How to prepare a professional bulk commodity RFQ.

What is a commodity RFQ?

A Request for Quotation, or RFQ, is a structured commercial request sent by a buyer to a supplier or trading company. It explains exactly what the buyer wants to purchase and provides the information required to evaluate whether the transaction can be supplied and priced.

For international commodities, an RFQ should normally define the product, specification, quantity, packaging, destination, Incoterm, delivery schedule and commercial expectations.

Container-sized buyers should still provide a complete RFQ

Large contract volumes are not the only commercially valid commodity requirements. Buyers requesting approximately one container, often around 25 MT depending on the product and packaging, should provide the same level of clarity as larger buyers.

A clearly structured 25 MT requirement can be easier to evaluate than a poorly defined 50,000 MT inquiry. Commercial readiness depends on the quality and credibility of the requirement, not simply the headline volume.

Bulk commodity RFQ template

Buyers can copy the structure below into an email, procurement document or internal purchasing request.

Why “send your best price” is usually not enough

Commodity pricing depends on more than the product name. The same commodity can have significantly different commercial values depending on specification, origin, quantity, packaging, freight route, destination port, shipment size, timing and payment structure.

For example, requesting a CIF quotation without identifying the discharge port prevents a supplier from evaluating the correct freight route.

CIF quotation requirements

Buyers requesting CIF should provide a named destination port. Country-only requests such as “CIF China”, “CIF Brazil” or “CIF Colombia” are less useful than requests that identify the actual receiving port.

A strong CIF request should include the commodity, specification, shipment quantity, packaging, destination port and requested delivery timing.

Spot purchases versus recurring supply programs

Buyers should clearly indicate whether the requirement is a one-time shipment or a recurring contract.

If the requirement is recurring, state both the quantity per shipment and the total contract duration. For example, “5,000 MT monthly for 12 months” is significantly clearer than simply stating “60,000 MT required.”

Examples of stronger commodity RFQs

Sulphur Granules

Sulphur Granules, purity 99.5% minimum, 500 MT required, bagged, CIF named destination port, shipment required within the stated delivery window, third-party inspection required, buyer open to seller commercial terms.

View Sulphur Granules procurement guidance →

Urea 46%

Urea 46%, granular, nitrogen 46% minimum, buyer-defined biuret requirement, 1,000 MT monthly, bagged, CIF named port, recurring 12-month requirement.

View Urea 46% procurement guidance →

Caustic Soda

Liquid Caustic Soda, approximately 48–50% NaOH concentration, required quantity stated in metric tons, CIF named destination port, buyer to provide receiving and handling requirements.

View Caustic Soda procurement guidance →

ICUMSA 45 Refined Sugar

White refined sugar, ICUMSA 45 or buyer-defined specification, required bag size, quantity per shipment, destination port, food-import documentation requirements and delivery schedule.

View ICUMSA 45 Sugar procurement guidance →

NPK Fertilizer

NPK fertilizer with exact N-P-K formulation, required secondary nutrients or micronutrients, quantity, packaging, destination port and seasonal delivery schedule.

View NPK Fertilizer procurement guidance →

Destination-specific commodity guidance

Buyers can also review our market-specific procurement pages where destination requirements are already defined more narrowly.

• Sulphur Granules supply guidance for China
• Urea 46% supply guidance for Brazil
• Caustic Soda supply guidance for Colombia

Common commodity RFQ mistakes

• Asking for CIF pricing without naming the destination port.
• Providing only the product name when multiple grades, concentrations or formulations exist.
• Stating a total annual quantity without the quantity required for each shipment.
• Omitting packaging or loading requirements.
• Requesting a firm delivery date without providing an acceptable shipment window.
• Requesting inspection or certificates without identifying the required standard or inspection structure.
• Failing to identify whether the inquiry is from an end buyer, importer, distributor, mandate or intermediary.
• Asking for fixed pricing before specification, destination, quantity and shipment structure are defined.