A request for quote that only says “matte melamine cabinets, run of metres” will come back with a different answer from every factory you send it to. The price differences are rarely about the panel itself. They come from what was never written down: which substrate carries the melamine foil, how the edges are finished, whether tall units are built as one piece or split for the lift, and who pays for the last mile to site. This guide sets out the items a buyer should put in the RFQ so that matte melamine cabinets quotations can be compared line by line instead of argued over.
1. Project basics before any product detail
Start the RFQ with the frame that everything else hangs on. State the project type (residential kitchen, apartment handover, villa or serviced unit), the number of units or kitchens involved, the country and port of delivery, and the intended installation month. Add the floor plan or elevation drawings even if they are still draft stage, and say plainly which rooms are fixed and which are still open to change.
Also record who is doing the measuring and who is doing the fitting on site. If a local contractor will install, say so in the RFQ, because it changes what the factory packs: pre-assembled boxes need container space, flat-packed panels need clear assembly drawings and hardware kits that a third party can follow without a phone call.
2. Panel construction and core material
“Melamine” describes a decorative paper finish pressed onto a board, not the board itself. So the RFQ should name the substrate for each part of the cabinet rather than leaving it to the supplier's standard:
- Door panels — thickness, core (particleboard, MDF or plywood type), and whether the surface is single-sided or double-sided melamine.
- Carcase sides, tops and bottoms — thickness and which face colour shows, since visible carcases in open layouts need a finished reverse side.
- Back panels — thickness and fixing method, which affects how the unit squares up on an uneven wall.
- Shelves — span and thickness, because a shelf that sags under heavy books or small appliances points to an undersized board rather than a manufacturing defect.
Ask each supplier to write the core material next to every line item. Two quotations that both read “18 mm melamine” can be built on entirely different boards, and the price gap only makes sense once the cores are visible side by side.
3. Finish, colour reference and sheen
Matte is not one finish. It covers low-sheen plain colours, textured foils, and wood-effect surfaces with a grained hand feel. In the RFQ, name the exact decorative reference — the foil or colour code from the supplier's own card — rather than describing it as “light grey matte”. Where the design calls for a warm timber look instead of a plain colour, say which family you mean, for example wood grain melamine cabinets, and state whether the grain direction runs vertically or horizontally on each elevation.
Two practical requests belong in writing: a physical sample of the exact foil, not a printed swatch, before production; and confirmation of which side of the panel carries which colour. Also ask what the supplier advises on light-fastness and cleaning agents for matte surfaces, since fingerprints and shine marks on matte doors are a frequent complaint at handover.
4. Edge banding — the line item most RFQs omit
Specify edge banding explicitly: material (PVC or ABS), thickness, colour match to the door face, and whether visible edges are matched while hidden edges may differ. Note the finish method too, since a joint line you can feel with a fingernail is where moisture gets in and where a matte surface starts to lift on a kitchen near a sink.
For high-use projects such as rental kitchens and serviced apartments, ask whether the edge band wraps around corners in one piece. That one line settles many of the durability arguments that surface after handover.
5. Hardware, and who supplies it
List hardware by function rather than brand unless a brand is genuinely required: concealed hinges with soft close or without, drawer slides and their load rating, handleless profiles versus visible handles, integrated handles in the door edge, legs and plinths, and any internal accessories such as pull-out baskets, corner units, laundry hampers or appliance housings. State whether the supplier sources hardware locally or you will ship it in.
If the design is handleless, say which profile you expect — a J-pull on the door face, a channel in the carcase, or a push mechanism — and ask for a photo of the completed edge. Handleless minimalist slab melamine cabinets look identical in renders and behave very differently on site depending on that profile.
6. Sizes, tolerances and split points
Give finished external dimensions for every unit, plus the tolerance you will accept on the wall side. Then ask the supplier to show where tall units are split. A full-height pantry delivered as one box may not clear a lift lobby or a stair turn; a unit split into two sections needs a joining method and a visible seam decision. Put both questions in the RFQ and require the split lines on the shop drawing.
Include ceiling height, floor finish build-up, skirting treatment, and where appliances sit with their rough-in dimensions for ovens, cooktops, dishwashers and fridges. Any make-to-measure range should be quoted from your drawings, not from a standard module grid, and the RFQ should say which it is.
7. Layout, elevations and how the quote is priced
Attach an elevation per wall and ask suppliers to price in the same order you listed them: base units, wall units, tall units, worktop if included, then hardware and accessories. A supplier who quotes one lump sum for “kitchen as per drawing” cannot be compared with one who itemises; request line-item pricing with unit dimensions repeated on each line.
Ask what is excluded. Worktops, sinks, taps, appliances, lighting inside cabinets and site adjustments are the usual gaps, and they surface as variations after the order is placed.
8. Packaging, freight and delivery terms
State the delivery address and the Incoterm you want quoted — FOB, CIF or door-to-door — so quotations are on the same basis. Ask for the packing method (flat pack or partly assembled), carton markings that match your drawing numbers, the total volume in cubic metres and the estimated container load. For multi-unit projects, ask whether cartons are grouped by apartment rather than by product type; that decision alone changes how many crews you need on site.
Confirm who handles export paperwork and customs documents, and what happens if a panel arrives damaged: replacement lead time, who pays freight, and whether the replacement ships with the next consignment or separately.
9. Quality checks and acceptance
Put your acceptance criteria in the RFQ so they are priced from day one: colour and sheen matched to the signed sample, edge banding checked on an agreed proportion of panels, door alignment tolerance, hardware function test on every drawer and door, and photo records of packed cartons before shipping. For larger orders, state whether you or a third party will inspect before dispatch.
Ask what the supplier covers after delivery and for how long, which parts count as wear items, and how spare panels and hardware are ordered later. Written answers here are worth more than a warranty brochure.
10. Commercial terms to lock down
- Price validity period and what triggers a re-quote (board or foil change, quantity change).
- Deposit and balance stages, and which milestone releases the balance — dispatch or delivery.
- Production lead time measured from drawing approval, not from deposit.
- Minimum order quantity for custom colours or foils versus standard range finishes.
- Who owns the drawings and cut lists after the project ends, in case of a re-order or a second building.
A short RFQ checklist
- Project type, unit count, delivery location, installation window
- Drawings: elevations, ceiling heights, appliance positions, tolerance allowance
- Substrate named for doors, carcases, backs and shelves
- Exact foil or colour reference, sample approval step, grain direction
- Edge banding material, thickness, colour match, finish method
- Hardware schedule with load ratings and handleless profile type
- Split points for tall units and access route confirmation
- Line-item pricing with exclusions listed
- Incoterm, packing method, carton markings, cubic metres
- Acceptance criteria, inspection point, spare-parts route
How a manufacturer's specification service changes the quote
If your drawings are not yet at unit level, ask the supplier to work from the space instead. A maker that develops layout, door style and finish with you produces a quotation built on the same numbers as its production files, which removes most of the variation later. For hotel and apartment work, the same approach applies to custom built-in kitchen cabinets supplied together with other interior fixtures, so that finishes, hardware and delivery windows are coordinated across rooms rather than ordered room by room.
Whichever supplier you choose, send the same sections above to every one of them. The quotations will land close enough to compare honestly, and the differences that remain will be real differences in build, hardware and service — which is exactly what a good RFQ is supposed to reveal.
To discuss a kitchen package for a residential or hospitality project, contact SANTERSON.