Sheet Metal RFQ Checklist

Twelve items that decide whether a sheet metal RFQ comes back accurate in one round or takes a week of email: the drawings, material callouts, quantities, finish and delivery terms a quoting engineer needs, with the reason each one matters. Work through it before you send — the boxes stay on this page.

Questions about preparing an RFQ

Drawn from the RFQs we quote every day — the missing items are the same ones every time.

What is the most commonly missing item in an RFQ?

Temper on aluminium — drawings say “5052” or “6061” without the condition, and the temper changes both the bending route and the price. The second most common is quantity split: prototype and annual volume together get you a better process recommendation than either alone.

Does a complete RFQ actually get a faster quote?

Yes, and not marginally. Most quote delays are clarification emails: thickness in gauge, missing finish, unstated quantities. An RFQ that answers all twelve items is priced the same day; one that triggers questions waits in the queue behind the ones that do not.

Should I include a target price?

If you have a credible one, yes. A target tells the quoting engineer what process to design against — a part that misses its target on CNC bending may hit it in stamping at volume, or with a gauge change. Without a target we quote the drawing as drawn.

Is this checklist also the order form?

No. It prepares a quote, not an order — after the price, an order adds purchase-order terms, payment and delivery scheduling. The RFQ items stay the same; the paperwork around them is what changes.

Keep going

How sheet metal quoting works, line by line What belongs on a quotation request Sourcing sheet metal from China: the buyer’s guide Send the complete RFQ for a same-day quote

Calculators — enter dimensions, get a number

Sheet Metal Weight CalculatorWeight per piece and per batch from L × W × t, with real alloy densities.Bend Allowance CalculatorThe neutral-axis length through a bend, from thickness, radius, angle and K-factor.Sheet Metal Cost CalculatorWhere a part’s cost actually sits — material, cutting, forming, finishing and setup.Press Brake Tonnage CalculatorBending force in kN and tons from thickness, material and bend length, with a 20% margin.K-Factor Calculator (Reverse)Reverse a K-factor from a real bend: outside dimensions and flat length in, K out.Hole-to-Bend Distance CalculatorMinimum hole-to-bend and hole-to-edge clearances from thickness and inside radius.

Charts and checklists — read, print, work through

Sheet Metal Gauge to mm ChartSteel (MSG) and aluminium (B&S) gauge dimensions, and why we quote in mm.Sheet Metal DFM ChecklistThe 24 checks we run on a drawing before we quote it, grouped and explained.Sheet Metal Supplier Audit Checklist13 remote-verifiable checks for a sheet metal supplier, in four passes.

Send the complete RFQ — quote the same day

Work through the twelve items, attach the drawing, and send. A complete RFQ skips the clarification round entirely and goes straight into the quoting queue with everything an engineer needs.

Quote within 24h · Engineer reply in 24h