用具 and 備品: tools for an activity and equipment provided in a facility
Compare tools used for work with equipment in a meeting room. One object can have both an activity purpose and a role as facility equipment.
Tools used for an activity
用具, read ようぐ, means equipment or implements. 体育用具は使用後に倉庫へ戻してください。 asks someone to return the physical-education equipment to storage after use.
The focus is the object used for the activity. Preserve the after-use order without turning the return request into a completed return.
Equipment provided in a facility
備品, read びひん, means equipment or supplies. 会議室の備品を一覧表と照らし合わせた。 says that the meeting-room equipment was checked against the list.
Read its role as equipment provided in the meeting room. Checking against the list is reported, but a complete match with the list is not separately established.
One object's purpose and facility role
作業を始める前に必要な用具を机に並べました。 says that the necessary tools were arranged on the desk before starting work. Arranging the tools is the completed action.
壊れた備品には使用禁止の札を付けた。 says that a do-not-use sign was attached to the broken equipment. A work tool can also be facility equipment, so the terms are not mutually exclusive object types.
Can the same object be both 用具 and 備品?
Show the answer and why
Yes. Its purpose as a tool for an activity and its role as equipment in a facility can coexist. Read the activity and the space in which it is provided.