The millwork submittal process is how a fabricator proves, on paper, that what it intends to build matches what was specified — shop drawings and product data submitted through the general contractor to the consultant, reviewed, revised if necessary, and returned with a status before anything is cut.

It is also the single most common place a millwork package loses time. Understanding the sequence is how you protect the schedule.

The sequence

1. Contract documents issued — drawings and specification define scope, quality grade and finishes.
2. Fabricator produces the submittal — shop drawings, product data, and finish samples where required.
3. Submitted through the GC — the contractor reviews for scope and coordination before forwarding. A GC who forwards without checking is passing their own risk to the consultant.
4. Consultant review — returned with a status: reviewed, reviewed as noted, revise and resubmit, or rejected.
5. Revisions and resubmission — comments addressed, resubmitted, reviewed again.
6. Released for fabrication — only now does material get cut.

How long it actually takes

Consultant review is commonly 10 to 15 working days per submission, and most millwork packages need at least one resubmission. A realistic allowance is four to six weeks from first submission to a reviewed status — before fabrication even starts. Build that into the schedule rather than discovering it (see lead times).

What the statuses mean

• Reviewed — proceed.
• Reviewed as noted — proceed, incorporating the comments. No resubmission needed, but the comments are binding.
• Revise and resubmit — do not fabricate. Address the comments and go around again.
• Rejected — the submittal does not meet the documents. Usually a scope or grade misunderstanding worth a conversation rather than another drawing.

Where submittals go wrong

• Incomplete contract documents — a missing finish schedule or unstated quality grade forces assumptions that surface as review comments. (See what belongs in a millwork RFP.)
• Submitting too late — the review clock is fixed, so a late submission pushes fabrication one-for-one.
• Substitutions buried in the drawings — proposed alternates must be flagged explicitly, not slipped in. Consultants find them, and it costs a round.
• Coordination gaps — millwork that clashes with mechanical, electrical or structural because the submittal wasn’t checked against other trades.
• Fabricating ahead of review — the fastest way to turn a drawing comment into a change order. Material can be procured at risk; cutting cannot.

How a good fabricator compresses this

By engineering the package in-house so drawings are produced from manufacturing reality rather than redrawn from someone else’s assumptions; by flagging document gaps before submitting rather than in the comments; and by submitting complete the first time, so the second round is a formality instead of a repeat.

DNS produces shop drawings and submittals in-house and turns them around on schedule — see specification support.

Frequently asked questions

What is the millwork submittal process?

The fabricator produces shop drawings and product data from the contract documents, submits them through the general contractor to the consultant for review, addresses comments, and receives a reviewed status before fabrication begins.

How long does millwork submittal review take?

Consultant review is commonly 10 to 15 working days per submission, and most packages need at least one resubmission — so allow four to six weeks from first submission to a reviewed status.

Can millwork fabrication start before submittals are approved?

No. Fabricating ahead of a reviewed submittal puts the cost of any rework on whoever authorized it. Material can be procured at risk, but cutting before review is where disputes come from.

See how DNS works with architects & GCs →