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Guides / Compliance file

The compliance file a buyer should hold for restaurant dining tables

In short: Two separate files: one structural, one material. Most suppliers send one and call it compliance. A structural test says the furniture holds weight; a material test says what is in it. Your importer needs both.

Lead time
45–70 days door to door
Sampling
15 days, no sampling fee
MOQ
6 pcs per model
Load rating
150 kg whole-chair static
Custom sizes
No upcharge, no tooling fee

Structural: what the load test has to say

For restaurant dining tables the structural question is whether the completed unit holds load without permanent deformation. The useful certificate names the model, the load, the loading point and the pass criterion. A single number with no loading point is not a test result, it is a claim.

A whole-chair rating that loads the seat and back assembly together is what a restaurant should ask for, because that is how the furniture is actually used. Seat-only figures are cheaper to produce and tell you less.

Material: the file your customs broker will ask for

Timber needs a species declaration and, for the United States, a TSCA Title VI or CARB Phase 2 statement on the panel products. Upholstery needs a substance test for restricted substances if the fabric or leather is coming into the EU. Foam needs a fire statement if the destination requires one.

These documents belong to the materials, not to the furniture, and they have to be traceable to the batch. Ask for them at the sampling stage — asking at the port is asking too late.

Keeping the file current

Certificates expire and specifications change. Keep a simple register per model: document, issuer, report number, date, and the material batch it covers. Refresh anything older than three years, and re-test whenever the fabric, foam or finish changes — a new fabric is a new material file even though the frame is unchanged.

For a repeat order, ask the factory to confirm in writing that the materials are unchanged. That one line is what makes last year's certificate still valid this year.

Packing, freight terms and the small print

Export packing for restaurant dining tables means corner protection on every carton, a moisture barrier inside, and the model and quantity marked outside. Terms are normally FOB Shenzhen or Guangzhou; CIF and door delivery are quoted on request, and the freight is quoted separately so that it stays visible rather than being buried in the unit price.

Ask which port and which forwarder before you sign. A factory that quotes FOB without naming the port has not yet checked whether your container can be loaded there.

What happens after delivery

Two things cause most after-delivery problems: settlement in the first weeks, and a finish that does not survive the cleaning chemical the venue actually uses. Both are preventable. Let the furniture settle in its final room for a few days before final positioning, and ask for the cleaning instruction in writing with the cleaning agent named.

Replacements and spare parts ship with the next order rather than as a single parcel, which keeps the cost of a small claim proportionate. Tell the factory what failed and send a photograph; a joint that opened in service is information the next run can use.

Sampling, and what the sample is for

A physical sample takes about 15 days and carries no sampling fee; the courier is on the buyer's account. The sample is not a formality — it is the only point at which the seat height, the finish and the fabric can be checked together before a production run exists.

Keep the approved sample, or a signed photograph of it with the finish and fabric references written on the back. When the production run arrives, that sample is the specification. Without it, the comparison becomes a memory.

Where this fits on our own range

Our restaurant dining tables, restaurant tables and round restaurant tables are built to the same drawing discipline, so the numbers above apply there without translation. These are the pages the same workshop builds to, so the dimensions, finishes and load ratings discussed above apply directly rather than in principle.

Two models built to the specification discussed above are the JP-T109 dining table and the JP-T115 dining table; both are quoted against your drawing rather than a stock size.

Frequently asked questions

Can the dimensions be changed?

Yes. Every model can be re-dimensioned, and the price basis does not change. The requirement is that the final dimensions are confirmed on the drawing before production, because a custom size is a new structure.

How is an order for restaurant dining tables packed for export?

Corner protection on every carton, a moisture barrier inside, and the model and quantity marked outside. Packed volume is 1 pc per carton, 0.30–0.45 cbm.

What is the lead time for restaurant dining tables?

Sampling takes about 15 days and production 15–30 days after the approved sample, so plan on 45–70 days from drawing approval to a container at your door, including transit and customs.

Sources and further reading

Other guides in this series