The 25 fields every custom furniture product needs

The sofa fits through the showroom's double doors. At the customer's older stairwell, the delivery team discovers that nobody recorded its diagonal depth. The model name, fabric, and price are all correct. The landing remains unimpressed.

Use the following 25-field checklist to assemble a product record that supports the whole sale. Some fields belong on the customer-facing specification, some stay internal, and some vary with the chosen material. Mark a field not applicable where the product genuinely doesn't need it; don't let an empty field stand for “probably fine.”

Which identity and buying facts belong in the record?

The first group lets staff identify, organize, and price the right piece. Keep the vendor's source beside the working record, especially when the store's selling name differs from the maker's name. These fields prevent a familiar showroom description from being mistaken for a complete purchase specification.

1. [ ] Model name. Use the exact selling name consistently across the quote, catalog, and staff conversation. Include the model distinction that matters, such as the sofa rather than the matching chair. An image helps staff recognize the correct piece.
2. [ ] Vendor and vendor style number. Keep both the purchasing identity and the maker's code. A vendor can have similar names across collections, and different vendors can use the same descriptive name. Purchasing needs the combination that identifies the build.
3. [ ] Category. Choose a useful product category rather than inventing a new spelling for an existing one. The category should help staff find the piece and understand which shared terms or rules apply to that kind of furniture.
4. [ ] Base selling price. State what the base includes before option additions. If the base assumes a particular grade or standard size, preserve that meaning. The customer-facing total must still reflect the actual choices and other charges.
5. [ ] Base vendor cost. Record the cost separately from retail, with the source pricing basis. Keep it internal to authorized staff. A missing cost is unknown, not zero, and shouldn't quietly become the foundation for a margin decision.
6. [ ] Pricing-policy note. Keep any vendor advertising instruction, quote-only treatment, or internal pricing decision where the catalog owner can find it. Separate a published-price rule from the selling price calculation; they are different pieces of information.

Which measurements help the piece fit?

Name each measurement and its unit. In its dimensions-image research, Baymard found that shoppers could struggle to connect written dimensions with product parts. Add a labeled drawing so the measurement has a visible beginning and end.

1. [ ] Overall width × depth × height. Identify the order of the measurements and the product state, such as assembled or reclined. If the frame changes size with an option, keep the corresponding dimensions with that version rather than a generic family description.
2. [ ] Seat height. Record the maker's measurement and its conditions. Customers comparing a sofa with an existing chair need a named seat measurement, not a number copied from overall height. Keep the unit beside the value.
3. [ ] Seat depth. Distinguish usable sitting depth from overall depth. The difference matters when discussing comfort, even when the frame's external footprint is unchanged. Ask the vendor which measurement its published figure describes if the label is unclear.
4. [ ] Arm height. Include it where it affects use or placement, such as a sofa beside a table. Keep it distinct from overall height and from the dimensions of a removable leg or base component.
5. [ ] Diagonal depth. Obtain the maker's measurement and measuring method where available. If missing, have the physical piece measured using a documented method or ask the vendor to supply it. Don't derive it casually from overall dimensions or treat it alone as a fit guarantee.
6. [ ] Weight. State whether the figure describes the assembled piece or shipping package. Delivery planning needs the right interpretation. If the maker supplies a range or separate component weights, retain that distinction instead of presenting a guessed total.
7. [ ] Carton count and carton dimensions. Record what actually arrives and how it is divided. An assembled product's dimensions don't describe every packaging problem. Note whether the maker permits unpacking or disassembly before the item enters the building.

For the stairwell problem, use the diagonal-depth guide alongside a review of the entire route. Door openings, turns, landings, and removable components belong in the delivery assessment. A catalog measurement helps the team ask the right questions before scheduling a truck.

Which material facts change the specification?

Separate facts about the frame from facts about the chosen cover. A sofa can have one construction description but several upholstery care requirements. Copying the showroom sample's cleaning information onto every fabric choice creates a record that looks complete while saying the wrong thing.

1. [ ] Frame construction. Use the maker's stated materials and construction details. Avoid substituting “solid” or “hardwood” for a more specific description. Service and trade customers may need the exact construction fact the sales copy leaves out.
2. [ ] Suspension. Record the support system the vendor specifies for this frame. Keep it distinct from cushion fill. If the vendor hasn't provided the information, request it rather than inferring it from how the floor sample feels.
3. [ ] Cushion fill. Identify the standard fill and offered upgrades. Include conditions that change care or appearance, using the maker's instructions. A down-blend upgrade should remain an explicit selected option when the customer chooses it.
4. [ ] Cover options and grade. Keep the fabric or leather identity, color, and vendor-specific pricing grade together. Grade belongs to the maker's pricing system; the record also needs the material's own performance and care information.
5. [ ] COM yardage and assumptions. Record the maker's requirement, including fabric width, plain or patterned material, repeat, and orientation. If a requirement assumes 54-inch plain fabric, say so. Obtain the adjustment for the actual selected material rather than treating the baseline as universal.
6. [ ] COL square footage. Use the maker's leather requirement for the piece. A fabric-to-leather conversion is only an estimating aid: hide shape and usable cutting areas matter. The leather supplier's ordering guidance prioritizes the manufacturer's required amount.
7. [ ] Cleaning code. Attach the code and maker's care instruction to the specific cover. Water-based and solvent-based methods are different; a code is not a general promise that any cleaner is suitable. Use the cleaning-code guide to interpret it.
8. [ ] Abrasion result and test method. Record the reported result together with the named method and source. A bare “rub count” lacks the information needed to understand what was measured. Don't use it as a substitute for the rest of the fabric's suitability information.

Which promise and aftercare facts complete the record?

The final group helps staff explain what happens after the customer chooses the piece. Keep estimates distinct from booked appointments and warranties distinct from care instructions. Each should describe the actual product or selected component, rather than a reassuring sentence copied across the entire catalog.

1. [ ] Lead time by option. Record the estimate for the material or finish that changes it, along with the vendor's meaning and starting event. Review the resulting configuration before communicating a customer delivery window.
2. [ ] Finish-variation note. Carry the maker's explanation of natural variation or sample differences. Make the note specific enough to help the customer judge a physical sample. A generic disclaimer doesn't explain the difference between wood grain and the wrong finish.
3. [ ] Warranty by component. Keep frame, fabric, mechanism, and other component coverage distinct where the maker does. Record exclusions and the source terms. The record should help staff locate coverage later without inventing one universal period for the whole piece.
4. [ ] Assembly and delivery requirements. Record required assembly, removable parts, access considerations, and maker instructions. Keep the customer's actual delivery arrangements on the order. A product's usual handling requirements and a particular building's restrictions both need attention.

Which facts should customers see?

Show the facts that help customers select, fit, care for, and understand the piece: dimensions, materials, cover choices, finish notes, timing explanations, and warranty terms. Keep vendor costs and internal pricing decisions restricted to the staff who need them. Internal codes can coexist with readable customer labels.

Use the checklist itself as the printable audit. Assign an owner and source for each unchecked field, then review the product as a customer would. A record with every box ticked still needs its labels and drawings to be understandable.

Product safety labels and assembly warnings belong in the store's broader product documentation too. This commercial checklist isn't a substitute for the separate flammability, law-tag, and tip-over review. Preserve the maker's labels and instructions with the product information.

Where does this information live in OrderPilot?

OrderPilot divides the record between the product template, its options, and the Shopify product's spec fields. The checklist is an editorial audit, not a claim that the app has a dedicated input named after every item above. Use descriptions, notes, and the maker's supporting specification where a fact doesn't have its own field.

Catalog and product-document features are included in Essentials, Growth, and Professional. Warranty coverage controls require Professional; website configuration requires Growth or Professional. Staff permissions still determine who can edit the catalog or see costs.

Lead time appears on the template, the Admin order line, and the website block when enabled; it doesn't print automatically on quotes or POs. Use the catalog estimate to support a deliberately communicated delivery window. The spec-sheet guide explains the document's separate role.

How do you fill the gaps across a large catalog?

For an illustrative 400-product assortment, group the work by vendor and product family. Resolve a shared construction description once, then verify which frames it actually covers. Prioritize products being quoted and missing facts that could change fit, price, or the order specification.

Use OrderPilot's template CSV import for templates and options, while maintaining the spec fields on the Shopify product. Keep stable product identities and test a representative frame before extending a shared pattern. Start with product templates, then work through the unchecked fields until the next person's question has a source-backed answer.

Sources

1. Always provide a dimensions image — Baymard Institute, October 15, 2024. Original research on interpreting measurements.
2. Specifying leather, part 1 — KOVI Fabrics, 2022. Vendor guidance prioritizing the maker's leather requirement.
3. Explaining fabric cleaning codes — American Leather. Manufacturer guidance distinguishing cleaning methods.