RFQ Template for Chinese Suppliers (Free + Examples)

A request for quotation that gets answered looks nothing like "please quote your best price for water bottles." It reads like a buying brief: who you are, what you want, how many, to which spec, on what terms, by when. Nine sections, sent identically to every supplier. That's what turns five incomparable quotes into one clear decision.

Below: the full RFQ template, free to copy and paste. Then what each section does and why it matters, two filled-in examples (simple private label, custom OEM), the mistakes that get messages deleted unread, and how to adapt the template for Alibaba, 1688, and email.

Writing RFQs that factories take seriously is what CN Ally does daily for importers. Even if you delegate it, knowing what a good RFQ contains helps you judge the quotes that come back.

Why most RFQs never get a serious reply

Picture the inbox of a mid-size factory in Guangdong: dozens of inquiries daily, each triaged in about thirty seconds. Quote, clarify, or delete.

What survives triage has four signals. A specific product, not a category. A realistic quantity, not "trial order maybe, large later." An identifiable buyer, not a blank profile. And commercial terms the factory can actually price against. Miss all four and your message reads as someone collecting prices for fun.

The classic dead-on-arrival message is some version of "Hello dear, please send your best price and catalog for LED lights." It asks the supplier to do your product definition, specification, and quantity planning, then rewards that work with a five-factory price comparison. Experienced buyers do the opposite: they arrive with the product already defined and ask the factory to price that exact product.

The second failure is quieter: inflated quantities. Ask for 10,000 units to get the 10,000-unit price, then order 500. Factories have seen this move for decades. When the real order lands at a twentieth of the quoted volume, the unit price jumps and trust evaporates. The dishonesty started in the RFQ.

The RFQ template: copy, paste, fill in

Here is the complete template. Copy the whole block, replace the bracketed parts, and send the same version to every supplier.

Subject: RFQ – [Product] – [Qty] units – [Company]

Hello [Name / Sales Team],

I'm [Your name], [title] at [Company] ([website]).

We are [one line: what you sell, where].

Please quote the following:

1. PRODUCT: [name] | Reference attached, labeled "Reference only"

Intended use: [ ] | Target market: [ ]

2. SPECS: Materials: [ ] | Dimensions + tolerance: [ ]

Colors/variants: [ ] | Function: [ ]

3. CUSTOMIZATION: [ ] stock [ ] stock + logo [ ] private label

[ ] ODM [ ] OEM (drawings attached)

4. QUANTITY: First order: [ ] | Annual estimate: [ ]

Also quote: [ ] and [ ] units

5. BRANDING & PACKAGING: Logo: [ ] | Retail box: [ ]

Export carton/labels: [ ]

6. COMPLIANCE: Required for [market]: [ ] | Test reports: [ ]

7. TERMS: Incoterm: [ ] | Destination: [ ]

Payment: [ ] | Quote valid [ ] days

8. SAMPLES: [ ] units to [city, country] (quote cost + lead time)

9. TIMELINE: Order by: [ ] | Goods needed by: [ ]

Reply by [date]. Questions welcome; please don't guess.

Thanks,

[Name] | [Title, Company] | [Email] | [Phone/WhatsApp]

That is the whole thing. Now, section by section, why each part earns its place.

Subject line. Factories sort inquiries by subject. "RFQ – Bamboo cutting board – 1,000 units – BrightKitchen LLC" tells the sales manager it's a real, priced project before the message is even opened. Vague subjects get vague attention.

Buyer introduction. Two lines about who you are and where you sell. It answers the supplier's first silent question: are you a real business that will actually order? A store link does more work than a paragraph of adjectives.

Product and reference. Name the product and attach one reference, clearly labeled as reference-only. Without this label, some suppliers quote the reference product itself. The "intended use and market" line steers the supplier's thinking: a cutting board for the US market raises food-contact compliance, while the same board for a hotel chain raises durability.

Specifications. Materials, dimensions with tolerances, colors, function. This is the section most buyers skimp on, and it's what makes quotes comparable. "38 x 25 x 2 cm, tolerance ±2 mm" can be priced. "Large size" cannot, so five suppliers will imagine five different boards and you will compare five fantasies.

Customization level. The checkboxes force you to declare the project type, because each is a different business with different pricing logic. Describing the actual level of change beats arguing about labels. (Our guide to finding reliable suppliers in China covers how to confirm which type you're actually talking to.)

Quantity, stated honestly. First order plus expected annual volume, with the honest "unknown yet" option. Inflated quantities poison the relationship when the real order arrives. Ask for two or three quantity tiers so you can see the price breaks without playing games.

Branding and packaging. Logo method, retail box, carton requirements. Packaging can be a meaningful share of landed cost on consumer goods, yet buyers leave it out and act surprised later. If you don't have a dieline yet, write "please propose" rather than leaving the field blank.

Compliance. State the destination market's requirements up front: FDA, LFGB, CE, whatever applies. A supplier that can't meet them should disqualify itself now. Ask which test reports already exist; re-testing from zero is slow and expensive.

Commercial terms. Name the Incoterm and the destination, and ask for EXW alongside FOB when you want to see the freight margin separately. "FOB Shenzhen" and "FOB" with no port named are different quotes. Proposed payment terms plus a 30-day validity request complete the commercial picture.

Samples. Ask for the sample quote and sample lead time in the same message. Buyers who treat sampling as a separate later conversation lose two weeks. Stating the delivery city matters because express freight to Austin versus Berlin changes the sample economics.

Timeline. Target order date and must-arrive date. This lets the factory check capacity honestly, and tells you whether your schedule is fiction. Build a buffer for sample rounds and freight into the must-arrive date; that date is the one that matters.

Reply deadline and the "ask, don't guess" line. A deadline, five to seven business days out, separates responsive suppliers from black holes early. A supplier that asks three sharp questions is more valuable than one that silently quotes the wrong product.

Worked example 1: a simple private-label product

Maya's filled-in RFQ for a three-piece bamboo cutting board set (private label, logo engraved, custom box), abbreviated to the filled values:

Subject: RFQ – Bamboo cutting board 3-pc set – 1,000 sets – Maya's Kitchen

I'm Maya Chen, founder of Maya's Kitchen (mayaskitchen.com).

We sell kitchenware on Amazon US.

1. PRODUCT: 3-pc bamboo cutting board set (38/32/25 cm) | "Reference only"

Use: home kitchen | Market: US

2. SPECS: Moso bamboo, food-grade mineral oil | 38x25x2 cm ±2 mm

Natural color | Juice groove on largest board

3. CUSTOMIZATION: [x] private label (logo laser-engraved, artwork attached)

4. QUANTITY: First: 1,000 sets | Annual: 4,000–6,000 | Also quote 500, 2,000

5. PACKAGING: Laser-engraved logo | Custom color box (propose dieline)

Export carton + FBA labels

6. COMPLIANCE: US FDA food-contact | Attach test reports

7. TERMS: FOB Shenzhen (also quote EXW) | 30/70 | Valid 30 days

8. SAMPLES: 2 sets to Austin, TX (quote cost + lead time)

9. TIMELINE: Order by mid-Oct 2026 | Needed by early Jan 2027

Reply by September 30. Questions welcome; please don't guess.

Notice what Maya didn't do: no inflated quantities, no blank packaging field, no abstract "best price" ask. Any factory can price this in one sitting.

Worked example 2: a custom OEM product

Daniel's RFQ for a custom LED desk lamp (own design, new tooling, EU certifications) follows the same structure, plus the fields custom work demands. His subject line reads "RFQ – Custom LED desk lamp (OEM) – 2,000 units – BrightDesk," with 3D STEP drawings attached. Specs name the aluminum arm, ABS base, 4000K/800-lumen LED, and USB-C power. The customization field declares OEM with new tooling quoted separately and asks who owns the tooling after payment — the question that prevents the classic mold-ownership dispute. Quantity is 2,000 units across two colors with an 8,000–10,000 annual estimate. Compliance names EU CE and RoHS and asks the supplier to list its certifications. Samples mean three working T1 prototypes from production tooling, not showroom pieces. His timeline separates tooling approval, mass production, and the must-arrive date, because custom work has stage gates that stock products don't.

Three things set Daniel's RFQ apart. Tooling is quoted and owned explicitly, because "who owns the mold" disputes are a classic OEM trap. Certifications get interrogated separately, since EU compliance can add weeks and four figures. And samples mean production-tooling prototypes, not hand-finished showroom pieces: the sample that best predicts mass production.

The five fields buyers get wrong

Most RFQs fail in the same five places. Check yours against this list before sending.

Quantity, inflated. Writing "10,000 units" when you mean 1,000 gets you a quote for a production run the factory will never see, and a renegotiation when the real number arrives. State the real first order and the honest annual estimate, even if the estimate is "unknown yet."

Tolerances, missing. "38 cm long" without a tolerance is a wish, not a specification. The factory picks whatever its tooling produces, and your "defective" claim dies on arrival because nothing was agreed. Add ± values to every dimension that matters, and mark which ones are cosmetic versus functional.

Packaging, forgotten. Buyers spec the product to the millimeter and write "standard packaging" for the box. On consumer goods, packaging runs 5–15% of landed cost. If you don't have a dieline, write "supplier to propose" and ask for the packaging quote as a separate line.

Compliance, assumed. "CE certified" means nothing until you name the directives and ask for the test report numbers. State the destination market's requirements explicitly and ask which reports already exist. A supplier that can't name its reports doesn't have them.

The reply deadline, absent. Without a date, your RFQ sits in the quote queue behind the buyer who gave one. Five to seven business days is firm but fair, and it tells you who is responsive before money changes hands.

Adapting the template for Alibaba, 1688, and email

The template above is written for email. Each channel has constraints. Email and WeChat take the full template as written: no length limits, attachments are easy; it's the best format for detailed RFQs. Alibaba messenger needs the RFQ split in two: intro plus specs first, commercial terms after they reply. Long single messages get skimmed and Alibaba's chat buries attachments on mobile. 1688 needs drastic shortening in Chinese (or via an agent): lead with a product link plus quantity. 1688 sellers are domestic traders used to terse chat, and English messages often go unanswered. At the Canton Fair or in person, bring a one-page printed RFQ summary as a leave-behind, not the full text; booth conversations run ten minutes; detail follows by email.

On 1688 specifically: the platform is Chinese-only and most sellers don't export directly, which is why buyers usually work it through a bilingual agent on 1688 who handles RFQ, negotiation, QC, and freight in one loop.

On Alibaba, attach photos and drawings to your second message, not the first. Lead with the product and quantity in text so triage happens before anyone opens an attachment.

When to send it: timing your RFQ around the Chinese calendar

RFQs sent in the two weeks before Chinese New Year (late January into February) go into a void. Factories are rushing to ship before the shutdown, and your careful nine-section template gets a distracted glance at best. Quotes that do come back tend to be rushed, and the salesperson who wrote yours may not be there when production starts.

The same applies, on a smaller scale, to Golden Week (early October) and the Canton Fair weeks, when the best salespeople are on the fair floor, not at their inboxes.

The best window is March through June: factories are fully staffed, material prices are stable, and sales teams have time to quote properly. If your product must launch in Q4, work backwards and get RFQs out by April, not August.

After you send it: reading the replies

A good reply arrives within two to five business days and does three things: quotes your exact specification back to you, itemizes the price (unit, tooling, packaging, sample cost separately), and asks at least one clarifying question — a green flag that someone read the RFQ instead of pattern-matching it to a catalog item.

Red flags: a price with no breakdown, no mention of your custom requirements, pressure to pay a deposit before samples, or a quote that arrives in twenty minutes. Twenty-minute quotes are catalog prices wearing a costume.

If a supplier goes quiet, one polite follow-up after five business days is enough, then move on. Chasing an unresponsive supplier predicts how your production problems will be handled later.

When quotes come back, resist comparing headline unit prices. Normalize first: same Incoterm, quantity tier, packaging scope, and payment terms. Our companion guide to getting accurate quotes from Chinese suppliers walks through that with a worked three-supplier example.

Frequently asked questions

Should I tell suppliers my target price?

For stock or private-label products where you know the market price, stating a target ("around $4.20/set FOB") saves time and filters out suppliers who can't play at that level. For custom OEM work, don't anchor early; you don't know the tooling and design cost yet, and a premature target just becomes the quote. State targets as targets, never demands.

How many suppliers should I send the RFQ to?

Five to eight for a first round. Fewer than five and you have no real comparison; more than eight and you're spamming the market, which suppliers notice. Shortlist first using the checks in our supplier vetting guide, then send the identical RFQ to the shortlist.

Should I send the same RFQ to factories and trading companies?

Yes, and that's the point: it reveals the structural difference. The trading company's quote will typically come back faster, with lower MOQs and a markup of roughly 10–30%. The factory's quote takes longer but shows you the real production economics.

What if I don't know the exact specifications yet?

Then say so, field by field, and invite the supplier to propose. "Material: supplier to propose – must be food-safe and survive 500 dishwasher cycles" is an honest, quotable requirement. What's not quotable is leaving the field blank and hoping. Mark uncertain fields as open rather than deleting them; the structure is what keeps five suppliers answering the same question.

Can I use this RFQ template on 1688?

The fields are the same but the format needs surgery: 1688 runs on short Chinese chat messages, and sellers expect a product link plus quantity first, details after. Practically, most foreign buyers run 1688 through an agent who translates the full RFQ into the local buying workflow. Sending the English email template into 1688 chat is the fastest way to be ignored.

Do I need a full RFQ just to order samples?

No. Send a compressed version: product reference, logo/packaging requirement, sample quantity, delivery address, and "please quote sample cost and lead time." Mention the intended order volume ("if samples pass, first order ~1,000 sets") so the supplier prices the sample as the start of a relationship, not a one-off favor.

Should I negotiate price in the RFQ itself?

No. The RFQ's job is comparable quotes, not the lowest number. Suppliers who sense a price auction quote the thinnest compliant version of your spec. Get clean quotes first, shortlist two or three, then negotiate scope, quantity tiers, and payment terms.

Your next move

Pick your product, fill in the nine sections, and send the identical RFQ to five to eight shortlisted suppliers this week. Give them five business days, then normalize replies onto the same commercial basis before comparing prices. Suppliers respond to RFQs that respect their time with quotes that respect your budget.

If this sounds like a second full-time job, that's the honest signal to delegate it. Contact CN Ally or write to hi@cnally.com: shortlisting, RFQ management, samples, and quote comparison are a sourcing agent's daily work, and the fee is usually smaller than one badly-quoted first order.