What to send a fabricator so your quote comes back right the first time

We would rather quote in two days than two weeks, and usually the difference is what arrives with the enquiry. Here is what actually lets a fabricator put a firm number on a job.

1. Dimensions, or something we can measure from

A drawing is ideal. A photograph with a tape measure in it is genuinely fine. What does not work is "a standard double gate", because there is no such thing — driveway openings vary by hundreds of millimetres and are rarely square.

2. Where it is going

Coastal, industrial and inland sites need different finishes. Steel that will sit in a wash bay or near a chemical store needs galvanising rather than powder coat alone, and that changes the price enough that it should not be a surprise later.

3. Who is installing it

If we are fitting, we price access, fixings and a site visit. If your own team is fitting, we price differently and mark the steel up for you. Saying so up front avoids paying for something you did not want.

4. The load, if it carries one

Anything that people stand on or that supports a roof needs an engineer's input. We fabricate to drawing; we do not design structure. If you have no drawing, say so early and we will tell you whether you need one before we can quote at all.

5. When you need it

Lead time changes what we can offer. A three-week window and a three-day window are different jobs, and occasionally a different design.

6. Whether this is one or many

Ten identical brackets are worth jigging. One is not. Telling us the quantity up front usually makes the unit price lower, not higher.

Send those six things and you should have a firm price, not a range with conditions attached.