Send your drawing for a quote Build the RFQ brief first
A 2D or 3D drawing, the alloy and the annual quantity are enough to start. Open items become questions in the quotation.
The six essentials
A useful casting RFQ combines a controlled drawing, the material and finished-part requirements, demand and an approval plan. Mark unresolved items explicitly so every supplier quotes the same scope.
- Drawing package. Revision-controlled 2D drawing, 3D model where available, part number and revision. A model communicates geometry; the drawing communicates acceptance.
- Material and condition. Alloy, governing standard and heat-treatment condition, e.g. A356.2-T6.
- Demand. First order and expected annual quantity, with the forecast pattern.
- Critical requirements. Fits, datums, threads, sealing faces, property limits, leak rate.
- Finish. Treatment, cosmetic zones, masking and the inspection state.
- Verification and timing. Reports, test methods, sampling, approval gates, packaging and target dates.
Build the project brief
Fill in what you know. Leave a field empty or write "open" where the decision is not made; the brief lists open items so they become questions in the quotation instead of silent assumptions.
Quotation-ready specification table
| RFQ item | Useful detail | If it is not decided |
|---|---|---|
| Drawing package | 2D drawing, 3D model, units, part number and revision | State the design stage and the features open to change |
| Material | Alloy, standard and heat-treatment condition | Describe service conditions and request a review |
| Demand | First order, annual volume and forecast pattern | Give a realistic range with the costing basis |
| Critical features | Fits, datums, threads, seals and property limits | Explain the mating function or the failure concern |
| Finish | Treatment, cosmetic zones, masking and inspection state | Request representative samples for evaluation |
| Verification | Reports, test methods, sampling and approval gates | Ask for a proposed inspection scope |
| Commercial scope | Tooling ownership, packing and delivery basis | Ask suppliers to list exclusions explicitly |
How the brief is used here
Engineering reads the brief against the drawing before quoting. Critical features you list become the characteristics in the inspection plan: what is measured on the CMM or video measuring system, which zones are X-rayed, and what the leak test records.
Open items come back as written questions with the quotation, so nothing is assumed silently.
Separate one-time and recurring costs
Ask the quotation to show tooling, sample development and validation separately from the finished-part price. Check which machining, heat treatment, surface treatment, inspection and packaging operations are included. State whether the comparison assumes one shipment or scheduled releases, and align the delivery basis before comparing totals.
Which operations are done in-house
CEX makes its die casting and squeeze casting tooling in-house, performs heat treatment including T6 in-house, and has X-ray inspection and helium leak testing equipment (company-reported). When you compare quotations, ask for tooling, T6 heat treatment, X-ray inspection and leak testing as separate lines, so you can see which of them each supplier includes in the part price. State tooling ownership in the COMMERCIAL field of the RFQ, because the tool is made by the same supplier that casts the part.
Drawings, revisions and confidentiality
Use the same part number and revision on the model, drawing and specification, and remove superseded files from the active package. Discuss confidentiality before sending restricted material. The drawing form accepts one file; for a larger package, describe it and agree a transfer method.
Before you compare supplier responses
Check drawing revision, inclusions, exclusions, acceptance scope and quote validity, and resolve ambiguous assumptions in writing. A cheaper quotation is not comparable if it leaves out inspection or finishing the delivered part requires.
| Check | Why it changes the comparison |
|---|---|
| Same drawing revision quoted | A quote against rev B is not a price for rev C |
| Inspection scope included | X-ray, leak test and CMM reports carry cost and lead time |
| Finishing and machining included | Casting-only prices are not finished-part prices |
| Tooling ownership stated | Decides who can move the tool and who pays for repairs |
| Quote validity and delivery basis | Aluminum price and freight terms move totals |
Plain-text RFQ template
If you prefer to write the RFQ yourself, copy this structure into an email or the message field of the drawing form. Replace each bracket or write "open".
PART: [part number], revision [ ], drawing [PDF] and model [STEP/IGES]
APPLICATION: [function, medium, temperature, environment]
MATERIAL: [alloy] to [standard, edition], condition [as-cast / T6]
QUANTITY: first order [ ], annual [ ], release pattern [ ]
CRITICAL FEATURES: [bores, datums, threads, sealing faces]
PROPERTIES: [minimums, specimen location, test method] or open
LEAK: [medium] at [ ] bar, allowable leak rate [ ] [unit], stage [ ]
X-RAY: zones [ ], reference standard and level [ ]
FINISH: [treatment], masked features [ ]
RECORDS: [first-article report, material certificate, PPAP level]
COMMERCIAL: tooling ownership [ ], packing [ ], delivery basis [ ]
OPEN QUESTIONS: [ ]
Who issues the records and which certificates apply
The manufacturing entity behind CEX Casting is Qingdao Dechengxin Metal Products Co., Ltd., which holds the quality certificates in its own name. It holds ISO 9001:2015 (certificate no. 08924Q53221R1S, valid until 2027-12-22) and IATF 16949:2016 (certificate no. 0494978, valid until 2027-01-07). The IATF 16949 scope is manufacturing of aluminium alloy die-cast parts, with clause 8.3 product design excluded. If your RFQ asks for IATF 16949 or a PPAP level, state the process you expect, and check it against that scope.
Inputs that change the quoted route
Some RFQ fields decide the process, not only the price. Fill these first.
| RFQ input | What it decides | Published reference |
|---|---|---|
| Part size | Whether the part fits the casting envelope | Up to about 1.2 × 0.8 m |
| Projected area and wall | Press size and route | Die casting 160–1,100 t; squeeze casting 300–1,100 t, walls 4–15 mm |
| Tolerance on the as-cast blank | Which features need machining | ±0.2 mm nominal; machined tolerances agreed per feature |
| Heat treatment | Squeeze casting with T6 in-house, or die casting used as-cast | T6 in-house |
| Leak criterion | Test method, stage and whether X-ray zones are needed | Helium sniffer and water immersion in-house |
| Application area | Whether the part is quoted at all | Aerospace, medical, food-contact and pressure-vessel parts are not quoted |
Capabilities and limits · Inspection and leak testing · Squeeze vs die casting worksheet
Part size and weight that can be quoted
Squeeze-cast parts are quoted from 50 g to 20 kg, within a maximum part envelope of up to 1.2 × 0.8 m (company-reported). The weight range is evaluated against each part's geometry and project requirements, so give the finished weight and the overall dimensions in the RFQ. Squeeze casting machines range from 300 to 1,100 tonnes and aluminum die casting machines from 160 to 1,100 tonnes. As-cast blank tolerance is ±0.2 mm; tolerances on machined features are agreed feature by feature, so list the features that need tighter control.
Who quotes these RFQs
CEX Casting is an aluminum and zinc casting manufacturer in Jimo District, Qingdao, Shandong, China. It has cast aluminum since 1995, has run aluminum squeeze casting since 2019, and supplies industrial customers mainly in North America and Europe (company-reported). Published A356.2-T6 squeeze casting examples include a trailer connector that replaced a steel casting with at least 54% weight reduction, a weldable trailer bracket that replaced a sand casting with about 50% higher strength, and a boat part that replaced a conventional aluminum high-pressure die casting with at least 50% higher strength. If your part is similar, name the application in the RFQ.
Sending the files
The drawing form accepts one PDF, STEP, STP, IGES, IGS or STL file of up to 25 MB. For a larger package, describe it in the message and agree a transfer method. Tick the NDA box on the form if you need an NDA before sharing the drawing. Paste this brief into the quote form