Use this as a fabrication brief, not as a long email. A useful enquiry lets the workshop find the part, the file, the material, the finish, the quantity, the revision and the open questions without searching through a chain of messages. If one of those items is missing, mark it as missing instead of letting the supplier guess.

The checklist below is written for a customer preparing sheet metal fabrication services from supplied requirements. It keeps design authority, site decisions and approval questions with the responsible project parties, while giving the fabrication supplier a clean basis for discussing the nominated parts.

Brief Header: One Line for the Job

Start the brief with one plain job line. Aluminium pressings may sit in the same pack when the project names that material. Name the item and its purpose in practical language: folded cover, machine enclosure panel, splashback, small frame, guard component, roof-edge trim, gutter section, bracket set or construction pressing. That first line tells the reader whether the enquiry is about a single part, a grouped set or an assembly.

Add the job context only as far as it explains the component. Stainless steel pressings may sit beside a named stainless run. A folded trim to match an approved cladding detail is a useful description. A request to solve an undefined roof edge is not. A cover plate for a nominated machine area explains the item. A request to decide the guarding concept belongs to the person responsible for the machine or project design.

Header Checklist

Checklist item for the header:

  • part name
  • where it is used
  • whether it is a single component, matched pair, set or assembly
  • drawing or schedule that controls it
  • contact person for technical clarifications

File Block: Drawing First, Photograph Second

Place the controlling file before any supporting photograph. Steel roofing and building materials may sit in the same pack when sheets are listed. Photographs are useful for context, especially when replacing an existing part or showing where an enclosure sits, but they rarely show all faces, returns, holes, cut-outs or bends accurately. Drawings, marked sketches and schedules usually carry the fabrication information.

A drawing block should show the overall shape, fold direction, openings, mounting points, visible faces, quantities and revision. If tolerances, clearances or hole locations are critical, they need to be shown by the responsible project party. If a dimension or position is unknown, mark it as unknown and list the person who must answer it.

Wesroof’s light fabrication page describes cutting, TIG and MIG welding, finishing and work such as machine guards, splashbacks, architectural frames, enclosures and housing units. Because that range is broad, the file block should not rely on a general category. The drawing needs to show which kind of part is being discussed.

Material Block: Selection, Finish and Visible Face

Material should be written as a selected requirement or as an unresolved project question. Metal cladding can sit beside a related wall face. Do not hide it inside the email body. Steel, aluminium, stainless steel, galvanised steel, mild steel, COLORBOND steel and ZINCALUME steel appear across Wesroof source material for relevant applications, but the enquiry still has to state what the project has selected for this part.

Finish belongs beside the material. A colour name, surface appearance, coated side, polished face, cleanable face or matching requirement should be connected to the drawing. Folded pieces can turn the visible face into a real ordering issue, especially when one side is external and another side is hidden.

For custom precision sheet metal, precision should be attached to supplied information rather than to a vague expectation. The brief should point to drawings, revision control, material notes and component relationships. If an engineered selection or compliance decision is still needed, keep that decision outside the fabrication request until the responsible party has resolved it.

Geometry Block: Shape, Holes, Returns and Fit

A geometry block turns the drawing into a checkable fabrication conversation. The FAQ covers how we take an enquiry and what we do not install. List fold directions, returns, cut-outs, holes, slots, lips, tabs, handed parts, face orientation and any relation to another component. If several pieces make one enclosure or frame, give each part a plain label and repeat that label on the drawing or schedule.

This block should also separate confirmed geometry from pending decisions. A hole pattern from an approved drawing is a fixed requirement. A possible alternative opening is an option. An unknown clearance is a project question. Mixing all three in one paragraph makes it harder to see what the workshop can price. Wesroof keeps that with the fabrication enquiry.

Use photographs in this block only to support the drawing. A close photo can show a damaged sample, adjacent surface or visible finish, but it should not replace a fold sketch when the fold is what needs fabrication.

Geometry Checklist

Checklist item for geometry:

  • fold direction and visible face
  • openings, holes or cut-outs already shown on the drawing
  • handed pieces or matched pairs
  • parts that must sit beside another component
  • unknowns that need a project answer before pricing

If a sample part is being supplied, say whether it is a physical reference, a rejected older version or the accepted shape to match. A sample can be helpful, but the brief should still say which drawing controls changes from that sample. That prevents a worn or damaged part from becoming the silent standard for the new work.

Quantity Block: Groups, Repeats and Revisions

Quantity is part of the brief, not an afterthought. About Us covers the fabrication and supply scope. State the number of parts, whether they are identical, whether there are left and right hand versions, whether a sample or prototype is required before a repeat run, and whether pieces are supplied loose for later assembly. If the job contains groups, label the groups clearly.

Revision control belongs in the same block. State the current drawing date, revision, file name or schedule reference. If an old part or physical sample is being used as a reference, explain whether it overrides the drawing or only illustrates the form. If a cut-out has moved, a return has changed direction, a finish has changed or the quantity has increased, call that out.

Do not bury assumptions in file names. A file named guard panel may still need a note saying whether the panel is handed, which face is visible, and whether holes are already located by the approved design. A clear quantity block can prevent a long pricing query later.

Quantity and Revision Checklist

Checklist item for quantity and revision:

  • total number of parts in each group
  • identical, left hand, right hand or mirrored status
  • sample, prototype or repeat-run expectation
  • current drawing revision or file name
  • changes since the previous issue
  • parts supplied loose rather than assembled

This block is where the brief starts to feel like a working document rather than prose. Short labels are better than broad sentences because each label can be checked against a drawing, material note or quantity schedule.

If the quantity is uncertain, show the working state plainly. A buyer might need one sample first, a short repeat set after review, or separate pricing for related groups. Stating that sequence is better than leaving the recipient to guess whether the request is a one-off, a batch or only a budget check.

Options Block: Fixed, Optional and Unresolved

A fabrication brief becomes easier to answer when requirements are sorted into three short groups. Wesroof keeps that brief with the fabrication enquiry. Fixed items are already decided. Optional items can be priced or discussed if enough information exists. Unresolved items stay with the customer, builder, designer, equipment owner or other responsible party before they enter the fabrication quote.

The same method works for building pressings. Wesroof’s custom metal flashings and construction pressings page names bespoke flashings, gutters, downpipes and specialised trims, with materials including Colorbond Steel, Zincalume, Galvanised Steel, Stainless Steel and Aluminium for relevant applications. A construction pressing still needs the profile drawing, lengths, quantities and project schedule that govern the request.

Use the options block to avoid accidental instructions. If a finish alternative is only being explored, label it as an option. If a site measure is pending, label it as unresolved. If a related part is shown only for context, do not let it drift into the priced set.

Compact Scope Item

Add one scope item to the checklist rather than a long warning paragraph. The Wesroof site describes custom steel and sheeting solutions for construction and industry, with fabrication, supply and delivery forming part of the commercial scope. That background supports a fabrication discussion when the customer provides controlled information about the required parts.

The scope line can be simple: fabrication and supply are being requested for the nominated components from the supplied drawings and schedules. Design authority, site measurement decisions, installed performance, certification and approvals remain with the responsible project parties. If the brief needs one of those answers, record it as unresolved before sending.

Handover Brief before Contact

Read the final brief in blocks. Header first. File block second. Material and finish third. Geometry fourth. Quantity and revision fifth. Options and unresolved questions sixth. Scope item last. If a recipient can understand the part without reading the full email thread, the enquiry is much stronger.

For a fabrication enquiry, Contact us to send the drawings, material selection, finish notes and quantities.