Two enquiries with the same drawing can produce quotes that differ by more than twenty percent and arrive four days apart. The difference is rarely the factory. It is the enquiry itself. A sheet metal RFQ that arrives with a clean 3D model, a tolerance standard, a named material grade and a stated quantity takes hours to price. One that arrives as a screenshot and a "please quote" takes a week, and the number you get back is padded against everything you left undefined. Here is the RFQ pack that gets a firm quote in 24–48 hours.
Key Takeaways: Sheet Metal RFQ Checklist
- Ten items: 3D file, 2D drawing with tolerances, material grade and temper, finish callout with cosmetic faces marked, quantity in three tiers, target price and annual volume, compliance documents, packaging and Incoterms, delivery schedule, and the decision date.
- Step, not just DXF. A solid model settles bend count, weld joints and flat-pattern questions before anyone opens a calculator.
- State a general tolerance standard such as ISO 2768 and then mark the few dimensions that actually matter. Blanket tight tolerances are the single biggest unnecessary cost driver.
- Give quantity in three tiers and annual volume. Unit price is a function of lot size, tooling and setup amortisation, not generosity.
- Ask for the compliance documents in the first email, not after the PO.
Why an incomplete RFQ package costs you days
Every missing item in an enquiry becomes a round trip. A missing material grade becomes a question. A missing finish callout becomes a guess, and the guess gets priced conservatively. Three round trips at a day each is three days of your schedule, spent before a single sheet is cut.
There is a second cost that is harder to see. When a factory cannot tell what you want, it prices the risk. A drawing with no tolerance standard will be quoted at the tightest tolerance the estimator imagines. A finish with no specified standard will be quoted at the most expensive plausible version. The pad is not dishonest — it is the only rational response to an undefined requirement. Ask two sheet metal fabrication suppliers to quote the same incomplete pack and you will get two different products priced. If you are still shortlisting, what to look for when you shortlist a fabrication partner matters more than the pack itself.
The 10-item sheet metal fabrication RFQ checklist
A complete sheet metal RFQ has ten items: a 3D model, a 2D drawing with a general tolerance standard, material grade and temper, a finish callout with cosmetic faces marked, quantity in three tiers, a target price with its constraint, compliance documents, packaging and Incoterms, the delivery schedule, and the decision date.
| Item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| 3D model (STEP or native) | Settles bend count, weld joints and flat-pattern questions before costing starts |
| 2D drawing with a general tolerance standard | Prevents the estimator pricing to the tightest tolerance he can imagine |
| Material grade, temper and thickness | "Stainless steel" is not a specification; grade and temper are |
| Finish callout with cosmetic faces marked | Lets the factory route and pack around the surfaces you actually see |
| Quantity in three tiers plus annual volume | Unit price is a function of lot size, tooling and setup amortisation |
| Target price with the constraint behind it | Opens the trade-offs that are available and closes the ones that are not |
| Compliance and documentation requirements | Some documents must be ordered at material-purchase time |
| Packaging, labelling and Incoterms | The difference between parts arriving flat and parts arriving dented |
| Delivery schedule and the reason for it | Tells the factory whether expediting or phased delivery is worth anything |
| Decision date and who decides | The most reliable predictor of whether your enquiry gets scheduled first |
1. 3D model: STEP or native, not just a DXF
Send STEP (or a native SolidWorks / Inventor / Creo file) alongside your DXF. A solid model settles questions a flat pattern cannot: how many bends there are, where the weld joints fall, whether a flange collides with a neighbouring part, whether the flat pattern is even developable.
If all you have is a PDF or a screenshot, say so in the first line. An honest factory will tell you that a reverse-engineering step is required and quote it separately, rather than silently absorbing it and re-pricing later. A model also settles the hem, bend relief and corner joint details a flat pattern cannot show, which is where most re-quotes actually start.
2. 2D drawing with a stated tolerance standard
Your drawing needs a general tolerance framework and then explicit callouts on the dimensions that matter. State the standard — ISO 2768 class, or your own drawing note — rather than leaving every dimension untoleranced.
Then mark only the critical few: mating faces, hole patterns that must align with a purchased assembly, and sealing surfaces. Everything else rides on the general tolerance. A drawing where every dimension carries a tight individual tolerance is the single most common cause of an enclosure costing more than it should. Our sheet metal tolerance guide covers what is realistically achievable per process, and a bend allowance and flat-pattern calculator you can check the drawing against lets you sanity-check the flat pattern before you send it.
3. Material: grade, temper and thickness
"Stainless steel" is not a material specification. Neither is "aluminium." Give the grade and temper — 304 or 316L, 5052-H32 or 6061-T6, CRS or SPCC, and whether it is pre-plated or requires plating after fabrication.
Thickness matters as much: quote the base metal thickness, and say whether it is the coating-inclusive or coating-exclusive dimension. If you are still deciding, our sheet metal material selection guide maps the common grades to service environments and budget.
4. Finish callout, with cosmetic faces marked
Name the finish and, where a standard exists, the standard. "Powder coat, RAL 7035, 60–80 µm, with a chromate-free pretreatment" is a specification. "Grey powder coat" is not.
Then mark the cosmetic faces on the drawing — the surfaces a customer will actually see. Every other surface can accept normal handling marks, and knowing the difference lets a factory route and pack the part sensibly. See surface finishing options for enclosures for what is available, and our powder coating vs liquid painting comparison if you are choosing between the two.
5. Quantity in three tiers, plus annual volume
Give the prototype quantity, the first production lot, and the expected annual volume. Also state whether this is a one-off or a repeat programme.
This is not a negotiating posture. Unit price is driven by setup amortisation, nesting efficiency and whether hard tooling is justified. Three numbers let the estimator price each scenario honestly instead of guessing which one you mean. If you want to understand where the money actually goes, our custom sheet metal enclosure cost breakdown walks through the drivers, and how a prototype lot turns into a repeat production programme explains what actually changes between tier one and tier three.
6. Target price and the constraint behind it
Give the target and give the reason, because the reason is what unlocks options: "we need to land under $180 per unit at 500 pieces because the assembled product has a $900 retail ceiling." That tells the factory which trade-offs are available — a different grade, a simpler joint, a coarser tolerance — and which are not.
7. Compliance and documentation requirements
State up front what paperwork you need, because some of it has to be ordered at material-purchase time:
- material certificate with heat number traceability
- first article inspection report and dimensional report
- coating thickness records and, if required, corrosion test results
- RoHS and REACH declarations (see our EU compliance guide)
- any product certification the assembly must carry
Asking for these after the PO has been placed is how a four-week job becomes a seven-week job. Our quality control and inspection process explains what is normally issued and when.
8. Packaging, labelling and Incoterms
Say how the parts should be packed, whether they need individual protection, what labels or barcodes they should carry, and the Incoterm. Export packaging is not a detail — it is the difference between parts arriving flat and parts arriving dented. Our export packaging and crating guide covers the options, and what the label and nameplate have to carry before it ships covers the marking side of the same conversation.
9. Delivery schedule and the reason for it
Give the required date and what it depends on — a line-down situation, a trade show, a customer audit. The reason matters because it tells the factory whether expediting is worth anything to you, and whether a phased delivery would solve your problem more cheaply than a rush. For the other side of the PO, see what actually drives enclosure lead time once the PO is placed.
10. Decision date and who decides
Say when you will award and who signs. It sounds bureaucratic; it is the single most reliable predictor of whether your enquiry gets scheduled ahead of others on the same day.
Certification, compliance and quality documents
Three documents carry most of the weight in an OEM enquiry, and each has a different lead time:
| Document | What it proves | When to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Material certificate (mill cert, heat number, EN 10204 3.1) | The base metal is what the drawing says | Before material is purchased |
| First article inspection / dimensional report | The first part matches the drawing | At first article, not at delivery |
| Coating and corrosion test records | The finish meets the specified standard | Before the finish line is booked |
| RoHS / REACH declaration | Substance compliance for the EU market | With the enquiry, before the PO |
For the last row, which certification documents the finished assembly will have to carry depends on the market and the assembly, so name it in the enquiry rather than discovering it at delivery.
Everything in the first row has to be requested when the material is ordered. If you ask at delivery, the honest answer is that traceability has to be reconstructed from purchase records, and that takes time.
Packaging, labeling and logistics
Packaging is where a good part becomes a scrap part. State the stacking limit, whether parts can nest against each other, whether painted faces need interleaving, and whether the carton or crate needs to survive a container rather than a pallet.
For export, confirm the Incoterm and who arranges the fumigation or ISPM-15 treatment if wood packaging is used. If your parts are crossing an ocean, settle the packaging method before you specify the carton — it is cheaper to fix on paper than to re-pack at the port.
How long does a sheet metal quote take?
48 hours, if the enquiry is complete on day one. This is the part buyers rarely see, and knowing it makes the pack above obvious:
- Triage and file check (hours 0–4). Is the model solid, is the flat pattern developable, are the files readable. Missing files stop the clock here.
- DFM review (hours 4–24). An engineer walks the part for manufacturability: bend radii against grain direction, weld access, fastener clearances, tolerance achievability. This is the step that prevents expensive surprises, and it is where most value is added. Our DFM design guide shows what gets flagged.
- Routing and costing (hours 24–36). Process routing, nesting, material yield, setup time, finish line, packing.
- Internal check and send (hours 36–48). Second review, then the quote goes out with any questions attached.
If your enquiry reaches step 2 in good shape, 48 hours is realistic. If it stalls at step 1, no amount of urgency will recover the time.
Copy-paste RFQ email template
Edit the brackets and send.
- Subject: RFQ — [part name], [quantity] pcs, decision by [date]
- Attachments: STEP + DXF + PDF drawing (revision [x])
- Material: [grade, temper, thickness]
- Quantity: prototype [n], first lot [n], annual volume [n]
- Finish: [process, colour/RAL, thickness, standard]
- Cosmetic faces: [which surfaces, marked on drawing]
- Tolerances: general [standard/class], critical dimensions marked
- Compliance required: [material cert / FAI / RoHS-REACH / coating test]
- Packaging: [individual protection / carton / crate], Incoterm [term]
- Required delivery: [date], because [reason]
- Target price: [figure], because [constraint]
- Decision date and approver: [date], [name]
A finishing line reading "powder coated" plus a colour code still leaves the corrosion decision unmade. Two fields close it, and neither costs anything: declare every metal present as coated, including hardware already installed, and require the coating operation to flag any feature it considers non-drainable before first piece. Both sit in the paste-ready block in the pretreatment block to paste into your RFQ.
Frequently Asked Questions
What file formats should I send for a sheet metal quote?
STEP or a native 3D file, plus a DXF flat pattern and a PDF drawing. The 3D model resolves bend count and weld access; the 2D drawing carries tolerances, notes and finish callouts.
Do I need a 2D drawing if I already have a 3D model?
Yes. A model carries geometry but not tolerances, surface finish symbols, cosmetic face definitions or weld callouts. Those live on the drawing.
How much detail is too much?
None of the ten items above is excessive. What slows a quote down is the opposite problem: a hundred individually toleranced dimensions and no general tolerance standard.
Why do quotes for the same drawing vary so much?
Usually because the enquiry left something undefined — finish, tolerance framework, or material grade — and each factory priced a different assumption. The pack above removes that variance.
Can I get a quote from a 3D model alone?
You can get a budget indication. A firm price needs the drawing, because the drawing is where the requirements that drive cost actually live.
What if I don't know which material or finish I need?
Say so and describe the service environment instead — indoor, outdoor, coastal, washdown, temperature range. A factory that does DFM will propose options with cost implications attached.
How long does a sheet metal RFQ take to quote?
24–48 hours for a complete pack, and a week or more for an incomplete one. The clock does not start when you send the email; it starts when the file check passes. Missing files, an undefined finish or no tolerance standard stop it at hour zero, and every clarification is a round trip of about a day.
Send the pack, get the number
The ten items in this sheet metal fabrication RFQ checklist take about thirty minutes to assemble, and they are reusable: once you have a template, every subsequent enclosure programme starts from a complete enquiry. Send it as a request for quotation rather than an informal email, and you will get a firm number back instead of an estimate with caveats.
Send us your STEP file and drawing for a free DFM review and a firm quote within 24–48 hours. If something in your model is going to be expensive, we will tell you which feature and what it costs before you commit.
Need a number this week? Upload your 3D model and drawing — you will get a manufacturability review and a firm price, not an estimate.