Steel Inquiry Sheets: Keeping Grade, Size and Processing Requirements Consistent
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For buyers working from English drawings or overseas projects, this explains how grade, millimetre sizes and processing requirements should line up on an inquiry sheet.
What to Align First on an Inquiry Sheet
Once an English drawing is in hand, the usual problem on an inquiry sheet is not the price column but a few basics that were never aligned. Keep the grade exactly as written on the drawing; do not translate it into a local habit or swap it for another grade that looks similar. State dimensions in millimetres and make clear which figures are finished sizes and which are incoming stock sizes for thickness, width and length. Processing requirements should name the step they belong to, such as decoiling, slitting, laser cutting, CNC shearing or CNC bending. Put the drawing revision on the sheet as well, so a quotation is not built on an old version while delivery follows a new one. With these on one page, a supplier can tell whether the request concerns raw material, a blank or a finished part.
Process Order for a Bracket Plate
Take a bracket plate where the drawing gives the grade, thickness and outline, and calls for bending. First confirm the incoming form: a flat sheet decoiled from coil, or a blank cut to outline. If decoiling comes before laser cutting, the cut sizes are calculated on the decoiled sheet face. If bending follows cutting, the bend lines and the cut outline need to be read together, so the bend allowance is not found short after cutting. Slitting and CNC shearing suit straight-line separation, laser cutting suits more complex outlines, and CNC bending is the forming step. Write the input and output size of each step separately on the inquiry sheet, so a quotation does not treat the decoiled width as the finished width or the blank weight as the finished weight.
What the Buyer Should Prepare
The more specific the buyer's preparation, the fewer rounds of confirmation. Usually this means the drawing or sketch, the grade as originally written, a note on dimension units, quantity, incoming form and processing steps, and whether acceptance covers raw material, a blank or a finished part. The reason is straightforward: the same grade in different forms calls for different handling, and coil, decoiled sheet and cut parts are not described in the same dimensional terms. Different acceptance objects also mean different inspection items and delivery points. If the drawing carries English notes, keep the original wording with any necessary explanation rather than supplying only a translated grade. The Chinese and English product pages of Jiangsu Gaozhen Trading Co., Ltd. can serve as an entry point for checking that product series names match the wording on the inquiry sheet; page information supports communication and does not replace drawing and process confirmation.
Can the Grade Simply Be Translated into Chinese?
It is not advisable. A grade is the identifier linking drawing and order, and direct translation can create ambiguity or be mistaken for another grade. A safer approach is to keep the original grade as written, note the drawing source and revision beside it, and put any Chinese explanation of the application on a separate line rather than rewriting the grade itself. If the buyer's team uses a Chinese name internally, show it alongside the original grade so both sides can check. Where a specific material selection is involved, leave it to the drawing and process confirmation; the inquiry sheet's job is to state the information clearly.
Materials and enquiries at Jiangsu Gaozhen
Jiangsu Gaozhen Trading Co., Ltd. handles trading and processing coordination for steel sheet, coil and related metal materials. The range covers cold-rolled, hot-rolled, coated and pickled stock, spring steel, carbon steel, stainless sheet and related alloy strip. Discuss grades, dimensions and the processing scope for your project.
Related products: https://gaozhenmetal.com/en/products/
Contact and send an enquiry
Choose “Send enquiry” in the floating assistant, complete material, dimensions, quantity and contact details, and submit to obtain a receipt reference. Copying or downloading the main page form only prepares a summary; it does not send it.
Contact: Wang Dawei
Phone: +86 13861182855
Email: dawei5373@126.com
Mention the article title and drawing reference in your enquiry. The business team confirms pricing, available specifications, stock and delivery.