§1When to buy it
Machinery, long or oddly shaped products, and loads that overhang a standard footprint.
Programs where the product footprint is fixed and the pallet must follow it.
§2RFQ fields
| Drawing | Dimensioned drawing: overall size, board counts and sizes, stringer or block layout, entries |
|---|---|
| Load | Load weight, footprint of the load on the deck, whether it is uniform or concentrated |
| Handling | Forklift, pallet jack, conveyor or rack; which sides need entry |
| Tolerances | ± on each dimension |
| Wood and treatment | Species, new or recycled, HT if exported |
| Commercial | Minimum run, setup charge, lead time, whether the supplier holds stock |
| Volume and cadence | Pallets per month or per order, delivery ZIP |
§3Acceptance and reject criteria
| Accept a pallet when… | Reject a pallet when… |
|---|---|
| Built to the drawing within tolerance. | Any deviation from the drawing not agreed in writing. |
| First-article sample signed off before the first full run. | Broken or missing boards. |
| Fasteners as drawn. | Protruding fasteners. |
§4Inspecting deliveries
- Sign off a first-article pallet before production and keep it as the reference.
- Sample each delivery with an attribute sampling plan agreed in the contract (ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 general inspection level II is a common reference), and record the lot size, sample size and defects found.
- Count a pallet as defective on the first reject criterion it meets; don't add up minor faults into a reject unless the contract says so.
- Photograph every rejected pallet with the delivery's bill of lading number visible, and send the photos with the debit note within the contract's notice window.
§5What to watch in the contract
A drawing tool such as pallet.design makes the RFQ clearer.
Custom runs make supplier switching slow. Dual-source if the pallet is critical to shipping.
Grade words vary by supplier and region; confirm every field with your receivers and your own engineering.
Need a drawing to attach to the RFQ? Draw the pallet at pallet.design.