An RFQ succeeds when the factory can price a process rather than guess at a product. That takes five inputs, and four of them are usually missing.
The five inputs
| Input | What to write | What it decides |
|---|---|---|
| End use | The product and the conditions it will see | Sets the parameter floors |
| Performance figure | One number that must hold, with a test method | Makes substitution visible |
| Quantity | Per colour, per delivery, annual forecast | MOQ and setup amortisation |
| Destination | Country and channel | Compliance and labelling |
| Date | When you need it in hand | The production slot |
Send only the first three and the quotation will be technically valid and commercially useless. The factory will quote a stock construction at a volume that suits them, with a lead time measured from a date you did not specify.
Writing the specification line
Pick the two or three figures that decide the outcome and write those tightly; leave the rest at the supplier’s standard and say so. Two examples from this category:
3D mesh: 3D spacer mesh, 100 % polyester, 6 mm, 320 gsm, 155 cm usable, compression recovery >= 90 %, laminated to 2 mm PU foam with hot-melt adhesive, Pantone 19-4013 TCX
Oxford: 600D polyester oxford, 2-pass PU coating with primer, 1500 mm hydrostatic head, 155 cm usable, 62 gsm total coating, tear >= 25 N, Pantone 19-4052 TCX, hydrolysis-resistant
Phrases that invite substitution
‘High quality’, ‘export grade’, ‘premium’, ‘as per your standard’ and ‘or equivalent’ cannot be tested, so they cannot be enforced. Each one is an instruction to the factory to choose, and the factory will choose the cheapest option that satisfies their own definition.
What to ask for alongside the price
- MOQ per colour, separately from the order minimum.
- Lead time from approval, not from order.
- What is included: testing, packing, certification, sample courier.
- The price validity period.
- What the supplier assumed where your enquiry was silent.
That last question is the most useful in the exchange. It shows where the quote is soft, and it takes one line to fix before the order rather than one claim after it.
What to leave out of the first email
| What they say | What it often means | What to ask next |
|---|---|---|
| Company introduction | Nobody reads it before the specification | |
| Full certificate pack | Send the one report that matters for the requirement | |
| Target price | It anchors the quote to a construction, not to a requirement | |
| Bank details | Belongs in the PO stage, not the enquiry | |
| Long list of every product you buy | Send the one programme you need quoted |
This table is not a scoring system. It is a set of follow-up questions, because the first answer in each row is the one that sounds best and reveals least.
Related detail
Family specifications start from the fabric overview or the wooden blinds overview. Our documentation and testing regime is on the quality control page, and commercial terms are on the logistics page.
Questions buyers ask before ordering
Can you quote against a specification I write myself?
Yes. Send it as written and we will respond line by line, including where we would deviate and why. That is more useful than a price against a document we have silently reinterpreted.
What do you need to start?
End use, quantity per colour, destination market and the date you need the goods. With those four we can quote; without them we are guessing.
Three questions, and the answers that separate mills
If the order you are about to place is going to be decided on a call, take these three questions into it.
| Question | Answer that should worry you | Answer that holds up |
|---|---|---|
| Which test catches colour lot variation? | “We have never had a complaint.” | Elongation — on the production lot, with the acceptance figure written into the report and not into the email. |
| May I see a report for a lot you shipped last month? | “That is confidential customer information.” | A redacted report, which carries every number that matters and none of the customer’s identity. |
| Where in the >= grade 3-4 band will this order sit? | “In the middle, normally.” | A stated target and the readings behind it. Colour fastness drifting inside the band is how a conforming lot still fails. |
Failure modes, and the test that catches each one
A specification only earns its keep if it names the failure it prevents. These are the two that matter for the order you are about to place.
| Failure | What triggers it | Test to demand on the production lot |
|---|---|---|
| Low CD strength | Fibre orientation biased to machine direction, typical of cheap spunbond. | Tear resistance — ISO 9073-4; acceptance report |
| Weight shortfall | Nominal gsm quoted from the line setting, not the delivered goods. | Colour fastness to rubbing — ISO 105-X12; acceptance >= grade 3-4 |
The other two, with acceptance numbers attached, are in the full failure analysis for non-woven. A supplier who cannot name the mode he sees most often is describing a catalogue, not a process.
The same question, asked of PVC slats
The two lines fail differently, so the wording that protects you differs too. On PVC slats the recurring modes are these, caught with a different test.
| Failure | What triggers it | Test to demand on the production lot |
|---|---|---|
| PVC slats: Cold brittleness | High filler content (calcium carbonate) to cut cost. | Impact at low temperature — -10 C drop test; acceptance no crack |
| PVC slats: Woodgrain film peeling | Laminated film without adequate primer or edge sealing. | Colour fastness to light — ISO 105-B02; acceptance >= grade 4 |
Send the five inputs and get a quotable answer.
Send the end use, the quantity and the destination market, and we will come back with a specification that meets it, a price at your volume and the test reports that back it up. Samples are free for qualified programmes; we charge the courier only.
Related reading
- MOQ and Lead Time in Textile and Window Covering
- Shipping Textile and Window Covering from China
- How to Vet a Textile and Window Covering Supplier
Sample cut with your values on it · Neutral packing and private label · Consolidation, documents and lead times
