What is a COM upcharge, and what is a CFA?

The customer already owns the fabric. The workroom sees an unfamiliar weave, a directional pattern, and a question about whether there is enough. A COM upcharge is an additional charge for handling or upholstering with customer’s own material. A CFA is a cutting for approval, used to review the appearance of a particular material lot.

These are separate decisions. The charge covers work; the cutting helps establish which material the customer accepts. Neither a paid fee nor an approved color automatically proves that the fabric is suitable for the furniture.

What work does a COM upcharge cover?

A maker may charge for extra cutting, pattern matching, sewing, backing, or other work created by the supplied material. The base COM price and any added charge need to be read together.

For example, a maker’s published cutting practices distinguish extra labor for patterned and other specified COM constructions. Use the actual maker’s quotation for your order rather than applying a familiar surcharge from a different vendor.

Start with the COM fabric explanation if the customer is new to supplying material. “I already have the fabric” settles ownership; it does not settle yardage, preparation, or labor.

What exactly does a CFA approve?

A CFA represents a particular lot, rather than simply repeating the showroom sample. The Phillip Jeffries explanation describes reserving the ordered quantity and sending a cutting from that reserve for approval.

In upholstery, distinguish that appearance approval from the maker’s approval to use the fabric. The maker may need an actual cutting and construction information to assess suitability. A photograph can document the conversation, but it should not replace the physical material where physical review is required.

Label the cutting with the pattern, color, lot, and order reference. A small envelope with no identity is merely an impressive way to lose a very small piece of fabric.

What is the sequence from quote to production?

Agree the commercial and material decisions in an order the workroom can follow:

1. Obtain the maker’s COM requirements for the actual frame and application.
2. Quote the base furniture price, additional work, material responsibility, and shipping costs.
3. Request the CFA where offered, record the reserve deadline, and obtain the customer’s appearance approval.
4. Obtain the maker’s technical approval and final yardage requirement.
5. Ship the identified material to the correct workroom with the order references.
6. Confirm that the complete material and instructions have arrived before relying on the production schedule.

The sequence may overlap, but the approval types should stay distinct. Fabric direction and repeat can change the required yardage, so settle them before the material is cut for shipment.

Should you pass the charge through or mark it up?

Choose a retail pricing approach that accounts for the store’s work and explain the resulting price before agreement. Do not describe a marked-up amount as the maker’s exact cost.

Say, for an illustrative quote, the maker charges the store $150 for additional COM work and the store sells that work for $200. Show the customer the $200 charge with a clear description. Keep the $150 vendor cost in the purchasing record. If the material changes and the work changes, revise the quote before authorizing production.

That approach makes the decision visible without requiring the customer to reconstruct the store’s margin.

How long does a CFA take?

Turnaround depends on the mill, material availability, shipping, and the approval process. Ask when the cutting will ship and how long the matching quantity will remain reserved. A reserve period is not the same as a delivery-time promise for the cutting.

As one mill-specific example, Maxwell’s terms state a 10-business-day CFA reserve and say the mill is not obliged to notify the purchaser when it expires. Use the terms for the actual fabric and record the deadline where the team will act on it.

What if the material is rejected or short?

If the customer rejects the lot’s appearance, discuss another lot or another fabric before releasing it. If the maker rejects the construction, obtain a suitable alternative or its written requirements for proceeding. Those are different problems, even when both are casually called a failed CFA.

For short yardage, obtain a revised requirement and establish whether matching material remains available. Agree who pays for additional material, freight, or work before proceeding. Keep wearability terms separate from the maker’s workmanship obligations, and record the responsibility the parties actually accept.

How does OrderPilot keep the decisions together?

OrderPilot’s product templates can present COM and additional-work choices with their own prices. Rules can show an extra choice where the configured material requires it.

The PO’s vendor conversation can retain the CFA correspondence, photos, and approval replies when reply capture is configured. Additional product terms are preserved with the customer’s signed agreement. For a workroom handling changes after inspection, continue with COM tracking and revised upholstery quotes. The record should make clear what was approved, by whom, and for which material.

Sources

1. Fabric cutting practices — Thonet.
2. What’s a CFA, and do I need one? — Phillip Jeffries.
3. Terms and policies: Cutting for approval and reserves — Maxwell Fabrics.