Millwork Shop Drawings vs Submittals: What Each One Does and How They Work Together

Your junior shared the package with the architect for review, and the email was labelled as “submittal”. After a few hours, the fabricator calls you up to ask whether shop drawings were sent or not. You confirm the same with your junior. This terminology takes your team in a loop, and no one has a definitive answer…

It’s a very common scenario in commercial millwork, that submittals are often confused with shop drawings (and, sometimes RFI also, we’ll discuss that later). One confusion and it may result in:

• Weeks of project delays
• Custom casework cannot be ordered.
• Neither it can be cut or finished without approval

SMEs at BluEnt, leading millwork drafting and outsourcing companies in the USA, have exclusively prepared this blog to clear the confusion between millwork shop drawings vs submittal packages. Let’s get started.

What is Shop Drawings in Millwork?

Millwork shop drawings Comprise all the detailed drawings, diagrams, schedules, and other technical information prepared by the millwork contractor or consultant for the specific portion of the work. Shop drawings are not part of the contract.

For example: When an architect provides a kitchen design, it simply illustrates the final look and aesthetic intent. Now comes the task of millwork shop drawings where every component gets technically detailed. Think of it as a step-by-step manufacturing guide that covers everything from:

• exact material dimensions (length, breadth, thickness)
• joinery details (how two materials will be joined)
• internal sections (how many shelves, drawers etc.)
• Information about hardware placements (hinges, channels, etc.).

It is usually prepared by the millwork contractors with the help of in-house CAD drafters/detailers or is outsourced to a millwork drafting company. Shop drawings show how the millwork will be made in the factory. The millwork contractor submits these drawings as part of the submittal to the GC and architect for approval.

What are Millwork Submittal Packages?

Millwork Submittal packages are anything that is sent for approval to the architect or GC to seek permission to start the fabrication (woodcutting) process. A submittal package usually contains:

• Millwork shop drawings
• product data sheet and cut sheets
• material samples
• testing plan and procedures
• Mock-ups

Sometimes informational and closeout submittals are also required that contain QC reports, supplier qualification, O&M data, record documentation and progress photos.

For example: Now, before starting wood cutting for the same kitchen (discussed above) in a millwork factory, the millwork contractor has to prove to the architect and client that what he/she is building is as per the design intent. To seek approval, the contractor submits a proposal of all things that are required to build the kitchen cabinet, called the submittal package. This includes:

• Cabinet shop drawings and kitchen shop drawings
• Samples of paint shades, plywood or laminate pieces
• Samples of channel, lock or handles with manufacturer name and model number
• Product certificate or warranty documentation (fireproof/waterproof)

Are Shop Drawings and Millwork Submittals Same Thing?

No, architectural shop drawings and millwork submittals are not the same thing. A millwork shop drawing is part of a submittal package. Every shop drawing is a submittal, but not every submittal is a shop drawing. In simple words, if it is drawing for your project, it’s a shop drawing and if it comes out of a catalogue, it’s product data.

Millwork Shop Drawings Vs Submittals: Tabular Comparison

Let’s take a tabular view and direct comparison of millwork shop drawings vs millwork submittal package.

Are Shop Drawings and Submittals part of the contract drawings?

No, under standard contract forms such as AIA A201 and EJCDC C-700, shop drawings and submittals are not contract documents. They only show how the contractor plans to meet the contract. So, approval does not change the contract requirements. A deviation counts only if flagged in writing and accepted. Always check your own contract.

How do Submittals and Shop Drawings Work Together on a Hospitality Project?

Let’s discuss this sample workflow scenario on how millwork shop drawings and review-ready packages work together.

A hotel lobby in a newly constructed Hotel in US needs a reception desk with a stone top and a data outlet in the front panel.

1. The CAD detailer reads the specs and the drawings. The desk needs a stone top, veneer panels, and a data outlet in the front panel.
2. The millwork drafter draws the shop drawings. They show panel sizes, joints, the support under the stone, and an access panel so the data box can be reached later.
3. The shop gathers the rest of the package such as veneer and laminate samples, hardware cut sheets, a stone sample from the stone supplier etc.
4. Everything goes into one review-ready package, with a cover sheet, an index, spec references, product data, schedules etc. It goes to the GC first, then to the architect.
5. The architect returns it as Approved as Noted. The shop updates the drawings and logs to the revision.
6. Fabrication drawings are released, and the shop starts to build.

The shop drawings did the building work. The submittal package did the approval work. The project needed both.

What mistakes happen when people mix up the two?

• A PM asks for the submittal. The shop sends a catalog sheet when shop drawings are needed. The review starts again.
• A shop drawing is logged as product data. At the closeout, nobody can confirm which drawings were approved.
• Product data is approved when the spec needs shop drawings. A conflict then shows up on site.
• Fabrication begins early, and the drawing comes back with comments.

A good habit for anyone new: ask what the document is trying to achieve. If it proposes a product or a package for review, it is a submittal. If it explains how something gets built, it is a shop drawing.

Should You Outsource Millwork Shop Drawings and Submittal Packages?

Outsourcing millwork shop drawings and submittal packages to a US-based millwork drafting company helps in these situations:

• You need to scale your team
• Your detailers are busy
• Your detailers are planning retirement
• Your packages keep coming back with comments

BluEnt, a trusted US-based millwork drafting services provider, builds a submittal package in your title block, to your standards, ready to stamp and send. With a team of 200+ drafters and extensive experience of over 23+ years, we offer highly specialized millwork shop drawings services and submittal packages at competitive prices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are submittals and shop drawings needed in millwork?Because design drawings show the look and the intent, not every build detail. Shop drawings fill that gap by showing exactly how the shop will make and install each piece. The submittal package lets the architect confirm that what you plan to use and build matches the design before anything is cut. Together, they catch mistakes on paper, when they are cheap to fix.

Can fabrication start before approval for Submittal Package?No, if the drawings come back as revise and resubmit after cutting has started, the rework is usually the shop’s cost. Most US-based subcontracts do not allow fabrication before approval. The reason is simple. A mistake on paper is much cheaper to fix than a mistake in cutting wood.

What is the difference between shop drawings, fabrication drawings, RFIs and submittals?If a document seeks missing information, it’s an RFI (request for information). If the document proposes what you will use and build and seek approval, it is a submittal. If it explains how the piece is built, it is a shop drawing. If the millwork drawing guides the machine and the bench, it is a fabrication drawing.

For which top three industries submittal package construction and shop drawings are non-negotiable?For commercial industries such as hospital, hotel or casino jobs, millwork shop drawings and submittals cannot be skipped.In a hospital, cabinets must be easy to clean and must follow safety rules. In a hotel, the same cabinet is built hundreds of rooms, so one mistake is repeated hundreds of times. In a casino, wood, metal, and stone are joined together and must look perfect.So, the architect checks everything on paper first. Always read the spec to see what your project needs.