RFQ (Request for Quotation)
/glossary/rfqBuyer document requesting supplier pricing for specified pipe requirements.
An RFQ is the buyer's written ask for a priced technical offer on named pipe or tube lines. A Kanpur buyer should list process, standard, grade or class, OD or NB, wall, length, quantity, documents, and EXW yard or a PIN. Most quotes return within 4 working hours. Use 18% as the GST budgeting extra on the steel value.
In detail
A Request for Quotation asks a supplier for a written technical and commercial offer against named pipe or tube lines. A complete steel-tube RFQ lists standard edition, process, grade, OD or NB, wall or class, length, quantity, end finish, coating, MTC, inspection, packing, collection or delivery point, freight basis, and requested date. Where IBR applies, name the component: Form III-B for tubes, Form III-C for boiler mountings and fittings. RP Sales responds to RFQs within 4 working hours with a technical and commercial offer.
What an RFQ is, and what it is not
An RFQ is a controlled specification plus a request for price, validity, and dispatch basis. The RFQ template on this site uses six technical lines: process, governing standard and grade or class, outer diameter or nominal size, approved wall or schedule basis, length basis, and quantity in MT or metres. Coating, end finish, inspection-certificate type, and any IBR or TPI line sit beside those six.
An RFQ is not a purchase order. It is not a piping class, a tender BOQ, or an engineering approval. The buyer's designer still picks the standard and the service conditions. The RFQ copies that approved requirement to suppliers so two offers can be compared on the same fields.
An RFQ is not a photograph of last year's invoice. Attachments support the text. The written lines control the order. If a drawing conflicts with a typed line, the engineer resolves the conflict before suppliers price it.
This slug is not EN 10305-1 +LC. On DIN 2391 vs EN 10305, +LC is a cold-drawn mill condition. A precision-tube line that says "+LC" is not a payment term and not this RFQ page. Keep mill condition on the precision RFQ and payment on the commercial block.
Who should send this RFQ, and who should not
Procurement teams use it for repeat stock, tender enquiries, maintenance lots, and fabrication inputs. It fits IS 1239 ERW or GI, seamless boiler tube, precision hydraulic tube, and borewell casing. PWD and Jal Jeevan Mission bidders should copy the accepted BOQ description without shortening the standard designation. Fire-system installers keep the approved class and end connection. Sugar-mill stores name any IBR form. Hydraulic and printing-cylinder shops state OD, ID or wall, finish, and cut length.
A purchaser should not use the RFQ to invent a pressure rating, temperature limit, or corrosion allowance. Wall is one input to pressure design. Outside diameter, material strength, temperature, allowances, joint efficiency, and the governing design code also matter. A schedule number alone does not fix a pressure rating.
Do not send a one-line "MS pipe 2 inch" note and expect a comparable offer. Do not hide three destination PINs inside one undivided quantity. Split the enquiry by site so freight and packing lists stay honest.
A first-time Coolie Bazar contractor who wants a 1 MT stock pickup still sends the six lines. Selected stocked sizes on the price lists accept enquiries from 1 MT; standard ERW lots generally use a 3 to 5 MT minimum, as the FAQ states. The exact minimum sits on the offer.
Six essential lines versus secondary lines
Build the sheet from the template. The six lines identify the pipe. The secondary lines identify documents, coating, ends, and delivery. Mark a blank field as "supplier to state" rather than leaving it silent.
| Line | Buyer entry | Supplier return | Review basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Process + standard | ERW or seamless; IS / ASTM / ASME edition | Offered designation | Exact match or approved deviation |
| Grade or class | IS 1239 Medium, SA210 A1, A53 B | Quoted grade or class | Drawing or BOQ |
| Size | NB or OD in mm | Quoted OD | Approved size |
| Wall | mm, Light/Medium/Heavy, or schedule + dimensional standard | Quoted wall | Approved wall basis |
| Length + quantity | Fixed, random range, or cut-to-length; metres and MT | Count and commercial mass | One comparison unit |
| Delivery + tax | EXW Kanpur yard or destination PIN; GST line | Freight, unloading, HSN | Comparable landed obligation |
IS 1239 Part 1 covers the tube. IS 1239 Part 2 covers wrought-steel pipe fittings, not larger water pipe. IS 3589 covers 168.3 mm to 2540 mm OD. Write the correct part so the mill does not quote fittings against a 200 mm main.
How to write a Kanpur pipe RFQ
Send the six lines, then the commercial block. The quoting desk returns a technical and commercial offer within 4 working hours. Use the RFQ form or the template markdown on the buying-guide page.
- Process: ERW or seamless. A family name does not pick the process; IS 3589 covers seamless, ERW, and SAW.
- Standard and grade or class: IS 1239 Medium, SA213 T11, ASTM A106 Gr B, DIN 2391 ST52. No "standard pipe".
- Size: OD in mm and NB if known. Example from the template: 168.3 mm OD (6" NB).
- Wall: mm, Light / Medium / Heavy, or schedule plus the dimensional standard. Schedule alone is incomplete.
- Length: 6 m fixed, a stated random range, or cut-to-length. Quantity in metres and MT.
- Ends: plain, bevel, or T&C. Coating: black, IS 4736 zinc (amended minimum average 360 g/m² where that standard applies), epoxy, or 3LPE.
- Documents: EN 10204 3.1 MTC as standard; 3.2 when TPI is named. Form III-A for steam pipes, Form III-B for tubes, Form III-C for boiler mountings and fittings. TPI by SGS, Bureau Veritas, Lloyds, or TUV if the ITP names the agency.
- Delivery: EXW at 83/124, Steel Market, Bartan Bazar, or a destination PIN. Packing, inspection point, payment, and quote validity.
Worked RFQ example for 80 NB Medium
The buying-guide template works an 80 NB Medium IS 1239 ERW line: 6 m fixed lengths, 120 lengths, plain ends, black finish, mill MTC. Quantity by count is 720 m. The site weight formula is W = (OD − t) × t × 0.02466 kg/m. The class chart uses OD 88.9 mm and Medium wall 4.0 mm, so W = (88.9 − 4.0) × 4.0 × 0.02466 = 84.9 × 4 × 0.02466 = 8.37 kg/m. The weight table lists 50.2 kg per 6 m. One hundred and twenty lengths are 120 × 50.2 = 6,024 kg (6.024 MT).
The MS ERW price list band for 80 NB Medium is ₹52-58 per kg ex-warehouse Kanpur as of 24 May 2026. The steel line is 6,024 × 52 = ₹3,13,248 to 6,024 × 58 = ₹3,49,392 before GST and freight. Apply 18% GST extra when budgeting that 80 NB line.
Ask the supplier to return offered standard, class, process, length count, commercial-weight basis, mill source, MTC status, and any deviation beside that line. A Kanpur pickup quote says EXW at the named yard. A delivered quote names the project PIN, freight, and unloading. Show HSN on the offer; welded pipe commonly sits under heading 7306 and seamless under 7304.
Common RFQ mistakes that delay a Kanpur load
In practice, the first failure is NB without class or wall. The yard cannot pick Light, Medium, or Heavy. Naming a schedule without the dimensional standard creates the same gap.
The second failure is three sites under one quantity. Split by PIN and date. The yard can still consolidate, but each drop gets its own packing list and freight line. Tender packages spread across Lucknow, Agra, and Prayagraj need that split.
The third failure is asking for "IBR papers" after the truck is loaded. Put Form III-B on a tube line and Form III-C only on a mounting or fitting. Form III-A is the steam-pipe certificate. A generic Form III-C on a boiler tube is the wrong form.
The fourth failure is a photograph of old pipe with no written size. Use the photo as evidence. The RFQ text still names OD, wall, and standard.
The fifth failure is an unstated delivery basis. One supplier quotes EXW Kanpur. Another quotes a delivered PIN. Comparing those rupee figures without normalising freight produces a false saving.
Standards and IBR forms on the RFQ
Copy the edition from the drawing or BOQ. IS 1239 (Part 1):2004 classifies tubes by class, grade, size, process, end condition, and surface condition. IS 3589 covers large-OD water and sewage pipe. ASME SA and ASTM A numbers belong on seamless and boiler lines. DIN 2391-1:1994 and EN 10305-1:2016 belong on precision barrels.
Indian Boiler Regulations, 1950, assign Form III-A to steam pipes, Form III-B to tubes, and Form III-C to boiler mountings and fittings. The Boilers Act, 2025, section 2(c), excludes a vessel below 25 litres, or one whose design and working gauge pressures are both below 1 kg/cm², subject to the full statutory definition. Ask the boiler designer or inspecting authority whether IBR applies before writing a form number.
EN 10204:2004 Type 3.1 is the mill certificate RP Sales includes with every dispatch. Type 3.2 adds a third-party countersignature. TPI is a hold point, not a substitute for the form.
Sending an RFQ to the Kanpur stockyard
Address the enquiry to the Bartan Bazar / Basanti Nagar (208014) desk. Ask whether the offered lot sits at that yard, sits upstream, or needs mill production. A Panki fabricator may collect. A JJM contractor may need a village PIN. A sugar mill may phase dispatch against a shutdown calendar.
The homepage lists Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi NCR, and Uttarakhand as the Kanpur-origin service area. City pages cover Kanpur, Lucknow, Unnao, Prayagraj, Agra, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Jhansi, Bareilly, and Patna. Name the PIN, not only the city.
Lead time on the glossary lead-time entry is 3-7 days for stock, 14-21 days for mill-direct standard grades, and 21-30 days for mill-direct alloy (SA213 T11/T22). IBR and TPI add their own hold time. Put the required date on the RFQ so the offer can accept or counter it.
See the Kanpur steel market, MS ERW supplier in Kanpur, how pricing works, and payment terms.
Comparing quotations returned against one RFQ
Start with standard, grade, process, OD or NB, wall or class, length, and quantity. Then compare coating, ends, mill, MTC, inspection, packing, delivery basis, GST, payment, validity, and dispatch date. Mark deviations beside the affected line.
Separate the material rate from GST and freight. Site price lists quote ex-warehouse Kanpur bands with tax as an extra line. A delivered offer may look higher while carrying the transport the other offer excludes. Convert per-kg, per-MT, and per-length figures onto one mass basis before ranking totals.
Read exclusions. A low offer may drop threading, coating, TPI, or unloading. Record the commercial consequence. Seek a written clarification before the PO, because a post-order change moves availability.
Documents, TPI, and hold points
List each paper as a deliverable: mill MTC, tax invoice, packing list / dispatch challan, e-way bill where CGST Rule 138 applies, weighbridge slip, Form III-B or III-C when the component needs it, and TPI release if named. "Complete quality papers" is not a list.
Tie the MTC to heat or batch markings on the pipe. The same grade, size, process, and standard must appear on the quotation, the MTC, the packing list, and the invoice. State whether scanned copies are needed before the vehicle leaves Kanpur.
Buyers may inspect at the yard, nominate SGS, Bureau Veritas, Lloyds, or TUV, or inspect at receipt. A tender may hold loading until the inspector signs. State the notice period. Keep the remedy for non-conforming material on the PO.
Delivery basis, GST, and payment on the same RFQ
Write EXW at the named Kanpur point, FCA if the seller will load, a defined domestic handover, or DAP at the receiving PIN. FOR is a commercial phrase, not one of the eleven Incoterms 2020 rules. Define loading, carriage, risk, and unloading if the quote says FOR Kanpur or FOR destination.
Budget GST at 18% extra on the steel value. The tax invoice applies the rate in force and the product-specific HSN. Do not force welded pipe and seamless boiler tube under one blanket heading.
Name the payment instrument: 100% advance against proforma, staged CAD, Net terms if the account is approved, or an LC for export and large public-sector contracts. A new private buyer on this site pays 100% advance against proforma. Availability of credit is account-specific.
Where you'll meet this in procurement
You will meet RFQ (Request for Quotation) when setting commercial and logistics terms. Spell out RFQ (Request for Quotation) on the RFQ or PO so price, quantity, delivery point, and lead time are comparable across suppliers and disputes at dispatch are avoided.
Related terms
Related resources
Key points
- An RFQ copies an approved specification and asks for a written offer. It is not a PO and not a design approval.
- Six lines identify the pipe: process, standard and grade or class, OD or NB, wall, length, quantity.
- Form III-B is the IBR tube certificate. Form III-C is for boiler mountings and fittings. Form III-A is for steam pipes.
- The quoting desk answers RFQs within 4 working hours. Stock lead time on the glossary lead-time entry is 3-7 days.
- State EXW at the Kanpur yard or a destination PIN. Put 18% GST extra on the steel budget. Compare offers on one freight basis.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- IS 1239 (Part 1):2004. Steel tubes, tubulars and other wrought steel fittings: classification by class, grade, size, process, end condition, and surface condition (Bureau of Indian Standards)
- IS 3589:2001. Steel pipes for water and sewage: 168.3 mm to 2540 mm OD (Bureau of Indian Standards)
- Indian Boiler Regulations, 1950. Forms index: III-A steam pipes, III-B tubes, III-C boiler mountings and fittings (Central Boilers Board, Government of India)
- Boilers Act 2025, section 2(c). Current statutory boiler definition and exclusions (Government of India Gazette, hosted by DPIIT)
- IBR Form III-A. Certificate of manufacture and test for pipes (Inspectorate of Boilers, Government of Assam)
- IBR Form III-B. Certificate of manufacture and test for tubes (Inspectorate of Boilers, Government of Assam)
- CGST Rule 138. Information to be furnished prior to commencement of movement of goods and generation of e-way bill (GST Council, Government of India)
- EN 10204:2004. Metallic products. Types of inspection documents (European Committee for Standardization (CEN))