Procurement
What to include in a nonwoven fabric RFQ
Most nonwoven quotations get revised, not because the price was wrong, but because the enquiry was incomplete. This is the list that produces a quote you can act on.
At a glance
Specification at a glance
| Field | Effect on the quote | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Product family | Which line and process | Spunlace, spunbond, SMS |
| Application | Grade recommendation | Baby wipes, gown barrier, crop cover |
| Fibre blend | Price and performance | 70/30 viscose polyester |
| GSM with tolerance | Material cost | 55 gsm plus or minus 5 percent |
| Width | Slit plan and waste | 1600 mm |
| Roll spec | Packing and freight | 800 mm diameter, 3000 m |
| Monthly volume | Run length and price | 40 tonnes per month |
| Destination and terms | Freight basis | FOB Qingdao / CIF Tanjung Priok |
| Documents | Administration and lead time | COA, COO, TDS |
| Acceptance test | Dispute protection | Wet tensile minimum, lint method |
The four fields that move the price
Product family, blend, weight with tolerance and volume. Those four decide which line runs, what the material costs and how long the run is. An enquiry missing any of them usually gets a range instead of a price.
Volume is the one buyers most often leave out. A 5 tonne order and a 40 tonne per month programme are not quoted from the same sheet.
The three fields that move lead time
Width and roll specification change the slit plan and the packing; the destination and Incoterm change the booking. If your roll diameter does not fit standard packing, the packing has to be designed, and that takes time before the run starts.
The field that prevents a claim
The acceptance test. One sentence naming the property, the method and the pass level removes most of the ambiguity that a claim is built on. Without it, both sides will measure something, and they will not measure the same thing.
Add the splice limit and the packing requirement while you are there. They are cheap to agree and expensive to dispute.
A template you can copy
Product family; application and end product; fibre blend or polymer; GSM with tolerance; width; roll diameter, length and core; surface pattern and colour; functional treatment; monthly volume; destination port and Incoterm; required documents; acceptance test and method; target delivery date.
Twelve lines. Sent as an email body it takes five minutes and removes two rounds of questions.
Send the twelve lines
Use the quote form and we will reply with a grade, a tolerance and a ship date.
Questions
Common questions
Do I need a drawing?
No for roll goods. A drawing helps for converted products and for anything with a fixation or assembly feature.
Should I send a competitor data sheet?
Yes, if it describes what you need. It is faster to say match this and these three properties than to write a specification from scratch.
What if I do not know the blend?
Send the application and the test that must pass. The supplier can propose a blend and price it as an option.