01The quote
A quote is priced by line: plate, cutting, edge, welding, marking, packing. That is deliberate — it lets you take a detail out and see what it was costing, instead of negotiating a single lump sum.
A quote is valid for 30 days unless it says otherwise, because plate prices move. Everything that is not in the quote is not in the order.
02When the lead time starts
The 15-day lead time starts when the drawing is confirmed in writing, not when the enquiry arrives and not when the deposit lands.
| Included | Excluded |
|---|---|
| Cutting, machining, folding, welding | Transit and freight time |
| Inspection and packing | Customs clearance |
| Standard packing | Site storage delays |
| — | Changes after confirmation — these re-set the clock |
If a drawing arrives in three instalments, the clock starts at the third. That is not pedantry: the plate is selected against the final dimensions.
03Changes, and the point of no return
Changes are free until cutting starts and charged after, and the honest reason is that plate already cut cannot be uncut. Our rule: if the change arrives before the plate is on the bed, it is a new revision; after that, it is a new part.
Dimensions are checked against the confirmed drawing, not against an earlier email. If a dimension in the confirmed drawing is wrong, the record shows who confirmed what — which is why we send the drawing back rather than just proceeding.
04Packing and claims
Edges protected, faces interleaved, grain direction marked. Photographs of the finished part are taken before packing and travel with the shipment, so a transit claim can be separated from a manufacturing one.
- Check on arrival, before signing. Damage noted after the driver has left is much harder to claim.
- Photograph the packaging as well as the part. It shows where the failure started.
- Dimensional questions: send the inspection sheet number with the question, and it is answered against the measurement, not from memory.
What travels with the parts is written down rather than left to memory: the mill certificate for the grade and heat, the inspection sheet recording the ±0.05 mm edge tolerance and the key dimensions measured at a stated temperature, and the packing list with weights per piece. If the order needed a plate thickness other than 6 mm, or 316L rather than 304, that is on the same paperwork — a claim about the wrong alloy is settled by the certificate, not by a photograph of the surface.
05Payment and shipment
Payment terms are stated on the quotation, because they depend on the order value, the destination and whether it is a first order. We will not publish a single term here and then quietly use a different one.
Incoterms are stated per quote. Whatever is agreed, decide early who is the shipper of record, because that determines who can chase the container when it is late.
We do not give customs or duty advice. Our invoice and packing list state the goods accurately; the classification at your border is your entry. See compliance for the document set.