Metal Fabrication Website: What an RFQ Needs

What do engineers and buyers check before sending an RFQ?

They check whether you can make it, and whether you are a safe supplier to name. Those are two different readers. No survey of fabrication buyers was found for this post. The nearest primary study is from architects: in a 2016 AIA survey with 330 responses, 85% tracked products on manufacturer websites, and 17% complained that those sites were hard to get around or asked them to sign in. It is old and it covers a different buyer, so take the habit from it and leave the number.

What should a capabilities page list?

It should list hard limits, in the units a buyer would write on a drawing. Quality craftsmanship tells them nothing. Staub, a fabricator, publishes six things a buyer should put in an RFQ, and your page should answer each from your side.

• Materials: type, grade and thickness range. Staub notes that hard-metric thicknesses and obscure alloys are a common problem, so say what you stock and what you source.
• Size: largest sheet, longest bend, heaviest weldment, and what your crane can lift.
• Tolerances: what you hold by process. If you read GD&T under ASME Y14.5, say so. Publish a number only if your inspection records back it up.
• Welding: the codes you work to, such as AWS D1.1 for structural steel, with your stainless and aluminum work named separately.
• Finishing: what you do in-house and what goes out. Staub's example is powder coat listed as "white", which gets you a follow-up question.
• Quality: inspection tools, and whether you do first article inspection or PPAP.
• Packaging and delivery: pallet, custom crate, your own truck.

Which drawing formats should an RFQ form accept?

Accept PDF drawings plus the CAD formats your programmers can open, and list them. Staub asks buyers for up-to-date drawings and 3D models such as STEP or SolidWorks files. One public example is SendCutSend, a parts vendor, which accepts .ai, .dxf, .dwg, .eps, .stp and .step. Your list can be shorter. It only has to be true.

The form needs a real upload, because email runs out of room. Personal Gmail accounts cap attachments at 25 MB, and larger files turn into a Drive link. Work accounts follow whatever limit their admin sets. A buyer sending a full package should not have to learn your inbox limit by trial.

Ask for what the quote needs and no more: name, company, email, files, material, quantity, finish, inspection needs, and required date. Add a line for the drawing revision so nobody quotes an old sheet.

Controlled work needs its own route. If you say you handle ITAR work, confirm your position first: anyone in the US in the business of manufacturing defense articles must register with the State Department, with limited exemptions. Give those buyers a secure way to send files, and ask your attorney what your open form may receive.

Should a fabrication site offer an instant quote?

Only if your work is simple enough to price from a file. The model is real: a customer uploads a CAD file and receives a quote instantly, as The Fabricator described in 2019, and it grew in sheet metal parts. Even Xometry used engineers for manual quoting on very complex parts. A weldment, a stair or a Division 05 package depends on drawings, site conditions and field work, so a person has to read it.

For that work, promise a turnaround and meet it. Say when a buyer will hear back, and from whom. That is a promise you control.

How should lead times and certifications read?

Give typical ranges by job type, with what moves them. A bare number misleads, and a range with its conditions is honest: material on hand, outside finishing, shop load. State how long a quote holds as well. In FMA's Q2 2026 report, 88.89% of fabricators said steel and aluminum prices were rising, so a price with no end date is a risk you are taking for free.

List each certification with its facility and scope, and link the certificate where you can. AISC certification is address-specific, so a second shop needs its own. Give the edition of any standard as well: ISO says ISO 9001:2015 is no longer the current edition, and points certified firms to their certification body for transition. Claim only what you hold today. Weigh whether AISC is worth the cost separately.

What happens after the form is sent?

Someone should confirm receipt and log the RFQ the same day, because a form with no reply looks like a dead site. Intake is also where AI helps a fabrication shop today, by pulling the details out before an estimator opens the file.

Glass shops and rail shops need the same page with their own words, and the wider guide for metal and glass businesses covers both. GHOBZ builds websites for metal fabricators and glass companies, and you can see one with a free website.