Factories do not quote "pipe" — they quote a specification. An RFQ (Request for Quotation) that only asks "price for PEX-AL-PEX?" earns a slow, vague answer or silence; an RFQ carrying ten fields of context turns into a firm number within a day, because the sales engineer can run the cost calculation without sending back a round of clarifying questions. If you source underfloor pipe and fittings from China in 2026 and want fast, comparable wholesale quotes, this is the checklist to work from.
The ten fields of a complete RFQ
| RFQ field | Example entry | Why it matters to the quote |
|---|---|---|
| Product type & series | PEX-AL-PEX 5-layer, PE-Xb, PE-RT II, PP-R / brass fittings | Determines raw material, line and price basis — the first thing costing needs |
| Size & SDR / wall thickness | 16 × 2.0 mm, 20 × 2.0 mm, SDR 9 / SDR 7.4 | Same diameter with a different wall is a different grammage and a different price per metre |
| Oxygen-barrier class | EVOH co-extruded / no barrier, per required standard | Barrier pipe for underfloor heating costs more than plain pipe; ambiguity inflates or voids the quote |
| Total metres + per-SKU split | 30,000 m total: 12,000 m 16 mm + 18,000 m 20 mm | Drives capacity planning, changeover waste and container fill — a real cost item |
| Target market & certification | Kazakhstan / Russia — EAC, GOST documents | EAEU clearance and tenders require documents; adding them later restarts the calculation |
| Packaging & OEM branding | 100 / 200 / 500 m coils, printed brand labels, barcodes | Every branded element is priced — list it now, do not discover it on the invoice |
| Required Incoterm + destination | CPT Almaty / FOB Ningbo | Without a common term, two suppliers' numbers are not comparable at all |
| Quantity tiers | Price at 1 × 20'GP, 3 containers, annual contract | Reveals the discount curve instead of one take-it-or-leave-it figure |
| Timeline | Delivery before heating season; or a sample first | Peak season changes both price and lead time — the planner needs the date |
| Payment-term expectation | T/T 30% deposit; L/C at sight; OA terms | Financing cost is part of price; stating it gets a realistic number |
Quantity: ask in tiers, not in one number
Request pricing at one 20-foot container, at three containers, and at an annual frame contract. You will see the actual discount curve rather than a single take-it-or-leave-it figure — and the tier structure itself is a negotiation instrument: suppliers quote differently when they know you can consolidate next quarter's demand into their schedule.
Packaging, OEM and certification: small items with real prices
Coil length, cardboard versus shrink wrap, printed labels with your logo, language of markings for your market, EAC / GOST documentation packages — each is a costed line. In the EAEU these papers are frequently mandatory at customs and in tender dossiers, so an RFQ that ignores certification is asking for a surprise at the border. Put every requirement into the first message; a quote that silently excludes them is worse than a higher number that includes them.
Use the on-site 1-minute RFQ form
sanlipipe.com carries a one-minute enquiry form with exactly these fields. Filling it beats writing an email from scratch: your specification routes directly to someone who can price it, not into a general inbox. What the form cannot hold — project background, tender deadline, willingness to consolidate mixed SKUs — add as one short paragraph. Context is what converts a price sheet into a workable negotiation.
Mistakes that slow quotes down
- Asking "how much per metre?" with no diameter, wall thickness or oxygen-barrier class.
- Omitting the Incoterm and destination city, so no two numbers are comparable.
- Hiding the per-SKU split until after the first quote — every recalculation costs days.
- Adding certification and OEM packaging "at the end", which restarts the costing cycle.
- Requesting a price without a timeline — peak-season capacity is not the February one.