{"id":7938,"date":"2026-10-12T17:16:30","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T17:16:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/?p=7938"},"modified":"2026-10-12T17:16:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T17:16:30","slug":"casting-rfq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinametalfoundry.com\/fr\/blog\/casting-rfq\/","title":{"rendered":"Casting RFQ: What Foundries Need for an Accurate Quote"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A casting RFQ<\/strong> decides two things: how accurate the price is, and how many weeks you lose before anyone can build the tooling. In our own 2025 quote log, packages missing drawings or inspection criteria produced bids that moved 18\u201332% between first quote and first invoice; complete packages stayed inside 5%.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

This guide turns a casting RFQ into a checklist you can paste into an email: twelve fields, the standards behind them, and the real cost of each field you leave blank. Numbers come from quotes we actually priced, plus the references a purchasing team can quote back when a bid looks wrong: ISO 8062-3 for dimensional tolerances, ASTM A536 \/ A216 for material specification, ASTM E446 for radiographic acceptance and ISO 2859-1 for sampling. Industry bodies such as the American Foundry Society (AFS)<\/a> publish the process-side background; if you want it in one page first, read our Guide sur la fonderie des m\u00e9taux<\/a>, then come back here with your drawing open.<\/p>\n

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A complete RFQ package is three things at once: geometry, material and acceptance criteria.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why a Weak Casting RFQ Costs More Than Time<\/h2>\n

Three things happen when a casting RFQ leaves a foundry guessing. First, the estimator prices the worst case<\/strong> rather than your case: maximum machining stock, tightest default tolerance, highest scrap allowance. Second, each unanswered question becomes an email round trip \u2014 our log shows a median of 3.4 clarification emails per incomplete RFQ. Third, when the answer finally arrives (say: sections up to 90 mm need radiographic quality), the tooling is already built for the cheaper assumption.<\/p>\n

The delay arithmetic is blunt. A complete casting RFQ gets a priced bid in 2\u20133 working days<\/strong>. An incomplete one averages 8 days, because each clarification cycle costs about 1.5 days of calendar time across time zones. On a first order that already runs 11\u201324 weeks end to end (see our breakdown of casting lead time<\/a>), a week of email ping-pong lands directly on your launch date.<\/p>\n

The 12 Items Every Casting RFQ Must Carry<\/h2>\n

Nothing below is exotic; these are simply the twelve fields that change a price or a tooling design. A casting RFQ that carries all twelve produces bids you can line up side by side. A thin one \u2014 four fields and a PDF export \u2014 gets four different sets of assumptions, and none of the numbers that come back are comparable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
RFQ item<\/th>\nWhy it moves the number<\/th>\nTypical penalty if missing<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
3D model + 2D drawing with GD&T<\/td>\nDefines datums, machines faces, critical dimensions<\/td>\nEstimators add 2\u20134% material for unknown stock<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Alloy + full specification (ASTM \/ EN \/ GB + UNS)<\/td>\nSets melt cost, scrap risk, heat treatment<\/td>\nQuote defaults to the cheapest compliant grade<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Required mechanical properties + test bar type<\/td>\nDrives chemistry window, heat treatment, coupon cost<\/td>\nDispute at first article; re-test $180\u2013$420 per heat<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Heat treatment condition<\/td>\nAnneal \/ normalize \/ quench and temper \/ T6<\/td>\n$2.80\u2013$9.40 per part appears later as a change order<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Annual volume, batch size, call-off pattern<\/td>\nSets tooling class and amortisation basis<\/td>\nTooling charged as single-batch: +$15\u2013$30 per part<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Machining scope (rough \/ finish \/ none)<\/td>\nDetermines machine hours, fixtures, inspection<\/td>\nTwo bids differ 40%+ and neither is comparable<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dimensional standard (ISO 8062-3 DCTG \/ GG)<\/td>\nTolerance class prices tooling and finishing<\/td>\nFoundry applies its own default class<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
NDT method + acceptance level<\/td>\nPT \/ MT \/ UT \/ RT economics are very different<\/td>\n100% RT assumption adds $20\u2013$70 per part<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sampling plan (ISO 2859-1 AQL) for visual<\/td>\nLabour hours in final inspection<\/td>\nEither 100% sort (costly) or disputes at receipt<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Surface finish \/ coating<\/td>\nBlasting grade, primer, plating, Ra target<\/td>\nFreight damage or rework at destination<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Packaging + export marking (ISPM-15)<\/td>\nCrate cost, container utilisation, customs holds<\/td>\nFumigated crate retrofit $1.60\u2013$4.20 per part<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Incoterms + destination port<\/td>\nFreight and duty sit inside or outside the unit price<\/td>\nTwo bids differ by 6\u201311% purely on delivery terms<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Drawings: Send Geometry and Intent, Not Just a STEP File<\/h2>\n

A 3D model tells a foundry what the part looks like. The drawing tells it what actually matters. A well-built casting RFQ ships both: STEP AP242 (or Parasolid) for the geometry, plus a dimensioned 2D PDF with datum structure, machined faces marked, and wall thickness callouts. If your model already carries PMI, say so explicitly \u2014 otherwise the estimator ignores it and assumes everything is general tolerance.<\/p>\n

A note worth deleting from every drawing: “standard casting tolerances apply”. There is no single standard; the default depends on the foundry’s process. Specify the class instead, using ISO 8062-3: DCTG for linear dimensions and GCTG for geometric. Our reference table in tol\u00e9rances de moulage<\/a> shows what each class means once it reaches your machine shop.<\/p>\n

What the tolerance line is actually worth<\/h3>\n
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Take a 9 kg grey iron housing with a machined \u00d8120 bore. Quoted to a loose default class, the foundry leaves 5 mm per side for clean-up. Specify ISO 8062-3 DCTG 10 (\u00b11.8 mm on that band) and the casting machining allowance<\/a> drops to 3 mm. Same drawing, two packages:<\/p>\n