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How to specify a Fan Coil Unit

What to put on an RFQ for Fan Coil Unit: the ratings, documents, and constraints that change the quote.

25 Oct 2026 · 3 min read · Tradinor Desk

Specification points for Fan Coil UnitTRADINOR · FIGUREWhat to lock for Fan Coil UnitInstallationNoiseCapacityAir or water
Put these on the RFQ for Fan Coil Unit before you compare prices.

A buyer searching for Fan Coil Unit is usually trying to stop a bad substitute. HVAC equipment is specified by capacity at a stated condition, the refrigerant or fuel, the air or water flow, and the noise. The notes below are selection criteria for a Fan Coil Unit. They are not a catalog promise. Confirm every rating on the current datasheet, drawing, or test report for the revision you will receive.

What has to be true of Fan Coil Unit

HVAC equipment is specified by capacity at a stated condition, the refrigerant or fuel, the air or water flow, and the noise. For a Fan Coil Unit, start from the duty, then the interface to the rest of the machine or the room, then the document that proves the claim. A lower price that leaves one of those blank is a different product.

Fan Coil Unit is easy to confuse with Cooling Tower HVAC. If the quote could be read as either, add the line that separates them: the rating, the fitment, or the standard named below. Link the drawing number to that line so receiving inspection can reject the wrong one.

Numbers that change the quote

Line What to write for Fan Coil Unit
Installation Split, packaged, or a terminal unit, and the clearance.
Noise The sound figure at a stated distance.
Capacity Cooling or heating at the outdoor and indoor condition, not only a nominal ton.
Air or water Airflow or water flow and the pressure drop.
Electrical Voltage, phases, and the starting method.
Refrigerant or fuel The fluid, as the market allows. Handling it is a licensed job, not a note on this page.

How to compare two offers

Lay both quotes for Fan Coil Unit on one sheet and line up installation, noise, and capacity. If a cell is empty, the offer is not finished. Ask for the missing line in writing. When those match, the honest difference is lead time, the test evidence, and who carries the warranty. Do not average a fully specified Fan Coil Unit with a cheaper line that omitted installation.

Documents worth having before the deposit

Ask for the capacity at the design outdoor temperature. The file should name Fan Coil Unit and the revision, not only the supplier’s homepage. A factory quality certificate such as ISO 9001 can sit beside that file. It does not replace it.

Failures that show up after delivery

  • Buying nominal tons and discovering the derate on a hot day.
  • Ignoring duct or pipe pressure drop.
  • Treating refrigerant work as a purchasing checkbox.

On a Fan Coil Unit, the expensive version of the first mistake is discovering it after the goods are in the crate. Put the rejection condition in the purchase order while the supplier can still restate the offer.

A worked RFQ line

Use this shape, then replace the brackets with your duty: “Fan Coil Unit — State capacity at a condition, airflow or water flow, electrical supply, and noise.” That sentence is a template, not a rating of any brand. If a supplier’s datasheet uses different units, convert them onto this sheet so the next offer can be compared.

Where words like stainless / corrosion belong

Searches often add a constraint to Fan Coil Unit: stainless / corrosion, or RoHS / CE. Keep those on this page. Name the alloy or the coating and the chemical it must survive. Stainless is a family, not a guarantee. RoHS is a material limit. CE is a declaration that lists the rules relied on. Ask for the document that names this part number and revision. If you need a third constraint, add it as another line on the same drawing. A second URL that only swaps the adjective does not give a buyer a second fact.

Related in this section: how to specify Cooling Tower HVAC.

Questions buyers actually ask

What should an RFQ for Fan Coil Unit include?

State capacity at a condition, airflow or water flow, electrical supply, and noise.

Is a cheaper Fan Coil Unit the same part?

Only if installation, noise, and the documents match. A missing line is a different offer.

Do waterproof, OEM, or IP words need their own page?

No. For Fan Coil Unit they are extra lines on this specification. Ask for the test or the drawing that gives the word a value.