Every fabricator has two piles of RFQs. One has a drawing, a model, a material callout, and a quantity — everything needed to price the part on the first pass. The other is a single photo and a note that says "how much to make this?" The first pile gets a fast, firm number. The second gets a slow reply full of assumptions and padding, because the estimator has to guess at material, thickness, tolerance, and volume — and every guess gets priced conservatively.
That gap is entirely in your control. A complete RFQ package doesn't just get quoted faster; it gets quoted tighter, because the shop can price what's on the print instead of hedging against what might be. This is a plain-English checklist of what to send a metal fabricator so you get a real number the first time — and why each item matters to the person building your quote.
2D drawings with dimensions and tolerances
A dimensioned drawing is the backbone of any quote. It tells the estimator the overall size, hole locations, bend lines, weld callouts, and — critically — which dimensions carry tight tolerances and which don't. A clean title block, revision level, and general tolerance note let the shop cost the part instead of interpreting it. Send it as a PDF, and note any customer spec or welding standard the print references. SPF can quote to your drawings and specs as provided.
A 3D model (STEP or native)
A solid model is the single fastest thing you can add to an RFQ. A STEP file (or a native SolidWorks part) lets the shop pull true geometry, unfold sheet-metal parts into accurate flat patterns, and check bend reliefs and hole-to-edge distances without re-drawing anything. That flat pattern drives the laser nest and the material usage a big share of the price rides on — so an accurate model means an accurate cut cost, not an estimate padded for uncertainty. Pair it with the drawing: the model carries geometry, the drawing carries intent.
Material, grade, temper, and thickness
"Steel" isn't a quote-able material; A36 plate, cold-rolled sheet, 304 stainless, and 6061-T6 aluminum all price and behave differently. Tell us the alloy, the grade, the temper where it applies (aluminum especially), and the exact thickness or gauge. Material is often the largest line on a fabricated part, and grade drives everything downstream — cut speed, forming behavior, weldability, and finish. If you're flexible, say so; a small substitution sometimes takes real cost out. If a grade is mandatory, call it out. When you're unsure, our sheet metal fabrication team can suggest a grade and gauge that hits the requirement without overspending.
Quantity and annual volume
Quantity changes everything about how a part is priced. One prototype is cut, formed, and welded largely by hand, so the price carries all of the setup. A production run of hundreds justifies fixtures, nesting optimization, and robotic welding that drive the per-piece cost down dramatically. Give both numbers: the quantity for this order and the expected annual volume or release pattern. A shop quotes a one-off very differently than a part it knows will run monthly, and the real volume lets us quote the tooling and process that make the program cheapest over its life — the heart of contract manufacturing. Leaving it blank almost always costs you money.
Tolerances and critical features
Tolerance is where quotes quietly balloon. A tight tolerance on the wrong feature adds inspection, tighter process control, and sometimes a secondary machining operation — cost the part may not need. The most useful thing you can do is flag which features are truly critical: the bore that mates to a bearing, the hole pattern that lines up with a bolt circle, the flatness that matters for sealing. Everything else can ride on standard shop tolerances. When a print applies one tight callout to every dimension, we price to the tightest one; when it flags the features that matter and lets the rest run standard, we price to reality. Calling out what's critical — and what isn't — is one of the biggest levers you hold on the number.
Finish and special processes
Finish and secondary processes belong in the RFQ, not in a follow-up email after the part is priced. Powder coating, wet paint, plating, anodizing, passivation, deburring, plus any certifications or documentation — each carries cost and lead time. Give the color or spec, the coverage (masked areas, threaded holes to keep clear), and any cert paperwork you need. SPF runs powder coating and wet paint in-house, so coated parts stay under one roof instead of adding an outside trip. If you only know the environment the part lives in, tell us that and we'll suggest a finish that fits.
Delivery expectations
Tell us when you need parts and how you'd like them delivered. A required date, a phased release schedule, drop-ship locations, and any packaging or labeling requirements all shape how a job is planned and priced. We won't promise a turnaround before we've seen the part, but knowing your target lets us say honestly whether it's realistic and quote the plan that hits it. A firm "need 50 by month-end, then 200/month after" prices far more cleanly than "as soon as possible."
The application and how the part functions
The one thing prints rarely show is what the part does. A sentence about the application — what it mounts to, what load it carries, what environment it lives in — unlocks the cost-downs a good fabricator spots for free. Maybe two welded pieces could be one formed part, a tight tolerance isn't functional, or a lighter gauge carries the load fine. Our in-house design and engineering team reviews parts for exactly these opportunities, but only when we understand the function. You don't have to share proprietary detail — just enough to tell a mating surface from a cosmetic one.
| Include | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| 2D drawing with dimensions & tolerances | Defines size, features, and intent so the shop prices the part instead of interpreting it |
| 3D model (STEP or native) | Gives true geometry and accurate flat patterns — the fastest path to a firm cut cost |
| Material, grade, temper & thickness | Usually the largest cost line; drives cutting, forming, welding, and finish |
| Order quantity & annual volume | Prototype vs. production changes setup, tooling, and per-piece price entirely |
| Critical features & real tolerances | Flagging what's truly critical avoids paying for tightness the part doesn't need |
| Finish & special processes | Coating, plating, and certs carry cost and lead time — price them up front, not later |
| Delivery date & schedule | Lets the shop plan realistically and quote without hidden expedite assumptions |
| Application / function | Context lets engineering suggest cost-downs and separate critical features from cosmetic |
Bottom lineThe more complete the package, the faster and firmer the number.
What we see on the floor
Southern Perfection has run complete metal fabrication under one roof since 1982 in Byron, GA, and RFQs land here in every form — clean drawing packages, bare STEP files, phone photos of a broken part on a bench. The pattern is consistent: packages that pair a model with a dimensioned drawing and a real quantity come back with a firm number quickly; the ones missing material or volume come back slower and with more caveats, because we're pricing around what we can't see.
Our in-house SolidWorks design and engineering team reads native and STEP models directly, so we work from your true geometry rather than re-creating it — that's what lets us generate accurate flat patterns, check formability, and flag cost-downs before the first cut. From there, laser cutting, forming, welding, machining, powder coating, and CMM inspection all live under one roof, backed by an ISO 9001 quality system and CAGE 2W654. When you're ready to price a part, our custom manufacturing team can take it from a print or a model, and our custom metal fabrication guide walks through the material and process decisions behind a good RFQ.
Have a print or a model? Send it over and we'll come back with a concept and a number.
You don't need everything perfect to start
Reading a checklist like this, it's easy to assume you can't ask for a quote until every box is ticked. Not true. A napkin sketch with a couple of dimensions, a photo of the part you're replacing, or a rough idea of size and material is enough to start the conversation — plenty of good programs begin exactly there. What the detail buys you is speed and precision: the more complete the package, the less we assume and the tighter the number comes back. So send what you have. If it's a mature drawing package, we'll turn a firm quote fast; if it's an early idea, we'll help fill the gaps and quote as it firms up. Either way, the fastest path to a number is to get it in front of us rather than waiting until the RFQ feels perfect.
Frequently asked questions
What files do you need to quote a fabricated part?
Ideally a dimensioned 2D drawing plus a 3D model (STEP or native SolidWorks), along with material and grade, quantity, and any finish or delivery requirements. The drawing carries intent and tolerances, the model carries true geometry for accurate flat patterns — together they let us quote quickly and firmly.
Can you quote from just a STEP file or just a drawing?
Yes. We can quote from a model alone or a drawing alone — we just have to make more assumptions, which tends to slow the quote and widen the number. Sending both, plus material and quantity, is the fastest route to a firm price.
Why does quantity matter so much for the price?
A one-off carries all of its setup in a single part, while a production run spreads setup, fixtures, and optimized processing across many parts. Telling us both the order quantity and the expected annual volume lets us quote the process that makes your program cheapest over its life.
Do I need to specify tolerances on every dimension?
No — and doing so can actually raise the price. A general tolerance note covers most dimensions; what helps most is flagging the few features that are truly critical, so we hold those tightly and let the rest run standard rather than pricing every dimension to the tightest callout.
Can you suggest ways to lower the cost of my part?
Often, yes. When we understand what the part does, our in-house design and engineering team can spot cost-downs — combining welded pieces into one formed part, relaxing a non-functional tolerance, or adjusting material or gauge. A short note about the application in your RFQ makes that review possible.