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How to specify a Primer

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

25 Oct 2026 · 3 min read · Tradinor Desk

Specification points for PrimerTRADINOR · FIGUREWhat to lock for PrimerGradeDimensionsStandardExposure
Put these on the RFQ for Primer before you compare prices.

A buyer searching for Primer is usually trying to stop a bad substitute. A building material is specified by the grade, the dimensions, the standard, and the exposure of the assembly. The notes below are selection criteria for a Primer. 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 Primer

A building material is specified by the grade, the dimensions, the standard, and the exposure of the assembly. For a Primer, 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.

Primer is easy to confuse with Formwork. 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 Primer
Grade Strength, class, or mix, using the name the standard uses.
Dimensions Size, thickness, and tolerance.
Standard The product standard the supplier will mark on the delivery.
Exposure Interior, exterior, wet, or structural.
Fire and thermal Any fire class or insulation value the assembly needs.
Traceability Lot or mill documents when the work is structural.

How to compare two offers

Lay both quotes for Primer on one sheet and line up grade, dimensions, and standard. 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 Primer with a cheaper line that omitted grade.

Documents worth having before the deposit

Ask for the declaration of performance or the mill certificate the market expects. The file should name Primer 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

  • Leaving moisture and storage out of a cement or timber order.
  • Cutting a rated assembly and assuming the fire class survived.
  • Accepting a visual match with a lower strength class.

On a Primer, 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: “Primer — State grade, dimensions, standard, exposure, and documents.” 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 IP67 belong

Searches often add a constraint to Primer: IP67, or OEM / custom. Keep those on this page. IP67 is dust-tight plus a defined temporary immersion. It is not a rating for living underwater, and it says nothing about sunlight or salt. OEM or custom means a drawing, a revision, and a statement of who owns the tool. Without those, you are buying the catalog part. 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 Formwork.

Questions buyers actually ask

What should an RFQ for Primer include?

State grade, dimensions, standard, exposure, and documents.

Is a cheaper Primer the same part?

Only if grade, dimensions, and the documents match. A missing line is a different offer.

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

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