A foreign buyer reads an export quotation in under a minute. In that minute they decide whether to reply, to ask for changes, or to move to the next supplier.
Most quotes from new exporters fail that minute. Not on price, but on the questions they leave open.
This guide shows the export quotation format buyers expect, line by line, with a sample quote you can copy. It ends with the lines that get quotes ignored.
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What a Quotation Is For
A quotation is not a price. It is an offer to supply a defined product, at a defined price, under defined conditions, for a defined time. Every one of those definitions removes a question the buyer would otherwise have to ask.
A quote that leaves questions open forces a second email. Busy buyers often skip the second email and reply to the supplier whose quote did not need one.
The document is also the buyer's first sample of how you work. A complete, tidy quote signals a factory that ships complete, tidy orders.
The Export Quotation Format, Line by Line
Header
Your company name, address, registration number, and the name, email and phone of the person handling the inquiry. The buyer's company and contact. A quotation number and date. Buyers file quotes, and a quote without a number cannot be filed or referenced.
Product Description
Describe the product the way the buyer specified it, then the way you make it. Material, dimensions, grade, finish, tolerance, colour, standard. Add your item code and the HS code; the buyer's customs broker will want it and a correct code shows competence.
If the buyer sent a drawing or spec, reference it by name and revision. If you deviate from it, say so in the quote rather than at inspection.
Quantity and MOQ
The quantity quoted, and your minimum order quantity if it differs. If price breaks exist, show two or three tiers. A buyer asking for 5,000 pieces wants to see what 10,000 costs.
Unit Price, Currency and Incoterm
The price per unit, the currency, and the Incoterm with a named place: "FOB Ningbo", "EXW Bursa factory", "DAP Hamburg warehouse". A price without an Incoterm is not a price, and a price that ignores freight, duty and margin at the destination is a guess; the export pricing guide at trade.gov covers the cost build-up. The ICC Incoterms rules define each term; our 100 terms guide covers the ones a sales team must know.
Quote in the Incoterm the buyer asked for. If they asked for CIF and you quote FOB, they now have to get freight quotes, and many will not.
Packing
How the goods are packed and how many units per carton, cartons per pallet, and pallets or cartons per container. Carton dimensions and gross weight. The buyer uses this to check your freight quote and to plan their warehouse.
Lead Time
Days from order confirmation, or from receipt of deposit if that is your trigger, to goods ready at the named place. State which. Add the current production slot if you are busy: "30 days; next available slot mid-November".
Payment Terms
Exactly what you require and when. "30% deposit on order, 70% against copy of bill of lading" is a complete term. "T/T" alone is not. The methods of payment overview at trade.gov explains what each term commits you to. Our guide to export payment terms explains the options for a first order.
Validity
The date until which the price holds. Thirty days is common; shorter if raw material prices are moving. A quote without validity is a quote you are bound to forever, or one the buyer assumes is stale.
Samples, Tooling and Extras
The sample policy, any tooling or setup charge, and whether it is credited against the first order. Certification costs, third-party inspection, special labelling. Anything that would appear on the invoice that is not in the unit price.
Signature
A name and a title. A quote from a person gets replied to; a quote from "Sales Department" gets filed.
A Sample Export Quotation
The structure below is deliberately plain. Buyers do not want design; they want to find each line where they expect it.
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Quotation no. / date | Q-2026-0417 / 26 September 2026 |
| To | Purchasing Manager, Example Importer GmbH, Hamburg |
| Product | Hex bolt M10×50, DIN 933, steel grade 8.8, zinc plated. Item HB-1050-Z. HS 7318.15 |
| Quantity | 20,000 pcs (MOQ 10,000 pcs) |
| Unit price | USD 0.084 per pc, FOB Ningbo (Incoterms 2020) |
| Price breaks | 50,000 pcs: USD 0.079; 100,000 pcs: USD 0.075 |
| Packing | 500 pcs per carton, 40 cartons per pallet, 10 pallets per 20' container. Carton 40×30×20 cm, 18 kg gross |
| Lead time | 25 days from deposit receipt to goods at port |
| Payment | 30% T/T deposit on order, 70% T/T against copy of B/L |
| Validity | 30 days from quotation date |
| Samples | Standard samples free, courier at buyer's cost, dispatched within 3 working days |
| Certification | Mill test certificate per batch included; ISO 9001 certificate no. on request |
| Issued by | Name, Export Sales Manager, email, WhatsApp |
Send it as a PDF with your logo, and paste the key lines into the email body as well. Buyers read on phones, and an attachment alone is often left for later.
The Lines That Get Quotes Ignored
No Incoterm, or the wrong one. The most common failure. The buyer cannot compare you with the other four quotes on their desk.
No validity date. The buyer assumes the price is old, or worries that it will change after they commit internally.
"Lead time: depends." It always depends. Give the number for the quantity quoted and say what changes it.
Price in your currency when the buyer works in another. Quote in USD or EUR unless asked otherwise, and say whether the rate is fixed for the validity period.
Vague packing. A buyer paying freight needs cartons and weights. Missing packing data reads as a factory that has not exported before.
A reply five days later. The best format in the world loses to a competent quote that arrived on day one. Our guide to getting export orders covers the reply, sample and follow-up steps around the quote.
Quotation or Proforma Invoice?
The quotation is the offer. Once the buyer accepts, many ask for a proforma invoice: the same information laid out as an invoice, which they use to open a letter of credit, apply for an import permit or release a deposit. Keep the two documents consistent to the letter; a proforma that differs from the quote reopens the negotiation. The export documents checklist covers the proforma and everything that follows it.
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