Today, millwork may encompass items that are made using alternatives to wood, including synthetics, plastics, and wood-adhesive composites.
Millwork products are used in both interior and exterior applications and can serve as either decorative or functional features of a building.
Woodworking skills originally formed around wood carving, carpentry, parquetry, and cabinet making in ancient China.
Many of the specific features in a space are created using different types of architectural millwork: doors, windows, transoms, sidelights, molding, trim, stair parts, and cabinetry to name just a few.
In one, referred to as "stock millwork", commodity fabricators mass-produce trims and building components—with the end product being low cost, interchangeable items for commercial or home builders.