RFQ (request for quote)
Also called: request for quote, request for quotation, RFP
An RFQ (request for quote) is a buyer's request asking suppliers to price a defined product at stated quantities and terms. For pallets, a complete RFQ includes the pallet specification or requirements, volumes, delivery, compliance needs and quality rules.
In depth: Pallet RFQ checklist: everything a supplier needs to quote
A pallet RFQ either sends a complete design (a spec sheet and drawing) or describes the requirements and lets suppliers propose a design. Suppliers quote best when they get both.
What a pallet RFQ should include
| Group | Fields |
|---|---|
| Design | Size (length × width), type, drawing or spec sheet, or requirements if no design yet |
| Load and use | Load weight and type, support conditions, stacking, handling equipment, reusable or single-use |
| Quantity | Initial order, annual volume, release frequency, contract length |
| Delivery | Ship-to locations, delivery or pickup, dock constraints, first delivery date |
| Compliance | ISPM 15 treatment, moisture content, retailer specs, test or PDS report if required |
| Marking | Branding, part number, ISPM mark sides, color |
| Quality | Sample or first-article approval, tolerances, rejection policy |
| Commercial | Price basis (delivered or FOB), payment terms, quote validity, price-adjustment terms |
The RFQ checklist guide expands each field.
How suppliers price it
Wood pallets are priced mainly from board feet of lumber times lumber cost, plus labor, overhead, freight and margin. Heat treatment, custom features and small quantities add cost. Annual volume changes the price a lot.
Why it matters
Vague RFQs get non-comparable quotes: one supplier quotes a light single-use design, another a heavy reusable one. A specified design, or at least specified requirements, lets you compare price for the same thing.
Common confusions
An RFQ is not an order. It invites quotes. An RFP (request for proposal) usually asks for a design or solution, not just a price.
Related
- GuidesPallet RFQ checklist: everything a supplier needs to quoteA complete pallet RFQ covers the pallet (spec sheet or drawing), the load and how it is handled and stored, compliance (ISPM 15, moisture, customer specs), quantities and releases, delivery, pricing basis, quality terms, and what the supplier may change. Send the same package to every supplier so quotes compare.
- GlossarySpec sheetA pallet spec sheet is a document that defines a pallet design completely: overall size and classification, every component's count and dimensions, lumber species and grade, fasteners, treatments and, when an analysis was run, load ratings by support condition.
- GlossaryMOQ (minimum order quantity)MOQ (minimum order quantity) is the smallest quantity a supplier will produce or sell in one order. For pallets it depends on the material and process: wood pallets need little setup, while custom molded plastic pallets need a mold and very large runs.
- GuidesHow to spec a custom pallet: the fields that decide the designSpecify a custom pallet in two parts. First the requirements: load weight and type, footprint, how it is handled, racked and stacked, environment, export rules and trips. Then the design: construction, board sizes, lumber species, grade, moisture and fasteners. A manufacturer can rate and price a spec with both.
- PagesCustom pallets: design yours free, get a quote in 2 business dayspallet.design supplies custom pallets built to your spec by vetted partner shops: any size, lumber, deck layout, notches, wings, heat treatment, or plastic, metal and paper. Design it free in the browser, get a dimensioned drawing, and request a quote. We reply with a price within 2 business days.
More in Commercial and lifecycle
- GlossaryClosed loopA closed loop is a supply chain in which pallets travel between a fixed set of sites and are returned to the owner for reuse, for example between a parts supplier and an assembly plant. Because the pallets come back, higher-cost custom, plastic or metal pallets can pay for themselves.
- GlossaryCombo palletA combo pallet is a wood pallet built from a mix of new and recycled components, commonly new stringers with reclaimed deckboards or the reverse. It sits between new and fully recycled pallets in cost and consistency.
- GlossaryCore palletA core is a used pallet, usually a standard 48 × 40 in stringer pallet, that a pallet recycler buys or collects as raw material to sort, repair and resell. Cores that cannot be repaired are dismantled for parts or ground.
- GlossaryGrade B palletA grade B (#2) pallet is a used pallet, usually a 48 × 40 in GMA-style stringer pallet, that has been repaired more than a grade A: it may have companion stringers, metal plates or replaced deckboards. It is functional but less uniform, and definitions vary by supplier.
- GlossaryOne-way palletA one-way pallet is a pallet designed to make one trip and not come back, such as export pallets or shipments to customers who keep or discard the pallet. It is usually built lighter and from lower-grade material than a reusable pallet.
- GlossaryPallet exchangePallet exchange is an arrangement where a receiver hands back an equal number of empty pallets of the same type and quality for the loaded pallets it receives, so the shipper does not lose pallets with each delivery.
Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 272 words.