What is the difference between a dye lot sample and a stock cutting?
In the UK those phrases are taken to mean the same thing. But that is not universally true so I will explain.
When you as an interior designer are about to place an order you need to get a cutting which you keep in your records stating exactly what colour the fabric will be. So you need a cutting from the exact roll of fabric which is going to be cut for you by the supplier. Once you have a this “dye lot sample” or “stock cutting” the onus is then on the supplier to supply you with the exact fabric.
Is this always important?
This is particularly important as the colour of many fabrics vary slightly between different batches of production. This is common across all suppliers.
Usually, however, it will not matter if your ENTIRE order comes from a roll that was different from the original sampling. The difference will be trivial and not noticed.
But if you are being supplied with more than one piece then it often DOES matter. The different rolls of fabric when made-up side-by-side can be noticeably different.
Sometimes even if the fabrics are different; the way they are made up, the lighting or where they are in a room can make the difference not noticeable.
Various technical reasons explain all of this, such as the variability of colour in man-made dyes, however designers need only know that it can and often does happen that fabrics vary slightly in their colour.
If in doubt obtain a dye lot sample/stock cutting.