A fast CNC aluminium routing quote is rarely about pressure on the shop. It is about a complete package the first time. When job type, sizes, CAD, quantity, material path, deadline and PO are clear, the team can price from published rates or raise a proper RFQ without chasing missing details. When anything critical is missing, the quote waits on email threads.
This routing quote checklist is for Queensland fabricators who need slots, holes or custom cut-outs in aluminium sections - rails, frames, box, tube, angle, channel and flat bar - not a finished retail product catalogue. Use it before you open Quote Request or email the slotting address on Services & Pricing.
Why a complete RFQ speeds the quote
Nelsons Routing specialises in high-precision CNC routing of aluminium for fabricators: straight, louvre, elliptical and round work, plus custom shapes for louvres, slats, battens and extrusions. Most customers supply aluminium cut to size. The shop can also supply material or cut to size when that is the brief.
Published commercial lines live on Services (confirm live figures before you budget):
- Slotting - straight style: $17.50 per metre + GST
- Slotting - louvred style: $20.00 per metre + GST
- Minimum order on slotting jobs: $50.00 + GST
- Slotting length 1.2 metres or less: $20.00 per length + GST
- Custom jobs: RFQ (request for quote)
- CAD drawing preparation when you do not have CAD: $20.00 setup fee per job + GST where that line still applies
Standard slotting on aluminium prepared for machining can often ride those lines once style and metres are clear. Complex cut-outs and non-standard profiles stay on RFQ so you are not forcing custom geometry onto a simple per-metre rate. Either path is faster when the checklist below is filled in once.
The routing quote checklist
Work through each item. If you skip one, expect a clarification before numbers lock.
1. Job type (slotting style or cut-out)
Name the work the same way the form and Services page do:
- Straight slot
- Louvre / louvred slot
- Elliptical slot
- Round holes
- Custom (lock boxes, mortice clearances, wheel cut-outs, patterns, non-standard profiles)
If you are unsure whether the job is standard slotting or custom RFQ, say what the section must do on site (batten spacing, louvre blades, gate hardware, façade pattern). For the commercial difference between published straight and louvre styles, see Straight Slotting vs Louvre Slotting.
2. Sizes and geometry
Give millimetre facts the programmer can machine without guessing:
- Section type and size (box, tube, angle, channel, flat bar; width, height, wall)
- Finished piece lengths (after mitres if mitres control start/stop)
- Slot or hole size, pitch or centre-to-centre gaps, start and stop from ends or mitres
- Slat, batten or blade size and spacing if that drives the rail
- Any hardware clearances drawn or dimensioned, not only described in a phone note
Units in millimetres only. “Slot the whole rail” without ends defined slows the quote when blades or battens must line up with mitres.
3. CAD drawing (.DXF or .DWG)
Ordering on Services is explicit: a CAD drawing is required for each slotting and routing job in .DXF or .DWG, attached through Quote Request and/or emailed to the slotting address listed on Services. One clean, 1:1 mm revision per job beats a zip of every old file.
No CAD software? Say so up front. CAD can be prepared for the published setup fee per job - confirm the live figure on Services. A sketch or photo can start the conversation when gaps and overlap are clear, but still flag that CAD setup may apply. File-level detail sits in How to Prepare DXF/DWG Files for Aluminium Routing.
4. Quantity and part marks
State how many of each length and section. If the pack has several marks, list them so the quote matches the metal you will drop off. Multiple distinct jobs on one send should be split the way the Quote form allows (second, third, fourth job) rather than buried in one vague line.
5. Material path
Be explicit on supply:
- Customer to supply - most core work; aluminium already cut to finished length is the usual drop-off path
- Nelsons Routing to supply - when you need material sourced as well as machined
- Cut to size - customer-supplied as cut to size, or Nelsons Routing to cut to size before routing
Label physical bars with company name, PO number and phone so the pack matches the RFQ when it lands on the Sunshine Coast.
6. Deadline and site timing
Say when you need the job ready for collection or dispatch, and whether the date is hard (install booked) or preferred. FAQ guidance on Services notes typical turnaround is often about 2-3 days depending on job size - treat that as planning context, not a guaranteed SLA for every peak week. Call out peak fabrication pressure or multi-pack runs early so sequencing is honest.
7. PO, company and contact
Include company name, a reachable phone and email, and your PO number when you have one. A PO on the RFQ and on the aluminium label stops mix-ups when several fabricators drop work the same week. Delivery or freight notes belong here too if collection is not the plan - logistics questions can also go through Contact.
How to send the package
- Confirm style and live rates on Services & Pricing (straight vs louvred, minimums, short-length rule, custom RFQ, CAD setup).
- Assemble the checklist items above - type, sizes, CAD, qty, material, deadline, PO.
- Submit via Quote Request (form fields mirror job type, material supply, cut-to-size flags, file upload, optional extra jobs) and/or email the same package to slotting@nelsonscnc.com.au.
- Drop off labelled cut lengths at the Moffat Beach factory when that is your path (hours on Services / Contact), or arrange supply and freight where available.
Published rates and fees can change. Always price from the live Services page, not from an old PDF or this article alone. For a plain-language definition of the service model, see What Is CNC Aluminium Routing? A Fabricator’s Guide. Visual examples sit in the Gallery.
Quick copy-paste RFQ block
- Job type: straight / louvre / elliptical / round / custom
- Section + size + wall (mm):
- Piece lengths + qty of each:
- Slot/hole geometry, pitch or gaps (mm), start/stop:
- CAD: .DXF/.DWG attached (rev) or need CAD setup
- Material: customer supply / Nelsons supply; cut to size by:
- Deadline / install date:
- PO + company + phone + email:
- Notes (hardware cut-outs, freight, multiple jobs):
Bottom line
A strong routing quote checklist is type, sizes, CAD, quantity, material path, deadline and PO - sent once through Quote Request or email with files that match the metal. That is what turns an RFQ into a fast, accurate number and a clean machine run. Confirm live rates on Services & Pricing, attach the drawing, and send the full package rather than a partial note that needs three follow-ups.