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PCB RFQ checklist for overseas buyers

Question this page answers

What should a PCB RFQ include?

What to put in a PCB or PCBA request for quotation so that the replies are comparable: stack-up, materials, testing, certification and terms.

Why most RFQ replies cannot be compared

If each supplier receives different information, each supplier prices a different board. Fix the technical package before you ask for a price.

Include these in the RFQ

  1. Board data — Gerber or ODB++, drill files, stack-up drawing, finished thickness and copper weight per layer.
  2. Materials — the laminate system by name, and whether a substitute is acceptable.
  3. Construction — layer count, via types, blind or buried vias, impedance requirements with the target tolerance.
  4. Finish and marking — surface finish, solder mask and silkscreen colour, UL marking if required.
  5. Quantity and schedule — prototype quantity, expected annual volume and required delivery window.
  6. Acceptance — IPC class, test method, coupon requirements and the certificate of conformity format.
  7. Commercial terms — incoterm, currency, payment terms and who pays for tooling or stencils.
  8. Supplier identity — the legal entity that will issue the invoice and the address of the site that will build the boards.

Ask one extra question

Ask which process steps will be subcontracted. It changes who is accountable and often explains an unusually short lead time.

After the quotes arrive

Compare the technical exceptions before the unit price. Then run the identity and certificate checks in How to verify a PCB manufacturer on the two or three suppliers left on the shortlist.

Sources and review

The public registries and certification databases named on this page are the primary sources we use. Every fact on a ChinaPCB factory profile is accompanied by its source and the date it was last checked. Where a claim could not be checked, the field is left unconfirmed instead of being filled with an estimate.

About the author

ChinaPCB Editorial. ChinaPCB.org is an editorial directory operated by Weis Technology Co., Ltd.. Its operating entity and correction channel are published openly, and every factual claim on a factory profile carries an evidence level and review date.