Short answer: you never need a perfect specification to start an RFQ. Send what you already know — application, current label or photo, volume range, destination — and add the remaining fields in stages. The fields that change price or construction (mesh count, material, roll format, unit weight, packing, volume) matter earlier than the fields used only to formalize an order.
The purpose of this checklist is to cut supplier-buyer back-and-forth: every stage gives the supplier what it needs to answer the question at that stage, instead of one long form nobody can fill in on the first message.
Stage 1 — To start (minimum useful information)
A good first message fits in two or three lines:
- Application — window, door, porch, pool cage, lanai, rescreening or fabrication.
- Current reference, if you have one — the product name, a label photo, a close-up, or the mesh count from the old roll.
- Approximate volume — a sample, a test order, or a rough roll range.
- Destination — country or state.
That is it. If you only have an application (“we rescreen pool cages in Florida”), say so and send that. Do not block the first message waiting for fields you do not know.
Stage 2 — For a comparable quotation
Once the supplier knows the direction, add the fields that let two quotations be compared like-for-like. These are the fields that materially change the product or the price:
| Field | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Exact mesh count (18×16, 18×14, …) | Which weave is quoted; the product itself |
| Material and coating | Fiberglass, polyester, PP/PE — different product families |
| Roll width and length | Directly affects price and fabrication |
| Color | Part of the specification, not decoration |
| Unit weight, if it matters | Separates products with the same count |
| Packing and labeling | Affects landed cost and handling |
You still do not need all of these to receive a first quotation. State the ones you know, and mark the rest as “to confirm” rather than guessing.
Stage 3 — Before sample approval
A sample is only a useful reference if the conversation defines what the sample must match. Before approving:
- Written specification — the construction fields above, written down, not only shown in a photo.
- Sample matching criteria — which characteristics the production roll must match: color, count, roll width, handling.
- Reference measurement — count the mesh or weigh a small piece if the specification is incomplete.
This is also the point to add private-label or custom-packaging requirements if they apply to the program: label content, artwork, carton or packing structure, and the expected quantity that these depend on. Screen Mesh Supply offers private label and custom packaging; the exact structure, artwork and surcharge are confirmed in the inquiry rather than assumed.
Stage 4 — Before bulk order
Before committing volume, the order control moves from conversation to document:
- Approved sample reference — how the sample is identified.
- SKU breakdown — each roll size listed with its quantity, not one sentence.
- Packing and labeling plan — what goes on the roll, the carton, the pallet.
- Shipment documents — names, quantities and dimensions that repeat the agreed specification.
The container order verification checklist covers this stage in full.
What if I only have a label / photo / sample / application?
Each of these is enough to start — the checklist handles them differently:
- A label or spec sheet — send it. It is the strongest starting reference (see how to read a roll label).
- A photo of the mesh — send it, and note that count and material cannot be judged from appearance alone. A close-up is better than a wide shot.
- A physical sample — send or describe it; sample-based comparison is a valid path when the specification is incomplete.
- Only an application — describe the job (pool cage, windows, production process). The supplier can propose candidate constructions, which you then compare against the actual requirement.
Copy-ready RFQ outline
Keep this one block, filled to whatever level you know:
Company (optional)
Application
Product / mesh count
Material
Color
Roll width and length
Approximate volume
Destination
What you need next (sample / quote / comparison)Related references
- How to compare screen mesh quotations — what to check when the first quotes arrive
- What to verify before a container order — turning the RFQ into an order-control record
- What screen mesh count means — the two numbers on the RFQ explained
- Why two 18×16 screens can still be different — why the count alone is not a complete specification