Guides · 24 October 2026

What to put on a CNC machining quote: a checklist

A good quote does two jobs. It gives the buyer everything they need to place an order without coming back with questions, and it records exactly what you priced, so a later drawing change or an extra certificate is a new price, not your loss. This is the checklist we use.

1. What you are quoting

• The customer's part number and drawing revision. “SB-100 rev B” is the single most important line on the quote. If rev C arrives with the order, you can requote instead of arguing.
• Their request reference: the RFQ number, or the date of the email you are answering.
• Material and condition, for example “6061-T6 aluminium plate” or “316 stainless bar”, and whether material is supplied by you or by the customer.
• Finish and outside processing: clear anodise, zinc plate, heat treat to a stated hardness. Name the specification if the drawing does.

2. Prices the buyer can compare

• A price at each quantity they asked for, as a unit price and a line total. Buyers almost always ask for several quantities; show the price falling as the quantity rises, so they can see the break.
• One-off charges on their own line: CAM programming, special fixtures, special tooling, first article inspection. Mark them “first order only”. The guide on charging for CNC programming explains why this helps you win the repeat order.
• Tax shown separately, with the rate, or a clear “prices exclude sales tax” (GST, VAT, HST) line.
• Currency, written out when you quote across borders: US$, C$, A$, £ or €.

3. When and how it ships

• Lead time, counted from the purchase order (and from receipt of material, if the customer supplies it), for example “3 weeks from PO”. Say if outside processing adds time.
• Delivery terms: ex works, or delivered to their door, and who pays the freight. Across borders, use an Incoterm such as EXW or DAP.
• Packaging, if it is anything beyond your normal: individual bags, foam trays, rust preventive.

4. Quality: what is included and what is extra

• Inspection: what you check as standard, and what a first article inspection report (FAI) costs if they want one.
• Certificates: a certificate of conformance, material certificates, plating or heat-treatment certificates. Say which are included.
• Tolerances: “per drawing SB-100 rev B”. If the drawing has no general tolerance block, state the one you assumed, for example ISO 2768-m.

5. The terms that protect you

• Validity, usually 30 days. Material prices move, and a quote that is open forever is a promise you might not want to keep.
• Payment terms: net 30, 50% with order on a first job, or whatever you work on.
• Changes: “Changes to the drawing, quantity or material will be requoted.”
• Exclusions: anything they might assume is included and is not, such as assembly, gauges or test reports.

What to leave off

Your costs. The buyer sees prices and terms, never your machine rates, cycle times or margin. Keep the costing behind each price in your own records, line by line, so you can explain it to yourself when the job is finished and you find out what it really took.

An example

A 6061 bracket, drawing rev B, supplied as machined, quoted at three quantities. The CAM programming is shown once instead of being spread over the parts:

Underneath: “Prices exclude sales tax. Lead time 3 weeks from PO. Ex works. Certificate of conformance included; material certificates US$25. Valid 30 days. Net 30.”

With the programming folded into the unit price instead, the same job would have been quoted at US$76.24 for 10 and US$32.93 for 100, and the buyer who orders 10 now and 100 next month would pay for the programming twice.

A quote is also a record

Keep each quote with the drawing revision it was priced from and the breakdown behind every price. When the order comes in, you build what you quoted. When the job is finished, you can compare the hours you priced with the hours it took, which is the only way to know whether next time's price is right.