What does a buyer check before placing a casting with a new foundry?
They check the alloys you pour, the weight and size range you handle, and your inspection capability, because castings are accepted on internal soundness as much as dimensions. Pattern ownership is the commercial question that follows immediately.
A buyer is moving a casting away from a foundry that has become unreliable, and the pattern is the hostage.
Reviewed 4 August 2026
Scope and specifications
- Alloys poured
- The first filter, and often a hard one.
- Casting process
- Sand, investment, die and centrifugal casting produce different parts.
- Weight and size range
- A direct yes-or-no on the buyer's part.
- Annual tonnage and volume band
- Prototype, low volume and series suit different foundries.
- Machining capability
- Whether you supply as-cast or finish-machined.
- Pattern and tooling ownership
- The question that decides whether a transfer is possible.
- Achievable tolerance and surface finish
- Determines the machining allowance required.
Documents buyers may need
| Document | What it proves | Where it belongs |
|---|---|---|
| Material test certificateAsked at: with delivery | Chemistry and mechanical properties of the poured alloy | Per shipment |
| Non-destructive test reportAsked at: critical castings | Radiographic, ultrasonic or dye penetrant results for internal soundness | Per shipment |
| Dimensional inspection reportAsked at: first article and on request | Conformity to the casting drawing | Per shipment |
| First article inspectionAsked at: before series release | Full verification before series production begins | Name it, share on request |
| ISO 9001 or sector certificationAsked at: vendor approval | Quality system, plus automotive or pressure certification where relevant | Publish it |
| Pattern ownership termsAsked at: before the pattern is made | Who owns the pattern and what happens at end of life | Publish it |
| Simulation or methoding capabilityAsked at: technical assessment | That solidification is engineered rather than guessed | Name it, share on request |
Details for a useful enquiry
- Casting drawing or model
- The only basis for a real quote.
- Alloy and specification
- Determines feasibility.
- Annual volume and batch size
- Drives process and tooling choice.
- Pattern status
- Existing, transferring or new.
- Machining requirement
- As-cast or finished changes the quote entirely.
- Inspection and certification required
- Non-destructive testing needs planning and adds cost.
Questions suppliers ask
How do we win a casting transfer from another foundry?
By answering the pattern question before it is asked. State plainly how transferred patterns are received, inspected and refurbished, who owns them afterwards, and on what terms they can be released. The technical work is rarely the barrier; the tooling relationship is.
Should we publish our inspection equipment list?
Yes, with the equipment named. Castings are accepted on internal quality, and a buyer judging risk wants to know whether soundness is verified in-house or subcontracted. It is also one of the few genuinely differentiating things a foundry can publish.
Is simulation capability worth mentioning?
Yes, in plain terms — that solidification and feeding are modelled before the pattern is cut. Buyers who have suffered scrap from poor methoding understand exactly what it means, and it separates a foundry that engineers castings from one that pours them.
Check which documents and standards your buyer needs; requirements vary by market, customer and contract.
Plact Research. Plact's editorial desk for buyer-evidence research. Industry standards, documents and buyer questions are researched and drafted with Plact's AI tools, then reviewed by Praveen Kavuri before publication. Every claim cites the standard, regulation or public source it rests on.
Related buyer questions
- Steel and TMTWhat does a buyer check before placing a steel order with a new supplier?
- Industrial componentsWhat does a buyer check before sending you a drawing or an RFQ?
- Steel tube and pipeWhat does a buyer check before ordering tube or pipe?
- AluminiumWhat does a buyer check before ordering aluminium sections or sheet?
Put this to work on your website
See how Plact helps buyers find what you offer and send a useful enquiry.