Industry Glossary
A-D
Abrasion
 The surface wearability of fabrics such as on seating, executive chairs in leather will have less abrasion than a upholstered task chair in an abrasive fabric.
Acrylic Backing
(Textiles) Finishing process on the backside of woven fabric for stability.
ADA Pull
Looped handle designed for easier drawer opening for the physically handicapped protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Adjustable Glides
1"-2:" leveling devices for stabilizing storage, chairs or panels, also known as "height adjusters."
Alternative Officing
A term used for different manners of how, when and where work is done.
Amenity Areas
Places in a facility geared around non-work activities, i.e., dining rooms, vending, day-care or fitness centers.
Anti-Rebound
The feature that ensures that a drawer will stay closed and not spontaneously recoil or roll-out from the pedestal opening when the drawer is closed with normal force.
Asynchronous Control
Allows the backrest and seat to move simultaneously but independently for the user to maximize his/her comfort. This is an ergonomic seating feature.
Back Pitch
Back angle of the seat back. An ergonomic seating feature is an adjustable back angle.
Backer Veneer
The veneer on the less visible, underside of surfaces.
Balanced Panel
The practice of placing a common material on two opposite sides of a board to keep the core "in balance" and greatly reduce the chance of warping.
Base Cap
A solid wood cap that fits over a prong of the metal understructure base of an office desk or credenza or storage cabinet..
Base Cover
The metal or excluded plastic part that covers the electrical power distribution system at the bottom of a panel system's workstation or cubicle configuration.
Beltline Electrical
The placement of electrical distribution and electrical access boxes above the worksurface configuration. This improves the functionality and ergonomic comfort of a cubicle or workstation.
Benchmarking
A continuous process of measuring products, services and practices against the toughest competitors recognized as the industry leaders.
Blanket-Wrapping
A delivery packaging approach eliminating cartons, employed for very large, shipments shipped directly to a jobsite or staging areas.
Book-Matched Veneers
Sequential veneer sheets, folded to open like the pages of a book and bonded to a substrate board that produces a mirrored image. Common lay-up for most lain-sliced veneers.
Box Drawers
Small drawers, generally 6" in height, mainly in desks and pedestals.
BRI
Building-Related Illnesses. A medically identifiable disease with symptoms that can last for an extended period.
Building Core
The interior "guts" of a building, including elevators, restrooms, stairwells, mechanical shafts, janitorial, electrical and phone closets.
Building Maintenance
The preventive and remedial upkeep of building components (HVAC, electrical, plumbing, elevators, carpentry and painting, excluding janitorial and grounds maintenance.
Bullpen Style Offices
Open areas without high panel division.
CAD
 Computer-Aided Design for rendering floorplans of office areas such as workstations, telemarketing cubicles, etc..
CAD Drawing
The digital equivalent of a drawing, figure or schematic created using a CAD system. For example, a drawing file or DWG file in AutoCAD.
Cantilever
The brackets to hang worksurfaces and storage pieces from systems furniture. All of OfficeMakers™ refurbished Steelcase® cubicles have the ability to add cantilever accessories.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Distortion to the normal functioning of the hand, wrist and lower arm due to a worker performing repetitive duties and activities in his job function. Ergonomic seating, keyboards, accessories , customized work surfaces, adjustable workstation componets, etc. assisting in minimizing Carpel Tunnel Syndrome.
Casters
Wheels or rollers which are fitted to a chair base to provide mobility. Casters are most commonly seen on task chairs and executive chairs, however, file cabinets, computer tables, stackable seating, training tables, etc. are often fitted with casters.
Caster Sleeve
A metal receptacle into which the casters are inserted.
Catalyzed Lacquer
A chemical reaction induced by material chemically unchanged at the end of the reaction.
Center Drawer
the "pencil drawer" mounted beneath a worksurface.
CFM
Certified Facilities Manager. The Facilities Manager is usually the person in charge of all new and used office furniture and the facility as a whole.
Chain Set
(Textile) Complete color line of a pattern shown in 3' x 3' pieces and then chained together for handling ease.
Chargeback System
A system of cost control requiring a managing department to be reimbursed for work done in other departments.
Checking
Cracking in an intense or advanced stage of wood finish whereby the breaks are so deep they expose the underlying surface.
Churn
The degree to which a workforce moves or shifts areas within a building per year, normally stated as a percent of the total number of employees.
COL
Customer's Own Leather.
Color Chip
A small sample piece of wood or paint finished material. OfficeMakers™ has a wide assortment of color chips for workstation panels and cubicles and laminate work surfaces.
COM
Customer's Own Material.
Common Areas
Building areas allocated to meeting rooms, hallways an pubic space.
Core (Sub-Core)
Interior material used to construct veneer panels (i.e. particleboard).
Corner Blocks
Blocks of wood glued and screwed into the corners of a chair frame to reinforce and provide additional strength.
Corrective Maintenance
Restoration activity performed due to equipment failure.
Cost of Operations
Total day-to-day operational costs of a facility including maintenance and repair, administrative costs, labor costs, janitorial, housekeeping and cleaning, utilities, all grounds upkeep, and replacement of used office furniture..
CPU
Computer Central Processing Unit.
Credenza
A storage unit, generally 18"-24" deep, used with desks in private offices. A desk set usually has an 18" credenza (and may include an ergonomic keyboard kneespace) and a conference table may have a matching buffet credenza (usually 24" deep) to serve as both a storage or extra filing cabinet and to serve luncheons on, sort papers, etc.
CRI
Color Rendering Index rates a light sources 1-100 wheel natural sunlight is 100.
CTD
Cumulative Trauma Disorders.
Cut Yardage
(Textiles) Anything less than a full roll; the amount of fabric cut from the roll necessary to produce an item or total project.
Defeat Mechanism
The mechanism that helps prevent the accidental tipping of a file.
Density
A weight measurement used to judge the quality of an interior core material. 45 lb. density is known as the best commercial grade.
Desk -- Double Pedestal
A worksurface with pedestals at both ends of the unit. An executive desk may have the pedestals attached, while a modular unit may have moveable pedestals.
Dovetail
A flaring joint between two pieces of wood, forming an interlocking tight fit.
Drawer Dividers
A partition in a box drawer that separates or divides the front partition from the back portion. The box drawer is usually 6" deep and is the top drawer of the desk pedestal.
Drop Ship
Product planned to ship directly to an end-users facility or warehouse.