COM (Customer's Own Material)
Customer's Own Material: the buyer supplies their own fabric or textile for a furniture or upholstery product. The manufacturer prices only the frame, labor and grade upcharge.
What COM means in furniture and textile quoting
COM (Customer's Own Material) is a furniture and upholstery industry term for orders where the buyer provides their own fabric or textile instead of selecting from the manufacturer's catalog. The manufacturer quotes the frame, construction labor, and a grade-based upcharge. The upcharge accounts for yardage requirements and how difficult the buyer's fabric is to work with.
COM orders are common in contract furniture (hospitality, healthcare, corporate), custom residential projects, and multi-brand showroom sales where designers bring their own textile selections. The manufacturer's responsibility is to price from the fabric's grade, not to guess or average.
How Poly9 handles COM pricing in configure-and-quote
Poly9 prices COM orders from your approved grade matrix: the table that shows frame cost at Grade A, Grade B, Grade C, and so on. When a buyer or designer asks "What's the Lydia sofa in COM Grade D?", Poly9 looks up the rule. If the grade and configuration are in your system, you get a certified price. If not, Poly9 returns price on request. It will not guess.
This matters in three scenarios:
- Showrooms answering for multiple brands: Load each brand's grade matrix once. Poly9 applies the right rules when a designer asks for COM pricing across your portfolio.
- Manufacturers with complex yardage or grade tiers: Your grade matrix can have as many levels as your pricing uses. Poly9 does not force you into three generic buckets.
- Export and fair scenarios: A buyer at IHGF or High Point Market might ask "COM price?" on the floor. If your rules are loaded, the answer is instant. If not, "price on request" is honest and keeps trust, better than an invented estimate.
Why grade-based COM pricing matters
Buyers expect COM quotes to reflect reality: a delicate silk costs more to upholster than a performance linen, even if both are "COM." A grade matrix captures this. Grade A might be basic cotton, Grade F might be leather or difficult specialty weaves. The frame price steps up accordingly.
Without a grade matrix, manufacturers either guess (and underprice the work) or send every COM inquiry to a pricing specialist (and lose speed). Poly9's approach is to price from the matrix you have approved, or say "price on request" when the rule is missing. No guesses, no invented AI prices.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
How does COM pricing differ from standard catalog pricing?
With catalog fabrics, the manufacturer controls both the frame and the fabric pricing. With COM, the buyer supplies their own textile, so the manufacturer prices only the frame and labor. The price varies by fabric grade (how difficult the material is to work with), yardage requirements, and any COM upcharge the manufacturer applies.
What is a grade matrix in COM pricing?
A grade matrix is a pricing table that shows what a piece costs at each fabric grade level. The same sofa carries a higher frame price in Grade C than in Grade A, because higher grades account for more expensive or harder-to-work materials. The buyer's fabric supplier usually specifies which grade their textile falls into.
Does Poly9 require full COM pricing rules before quoting?
No. Poly9 prices COM orders from your approved grade matrix once you have loaded those rules. If a COM fabric grade or configuration is not in your system yet, Poly9 returns "price on request" rather than guessing. Buyers get a certified price or an honest signal that you will follow up, never an invented number.
Can showrooms and dealers quote COM across multiple furniture brands in Poly9?
Yes. Showrooms can load grade matrices for every brand they carry. When a designer asks for a COM quote, Poly9 applies the correct brand's grade rules and any showroom markup. Showrooms answer COM inquiries for their whole portfolio from one system, without switching between each brand's price book.
Priced from your grade matrix, or on request.
Poly9 quotes COM from the rules you have approved. If a grade or configuration is not loaded yet, it returns price on request instead of guessing. 250 sales actions free for 30 days, no card, and the account stays yours.