Preparing a furniture manufacturing brief that a factory can actually quote

A manufacturer can only quote what it can understand. The fastest way to slow down a sourcing project is to send a single photograph and ask for a price. The factory has to guess at dimensions, materials and quantities, and the first quotation becomes a set of questions rather than a number.

Start with the product, not the price

Describe what the piece is and where it will be used. A dining chair for a care home dining room and a dining chair for a city-centre café may look similar, but they lead to different conversations about frames, seat construction, upholstery and finishes.

What to include

• A picture, a drawing or a sample, ideally all three where available
• Overall dimensions, and any critical dimensions such as seat height
• Preferred materials and finishes, or the look you need to achieve
• Upholstery requirements, including any fabric you will supply yourself
• The standards the product must meet in your market, if any
• Estimated quantities: first order and expected repeat volumes
• Packaging and delivery expectations
• Your timeframe, and how firm it is

Be honest about what is not decided yet

It is fine not to know everything. Say which points are fixed and which are open. A manufacturer with its own design capability may be able to suggest a construction that achieves the same result more efficiently.

Why the brief matters for long-term partnerships

The manufacturers we work with are interested in repeat business rather than one-off orders. A clear brief shows that a buyer is serious, and it gives the factory what it needs to plan materials and production properly.

If you have a product in mind, you can send us whatever you have (a picture, a drawing or a sample) and we will help turn it into a brief our manufacturers can work with.