Stainless Steel Door Frame RFQ Checklist: 304, 316 and PVD Finishes

A useful door frame enquiry does more than name a metal and a colour. It connects the opening schedule, surrounding construction, operating door and visible finish in one coordinated brief. This checklist helps buyers request comparable quotations and identify decisions that still need the project team’s approval.

Use it alongside the project drawings. The final material, thickness, fixing arrangement and performance evidence must be agreed for the actual application before an order is placed.

1. State exactly what the supplier is being asked to provide

A functioning frame, a decorative trim and a cover around an existing frame have different interfaces. Label the requested scope before comparing prices.

• Identify each opening with a schedule reference, location, quantity and drawing revision.
• State whether the package includes a complete frame, decorative facing, door leaf, glazing, hardware or installation.
• List exclusions and work by others, including supporting construction, site measurement and final sealants.

Compare door frames

Review decorative door trims

2. Describe the exposure before choosing 304 or 316

Chlorides, temperature, deposits and cleaning access influence stainless steel selection. Grade 316 generally offers greater resistance to chloride pitting than 304, but neither grade is an unconditional corrosion guarantee. A sheltered entrance can accumulate deposits even when the surrounding area appears dry.

Ask the specifier to confirm the required grade against the actual environment. A colour name, including gold or bronze, does not identify the substrate or prove its suitability.

• Record interior or exterior use, coastal or deicing-salt exposure, cleaning products and sheltered surfaces.
• Request written confirmation of the offered grade, material standard, thickness and traceability documents available for the order.
• Flag any proposed substitution for written project approval rather than accepting an undefined equivalent.

General reference: Australian Stainless Steel Development Association — Grade Selection.

3. Specify a PVD finish as a finish system

Physical vapour deposition, or PVD, forms a thin coating on the prepared surface. It is a process description rather than a complete finish specification. The underlying texture remains relevant to the visible result, and a decorative coating should not replace appropriate base-metal selection.

Ask how cutting, bending, welding and finishing are sequenced for the proposed component. Damage and later fabrication can affect a coloured surface, so agree a repair or replacement approach before delivery. Do not assume the finish is scratch-proof.

• Name the substrate, texture, colour reference, visible faces and grain direction on the finish schedule.
• Confirm the offered coating process, intended environment and supplier-specific care instructions.
• Ask whether adjoining pieces can be supplied as one coordinated finish batch and how replacement pieces will be assessed.

General reference: Australian Stainless Steel Development Association — Technical FAQ 12: Coloured and Patterned Stainless Steel.

General reference: International Molybdenum Association — Colored Stainless Steel.

4. Approve a sample and a visible joint detail

A screen image is useful for design discussion but cannot settle finish acceptance. A named finish alone may leave gloss, texture and colour variation undefined. Agree a physical control sample and identify the criteria used to compare the supplied work.

• Give the sample a reference, date and approval record; retain matching references with both parties.
• Review the head-to-jamb joint, corner construction, grain orientation and adjacent material together.
• Agree lighting, viewing conditions, acceptable variation and any required mock-up in the purchase documents.

General reference: International Molybdenum Association — Stainless Steel Finish Specification.

Explore the material and finish guide

5. Coordinate geometry and the operating assembly

An opening width and height do not define the entire frame. A quotation needs enough section and interface information to distinguish a visual concept from a coordinated assembly.

• Provide dimensioned jamb and head sections, wall build-up, finished floor datum, face widths, rebates and returns.
• Identify door handing, leaf details, seals, hinges, locks, closers and access-control interfaces.
• Identify supporting construction, fixing zones, installation clearance and responsibility for final site dimensions.
• Where fire, smoke, acoustic, accessibility, security or weather performance is required, request evidence for the exact proposed assembly. Appearance or material grade alone does not establish compliance.

6. Make quotations comparable before placing the order

A lower figure can reflect a different scope or an unresolved detail. Use a short comparison schedule so that technical exceptions are visible before commercial acceptance.

• Compare the same drawing revision, opening quantities, grade, thickness, finish and included components.
• Record sample approval, shop-drawing review and any prototype as separate agreed stages.
• Ask for packing, identification, delivery terms and lead time measured from the agreed approval milestone.
• Agree inspection documents, handling instructions, protective-film removal and the finish supplier’s cleaning guidance.
• Keep deviations and outstanding approvals in writing; do not treat a concept rendering as an approved fabrication drawing.

Prepare your HAIHUI enquiry

Send the opening schedule, current drawings, quantities, installation location and proposed finish reference. Mark unresolved decisions clearly so the enquiry can distinguish a firm requirement from a point for technical review. Material availability, fabrication scope, price and delivery remain subject to written confirmation.

Request a project quotation

General procurement guidance; final project engineering, material availability and offered scope require written confirmation. Source references checked 30 October 2026.