval in writing against the item code.

Does the Australian rule on engineered stone cover sintered stone tops?

Regulation 5M of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 refers to engineered stone as defined in the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011, which our article on the regulation did not read. Whether a given sintered, porcelain or quartz-based slab falls within that definition is a question for your adviser. Ask the maker to state the composition of the slab in writing and keep that statement with the order.

Do laminate table tops fall under the US formaldehyde rules?

The rules in 40 CFR Part 770 apply to composite wood products, which the part defines as hardwood plywood made with a veneer or composite core, medium-density fiberboard and particleboard, and to component parts and finished goods that contain them. A top with a particleboard or medium-density fiberboard core is read against those definitions. Whether your product is within the part is a question for your adviser.

What if a stone top arrives cracked?

Check a sample of cartons against the order on delivery and note any difference in writing, with photographs, on the day. If goods arrive damaged, send us photos or videos within 3 working days so that a claim can be raised with the carrier, insurer or factory.

How does FBM Furniture charge for table tops?

For suppliers you nominate, we charge a 5% commission; for products we source for you, we quote a direct price. Our own team performs one inspection after bulk production is complete and before shipment, and your team is welcome to attend.