What does a furniture factory need from your tech pack?

Eight things to include in a furniture tech pack

Dimensioned drawings

Front, side and plan, with overall dimensions plus seat height, seat depth and arm height. Mark which are fixed and which the factory may resolve.

Construction intent

Frame material, how the seat is sprung, any foam densities you prefer and whether the piece must knock down (come apart) for delivery.

Materials with references

Fabric or leather by name and supplier, or a physical sample. Finishes need a physical color or texture sample to match, because a photograph shows color differently on every screen.

Hardware and base

Legs, casters, glides and brackets. Also say whether the base is wood, metal or both.

Intended use

Say whether the pieces are for residential, hospitality, multifamily amenity or workplace use. Where they're going and how they'll be used shape the frame and the seat deck (the platform and springs under the cushion) more than almost anything else in the tech pack.

Quantities and cadence

How many pieces you need now, and whether you plan to reorder. Both change the quote.

Flammability standard the pieces must meet

Upholstered seating for indoor use sold in the US must meet 16 CFR part 1640, the federal flammability standard for upholstered furniture, which incorporates California TB 117-2013. It must also carry a permanent label reading "Complies with U.S. CPSC requirements for upholstered furniture flammability." Mattresses, foundations, bedding products and furniture used only for exercise are outside the standard, and a few products are exempt, such as pieces with no more than half an inch of filling. State in the tech pack that your pieces must meet the standard.

California labels and retail requirements

Say whether the pieces will be sold in California, where they also need the state law label and a flammability label with a flame-retardant chemical statement. List anything your retail partners require beyond that.

Missing details are decided by the factory and can add sample rounds

If the tech pack doesn't state a seat height, the factory picks one from experience, and it may not be the one you pictured. You'll find out at sample approval, which is the right place to catch it, but each extra sample round adds time before production.

The most expensive gaps look like details: the radius on an arm, the sheen of a finish or whether a welt (the fabric-covered cord along a seam) matches the body fabric. They rarely appear in drawings, and they often matter to the person approving the sample.

Without a tech pack, send a photograph, tearsheet or sketch

Send what you have: a photograph of a piece you like, a tearsheet (a catalog or magazine page showing the piece) or a sketch with its main dimensions. A factory offering OEM manufacturing, where it builds to your design, can draw the piece up for your sign-off; ask whether that drawing work is included in the quote or charged separately. An approved drawing has to exist before production either way.