What factories look for in the first 60 seconds of your RFQ

A factory's sales engineer opens your RFQ. They have 47 more to read today. In the first 60 seconds, they classify you into one of three tiers: established program (quote at cost-plus), one-off project (quote at 2x margin), or time-waster (quote high or ignore). The tier determines your price before they open the drawing.

Here is what they read in that minute and what each piece signals.

The subject line

The subject line either names a part number and quantity or it does not.

Good: RFQ: CNC housing, P/N AH-204, 500 units, delivery Q3 2026

Bad: Quote request or Manufacturing inquiry or Looking for a partner

A subject line with a part number signals you run numbered programs. A subject line without one signals you are shopping. The factory assumes shoppers will not place the order, so they quote accordingly. If you do not have internal part numbers yet, invent them. Proto-01 works. Housing rev C works. Anything beats a generic subject line.

The quantity

The sales engineer reads the quantity before the drawing. Quantities below 50 units get quoted as prototypes regardless of what you call them. Quantities above 500 units get costed as production. The gap between 50 and 500 is where the pricing game happens.

If you write 100 units initial, 500 per quarter ongoing, the factory quotes the 100 at prototype rates and ignores the 500. They have heard this promise before. It rarely materializes. If you actually intend to scale, structure the RFQ as two line items: 100 units NRE batch, delivery June 2026 and 500 units production, delivery September 2026. Pay for both. The factory will believe the second order when the PO arrives.

The delivery date

A delivery date three months out or longer signals you are planning. A delivery date two weeks out signals you are desperate. Desperate customers pay more because the factory assumes (correctly) that you already tried cheaper options and they all said no.

If you have genuine schedule pressure, state the constraint and the reason. Delivery required by July 15 for trade show demo reads differently than ASAP. The first implies a fixed external deadline. The second implies poor planning. Factories charge for poor planning.

The file format

The sales engineer opens your attachment. If it is a STEP file or a DXF, they know you own CAD. If it is a PDF of a screenshot of a rendering, they know you do not. Owners of CAD get quoted as engineers. Non-owners get quoted as consumers.

The format also signals how much rework the factory will do. A STEP file imports cleanly. A PDF requires manual redrawing, which the factory will bill as engineering time whether they tell you or not. If you only have a PDF, say so up front and ask for a drawing service quote as a separate line item. You will pay for it either way. Separating it makes the production quote comparable to others.

The tolerance callout

The drawing either has a general tolerance block or it does not. If it does, the sales engineer knows you understand that tighter costs more. If it does not, they assume you expect everything at ±0.01mm and quote accordingly.

A general tolerance block states the default for undimensioned features. Standard practice for CNC aluminum: ±0.1mm linear, ±0.5° angular. Tighter dimensions get individual callouts. If your drawing has no general tolerance block, the factory will either quote at their loosest standard (±0.2mm or worse) or quote at ±0.05mm and charge you for it. Neither outcome favors you.

Add a general tolerance block to every drawing. ISO 2768-m (medium) is the international default and works for most enclosures and brackets. If you need tighter, call it out on the specific dimensions that matter.

The material specification

The material callout either names an alloy or it does not. 6061-T6 aluminum is an alloy. Aluminum is not. Steel is not. Plastic is not.

When you write aluminum, the factory quotes whatever they have in stock. That is usually the cheapest extrusion grade, which machines poorly and anodizes inconsistently. When you write 6061-T6, they quote 6061-T6. The price difference is 15% to 30%, but the factory will not volunteer the cheaper option because you did not ask for it.

If you do not know which alloy you need, write 6061-T6 or equivalent, please advise if substitution reduces cost. The factory will tell you if 6063 or 5052 works for your geometry. They will not tell you if you leave the field blank.

The surface finish callout

The drawing either specifies a finish or it does not. As-machined is a finish. Anodized clear per MIL-A-8625 Type II is a finish. Nice looking is not.

Unspecified finishes get quoted as the cheapest option the factory offers, which is usually as-machined with visible tool marks. If you later ask for anodizing or bead blasting, that is a change order. Change orders cost more than the same work quoted up front because the factory has already scheduled the job and now has to reschedule it.

If you want anodizing, write anodized clear per MIL-A-8625 Type II. If you want bead blasting, write bead blast to Ra 1.6 μm. If you genuinely do not care, write as-machined acceptable. The factory will quote what you specify.

The comparison

Here is what two RFQs for the same part look like to the sales engineer.

RFQ A gets quoted at 2x margin as a one-off. RFQ B gets quoted at cost-plus as an established program. Same part, same factory, 40% to 60% price difference.

The point

The RFQ is not a form you fill out. It is a signal you send. The factory's sales engineer classifies you in the first 60 seconds based on whether you write like someone who runs programs or someone who is trying something once. The classification determines your price tier, and the price tier determines whether your program is viable.

If you are about to send an RFQ, stop. Add a part number to the subject line. Separate prototype and production quantities into two line items. State the delivery date as a calendar date with a reason. Attach a STEP file. Add a general tolerance block to the drawing. Name the alloy. Specify the finish. These cost you nothing and save you 40%.

This is the kind of upstream work Sendspec does for founders before the first supplier contact. If you have a design ready to quote and want an RFQ package that gets you production-tier pricing from the start, request a quote. We turn around RFQ-ready drawing sets and material specifications in 48 hours.

See also: The fastest quote you can't trust, Prototype to production: the six-week gap.