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RFQ Checklist for Custom NdFeB Magnets
The technical and commercial inputs that make custom-magnet quotations comparable instead of merely fast.
Reference note: Market prices and capacity figures are volatile reference points, not quotations or guarantees of current availability.
Why RFQ structure matters
A custom-magnet quotation is only comparable when each potential supplier receives the same technical and commercial requirement. If one supplier assumes a standard tolerance, another assumes additional grinding, and a third changes the coating or grade, the resulting prices describe different components.
The goal of an RFQ is not to fill every field with certainty. It is to separate what is fixed, what is preferred and what is still unknown. Marking an unknown honestly is more useful than allowing a supplier to make an invisible assumption.
1. Drawing and geometry
Attach a controlled drawing or 3D model when available. Identify the revision and the units. Include all critical dimensions, tolerances, chamfers, radii, holes, arcs and orientation features. If only a sample exists, state that reverse engineering or engineering approval is outside the sourcing request and must be handled by an authorized technical party.
For arc segments and rotor magnets, include the relevant inner and outer radii, angle, length and assembly relationship. For rings, identify whether magnetization is axial, diametrical, radial or multipole. Geometry and magnetization must be read together.
2. Material grade and temperature
State the exact NdFeB grade if it is approved: for example, N42 or N42SH. Add the operating-temperature context and any demagnetization requirement used by engineering. If the grade is not known, do not guess; state the application, temperature and target magnetic properties for supplier response and later engineering review.
The suffix matters commercially as well as technically. In the August 2026 sourcing case, N42SH contains dysprosium and is subject to China’s non-automatic export-licence regime. N42 without a high-temperature suffix typically is not. The RFQ should ask for a composition statement when export exposure or origin is material.
3. Coating and environment
Specify the approved coating, not merely a preferred colour. Note exposure to humidity, salt, chemicals, sterilization, adhesives, elevated temperature or abrasion. If coating thickness affects a critical dimension, make clear whether drawing dimensions apply before or after coating.
For an assembly, identify mating materials, bonding method, mechanical retention and any cleaning restrictions. A magnet that meets its standalone drawing may still fail the assembly requirement if interfaces are not quoted together.
4. Magnetization and inspection
Define magnetization direction with a drawing symbol or diagram. State whether parts are delivered magnetized and how polarity should be identified or packed. If the application requires a magnetic measurement, name the method, location, air gap and acceptance basis rather than using an isolated target without test conditions.
List dimensional and magnetic inspection documents required with prototypes and production lots. Do not claim certifications that are not required or verified. Instead, ask each supplier to state what it can provide and route that evidence through the buyer’s qualification process.
5. Quantity and commercial cadence
Separate prototype quantity, initial order quantity and expected annual volume. These are different decisions. A supplier capable of making ten samples may not be the right production source, while a high-volume source may have tooling or minimum-order economics that do not suit validation.
State the target delivery date and destination country. Ask the supplier to separate tooling, samples, production, inspection, export and freight timing. This is especially important when a controlled composition may require a Chinese export licence.
6. Origin and export assumptions
Choose whether origin is unrestricted, non-China required, Europe preferred, USA preferred or Asia excluding China. Define what evidence the buyer expects. A distributor address does not establish manufacturing origin, and a final assembly location may not identify where the magnet was sintered.
Since April 2025, China has required non-automatic export licences for SmCo magnets and NdFeB magnets containing dysprosium or terbium. Applications frequently remain unresolved for 60–120 days or longer. Ask suppliers to identify whether their quote depends on that licence and keep the licence assumption separate from factory lead time.
7. Deviations and decision ownership
Require potential suppliers to list every deviation from the RFQ. Silence should not be treated as technical acceptance. Compare offered grade, coating, dimensions, inspection, origin, quantities and timing line by line.
Cardinal Magnetics organizes the request, researches potential options and makes responses easier to compare. It does not manufacture, approve engineering changes, certify suppliers or replace the buyer’s compliance and qualification responsibilities.
Minimum package for a first review
If time is limited, send the drawing, application, approved grade if known, maximum operating temperature, coating, magnetization direction, prototype quantity, annual volume, preferred origin and target delivery date. Clearly list unknowns.
That package will not answer every question, but it allows a sourcing conversation to begin without pretending the component is fully defined.
What a comparable response looks like
A useful supplier response repeats the offered grade, coating, magnetization, dimensions, tolerances, quantities, origin and delivery assumptions. It lists tooling and sample charges separately and identifies every deviation. For controlled compositions, it states whether export licensing is assumed and keeps that timing apart from factory production.
If a response omits one of those elements, the next step is clarification, not an immediate price ranking. A lower unit price cannot be evaluated until the buyer knows that the technical scope, origin and schedule basis are the same.
Continue the decision
Non-China NdFeB Magnet Supply Map
A factual map of named capacity outside China and the qualification questions that remain after a supplier has been identified.
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