Preparing a Request
Three short guides on putting a request together, plus a material-list template and a printable checklist. These are purchasing guides — they contain no engineering guidance, product selection advice, or compatibility recommendations.
How to Prepare an Industrial RFQ
A request gets answered faster when it can be read once and understood. That usually comes down to five things.
1. Separate the items
Give every distinct item its own line. Two sizes of the same bolt are two lines, not one line with two numbers in it. If you need the same gasket in two thicknesses, duplicate the line and change the thickness — the quote list has a duplicate control for exactly this.
2. State the quantity and the unit together
“12” means nothing on its own. Twelve each, twelve pair, twelve boxes, and twelve feet are four different requests. If you genuinely do not know yet, mark the line “quantity to be confirmed” rather than inventing a number.
3. Give the dimensions you actually measured
Send what you measured and say where the measurement came from — a drawing, a new part, or a worn part. A dimension taken off a used seal is still useful, but it needs to be labelled as such so it can be reviewed with that in mind.
4. Say whether alternatives are acceptable
If a specific brand or part number is required, say so and leave the alternatives switch off. If an equivalent is fine, turning it on usually widens what can be quoted. Being explicit either way avoids a round of questions.
5. Include the timing and destination
A required-by date and a delivery city, state, and ZIP let the request be reviewed in context. A date you state is a requirement, not a commitment that it can be met.
What to Include in a Material List
If you already keep lists in a spreadsheet, four columns are enough to paste straight in.
Pasting the list
Copy the rows out of your spreadsheet and paste them into the quote list under “Paste a Material List”. Columns separated by tabs or commas are read as the four columns above. A plain list with one item per line works too — those rows import as descriptions with the quantity to be confirmed.
You always see a preview first. Rows that could not be read cleanly are flagged, and the original text of every row stays attached to the imported line so nothing is lost in translation.
How to Describe a Replacement-Part Request
Replacements are the most common industrial request and the easiest to get wrong, because the part in your hand is worn and the marking is often unreadable.
Lead with any reference that still exists
A part number, a layline on a hose, a valve figure number, an instrument tag, a cylinder model, or your own internal stock number. Any one of these is worth more than a paragraph of description. Put it in the preferred manufacturer or part number field on the line.
Then describe the equipment it came out of
“Rod seal, 2 in rod, off the boom cylinder on unit 14” gives context that a dimension list alone does not. Equipment context often resolves an ambiguous measurement.
Give measurements with their source
List the dimensions you took and note whether they came from a drawing, a new spare, or the worn part. Worn parts read small. Saying so is more useful than rounding the number yourself.
Note what failed, if you know
A short line in the application notes — where it leaked, what it was exposed to, how long it lasted — gives the request useful context. Keep it factual; nothing on this site substitutes for an engineering review of the application.
Say how many you want
One to fix it now, or several to hold as spares. Quantity changes how a request is reviewed, so it is worth being explicit rather than defaulting to one.
Templates and checklists
Both files are generated by this site and contain no pricing, no product data, and no manufacturer documentation.
Manufacturer datasheets and certification documents are not published here. Only authentic, approved documents would ever be offered for download.
Material list template (CSV)
Four columns, ready to fill in and paste back into the quote list.
RFQ checklist (print-friendly)
A one-page checklist to run through before you submit. Opens in a new tab and prints or saves as PDF from your browser.