COM vs COL Upholstery for Contract Furniture Projects

Separate the material choice from the supply arrangement

COM commonly refers to a customer's own material or specified textile, while COL identifies customer's own leather. The purchasing route is not identical in every manufacturer's program. A customer might purchase material directly, or another agreed arrangement may apply. Ask who selects, buys, transports, receives and authorizes use. Keep that agreement with the furniture quotation rather than inferring ownership and responsibility from an abbreviation.

Haworth, Knoll and JSI describe their own acceptance processes; Herman Miller also has its own COM request route. Their resources demonstrate that the named maker and application matter. They do not establish MENBRO terms. For a MENBRO enquiry, identify the exact furniture and material first, then ask whether that combination can be considered and which information or sample is needed before any production material is purchased or shipped.

Describe the upholstered areas and the material precisely

Mark the furniture views to identify the seat, back, arms, outside panels, cushions or other intended areas. A project with different inside and outside materials needs more than a single fabric name. Record the supplier's article or pattern, color, finish and relevant lot identity against each area. Include companion materials where their appearance or application relationship matters. Make the proposed version clear enough to distinguish a later alternative.

Retain the material supplier's current information and the physical sample used for the decision. For textile, record relevant face and directional information and the usable width to be confirmed. For leather, identify the article and finish and discuss the range represented by the proposed supply. A photograph or small swatch cannot establish every hide's usable areas or the appearance of every panel in a finished sofa.

Agree direction, panels and the quantity calculation owner

A patterned textile may require a particular orientation or matching decision. Show the intended direction on a sample and on the furniture views, then have the maker confirm how it can be applied. The historic Knoll guide illustrates that direction and quantity are product-dependent; its values and conditions are not a calculation for this project. Do not assume that turning the material simply makes a shortage disappear without changing appearance or application.

Leather is supplied as hides with shapes and variation that must be considered against the required upholstered panels. Total area does not by itself identify the usable pieces for a particular configuration. Ask who will determine the requirement, which supplied information it relies on and how differences at receipt will be handled. Do not convert a textile requirement directly into a guaranteed leather quantity or apply a generic yield percentage.

Before ordering material, agree the quantity basis, furniture quantities and configuration mix, allowance treatment and the owner who confirms the final requirement. Record what happens if extra material is needed and what happens to unused material. A stated estimate should remain an estimate until its conditions are confirmed. Prices, minimums, material charges and the effect of delays belong in the written project terms, not an assumed industry formula.

Keep material records, application review and sample decisions distinct

A material record describes its named subject and test or declaration coverage. Application acceptance may address whether that material can be upholstered on the specified furniture using the agreed method. A representative finished sample addresses what was actually made and reviewed. Ask each party to identify these boundaries. None should silently replace complete-product or destination-specific requirements that the responsible project team has established.

ACT's textile specification guide includes end use and COM considerations. Use that as context for a complete information request, while leaving detailed performance selection to the existing upholstery specification guide. Do not state that an ACT reference, a material report or another maker's acceptance certifies the finished MENBRO seat. If fire, cleaning or other project requirements apply, ask for appropriate configuration-specific review and records without inventing a universal acceptance result.

Make receipt, shortages and changes part of the brief

Agree the shipment authorization and required identifiers before dispatch. At receipt, record the material, order/project reference, supplied quantity basis, packaging condition and relevant roll, lot or hide identities. Identify who reviews visible differences and missing information before material is cut or used. A delivery receipt confirms arrival, not necessarily acceptance of every material characteristic or the final upholstered result.

If material differs from the accepted reference, place the affected use on hold and obtain a decision from the assigned parties. Record whether additional supply, return, reselection or a revised sample is needed. Do not blend lots, substitute an article or change pattern direction without an agreed review. Keep the responsibility for additional work and the treatment of remaining material explicit; this guide does not allocate contractual or legal liability.

Retain the accepted sample, marked application map, relevant material records and written changes together. When a replacement or repeat order is requested, compare the available material with that record rather than promising an exact future color or hide match. The goal is a traceable project decision, including the questions still open, so neither the buyer nor the maker has to reconstruct the agreement from loose swatches and emails.