The RFQ checklist a working machine shop wants to see — and what a complete quote should contain back.
The difference between a quote that lands on your desk in two days and one that comes back a week later with three pages of clarifications is almost entirely on the buyer side. Machine shops quote against the package you send them. If the package is complete, the quote is fast and tight. If the package is incomplete — missing material, missing tolerance, missing quantity, ambiguous on finish — the shop either asks questions or pads the quote to cover what they had to guess. This guide is the checklist that gets a tight quote back, fast. If you are earlier in the process, start with how to get a custom part CNC machined; if you are ready to send, jump to request a quote.
Always send both. The PDF carries the dimensions, tolerances, GD&T, datum scheme, finish callouts, and notes. The STEP file carries the geometry the programmer cuts against. Sending only a model forces the shop to derive tolerances; sending only a drawing slows programming. If the drawing is ITAR-controlled or otherwise restricted, say so in the email and confirm a transfer path that meets the restriction.
Alloy and condition: "6061-T6 plate" not "aluminum." If the drawing specifies it, the drawing wins. If the drawing is ambiguous or open, write the intended material in the RFQ email. State whether material certifications are required and whether the cert needs to be sent ahead of the parts. Our materials hub has alloy-by-alloy detail on what we work routinely.
Block tolerances belong in the drawing title block. Tighter tolerances belong feature-by-feature in the drawing. If the entire part runs default-block plus/minus .005 inch except for two bores at plus/minus .0005 inch, the drawing should show that — do not over-tighten the title block. Surface finish goes on the drawing in microinches Ra. See CNC tolerances explained for what each class costs in production.
Quantity for this order, and expected annual usage if there is one. Quote breaks at multiple quantities (e.g., 1, 5, 25, 100) help a buyer model unit cost across the program. If the quantity is uncertain, give the shop a likely range — they will quote the brackets.
When do you need the parts? "ASAP" is not a target. "First article by [date], balance of lot by [date]" is. The lead-time target lets the shop tell you immediately whether they can hit it, and price expedite charges if they apply.
If the part is built to a military, aerospace, medical, or industry specification (MIL-PRF, AMS, ASTM, ASME, IPC), list the spec and revision. If the part requires source inspection, government source inspection (GSI), or DCMA involvement, say so. If the part requires a specific inspection level (e.g., AS9102 FAI), call it out.
Specify what ships with the parts: certificate of conformance (always), material certs (often), first-article inspection report (program-dependent), traveler copy, and any required test reports. The earlier the shop sees these, the more accurately they price.
Required marking (laser, ink, dot peen, none), required packaging (individual bags, vapor-corrosion-inhibitor packaging, custom trays), and shipping address. For DoD parts, MIL-STD-129 marking and packaging may apply — reference the spec on the drawing or in the RFQ.
A good quote is a document you can hand to procurement and a manufacturing engineer and have both sign off without follow-up questions. Look for the following.
Per-piece price at the quantities you requested (and ideally one or two adjacent quantities so you can see the slope). If the shop only quoted one quantity, ask for at least a 1x and a higher break.
Any setup, programming, fixturing, soft-jaw, or first-article cost separated from per-piece price. NRE is one-time; per-piece is recurring. A quote that bundles NRE into the unit price obscures the economics of a reorder.
From PO receipt (or from material delivery, if material is the bottleneck). Expedite options and their pricing if applicable.
A serious shop reads the drawing and quotes against it explicitly. If they took an exception — "Note 4 specifies plus/minus .0005 inch on the .500-inch bore; we quoted plus/minus .001 inch" — they will say so. Resolve every exception before approving the PO.
What inspection is performed, by whom, with what gauging, and what documentation ships with the parts. Our precision machining work ships against a documented inspection record under the production network's ISO 9001:2015 program; FAI is performed where the contract specifies it.
Payment terms (typically Net 30 for established accounts, prepay or credit-card for new accounts), shipping terms (FOB origin is typical), and how long the quote is valid (30 to 60 days is standard).
Three things slow down most CNC quotes. First, sending fragments — a drawing on Monday, a model on Wednesday, a material change on Friday. Bundle the package and send it once. Second, over-tightening the title-block tolerance to make the part "feel precise." Default-block plus/minus .005 inch is correct for most features; tighten only what the assembly requires. Third, omitting quantity. The shop cannot meaningfully quote without knowing how many to amortize NRE across.
A dimensioned 2D drawing in PDF plus a 3D model in STEP (.stp/.step) format is the standard. Native CAD files are also accepted by most shops but STEP is the universal neutral format. Avoid sending only an STL — the resolution is wrong for machining.
Specify the alloy and condition (e.g., 6061-T6, 17-4 PH H1025, 316L). If you are open to equivalents, say so explicitly. Shops will not silently substitute material on a regulated or traceability-required part.
Put block tolerances in the drawing title block (often ISO 2768-mK or a custom block) and tighter feature-level tolerances directly next to the dimension or in a GD&T feature control frame. Do not over-tighten the default block.
Non-recurring engineering (NRE) is the one-time cost to set the job up: programming time, fixturing, soft-jaw or dedicated workholding, and first-article documentation. NRE is typically separated from per-piece price so the buyer can see what they pay once versus per part on reorders.
For a routine commercial part, three shops is a healthy comparison. For a critical or regulated part, value the qualification of the shop more heavily than the spread of quotes; sending the package to ten unfamiliar shops to drive price will usually cost you more in churn than it saves on unit cost.
Typically 30 to 60 days. Material pricing can move quickly on specialty alloys; if the quote sits unapproved past validity, expect a refresh that reflects current material cost.
Send your RFQ package straight to our quoting team.
What each tolerance class costs in production.
The five-step buyer's process.
Equipment, envelope, and tolerance class.
One-off through repeat production.
Our quality management system.
