What to Send for an Accurate Lighting Housing Quotation
A quotation is not a guess, and it should not be a number you have to revisit three times. It is the output of a short list of inputs. Send all of them and the first price you receive is usually the price; leave one out and the quotation will move later, which costs both sides time.
The five items that actually change the price
Most quotation revisions trace back to one of five missing inputs. None of them is exotic, and all of them are things only you can supply.
| Input | Why it moves the number |
|---|---|
| A drawing with critical dimensions marked | Cut-outs, mounting centres and wall thickness set the tooling and the machining time |
| Quantity, split by size | Set-up cost is per size and finish, so the split matters more than the total |
| Destination market | Decides driver chamber, terminal type and the language on the rating label |
| Certification route | Decides which documentation has to travel with the goods |
| Finish and branding | Powder code, RAL, laser marking or printed labels change the process step, not just the colour |
Send a marked-up drawing, not a photograph
A photograph tells us what the part looks like. It does not tell us what the part has to fit. The dimensions that decide whether a housing works — the cut-out, the mounting centres, the depth above the ceiling, the interface with the light engine — are the ones that have to be called out and, ideally, toleranced.
If a customer-supplied drawing exists, send that version rather than a re-drawn copy. A revision number on the drawing is worth more than a clean-looking PDF, because it tells us both which document we are quoting against.
Split the quantity, do not total it
A total of 3,000 pieces sounds like one order. Split across six sizes and two finishes, it is twelve set-ups, and that is what the price reflects. Tell us the split you actually expect — even approximately — and say whether the volume is a first trial, an annual figure, or a single project.
Mixing sizes inside one container is normal and usually the cheapest route to a sensible trial volume. What we need from you is the intended mix, not a single headline number.
The destination market decides details you should not have to specify
Where the goods are going determines the driver chamber size, the terminal type, and the language used on the rating label and instruction sheet. It also decides which compliance paperwork has to be prepared. Two housings that look identical on a drawing can differ in these three details alone.
What to do if you only have a physical sample
Send it. A sample posted to us can be measured, and a quotation can be built from those measurements. The one caveat is worth stating plainly: without a drawing we are quoting to our measurement of your sample, and both sides are relying on that measurement being right. It works, and it is common, but a drawing removes the risk.
What happens next
With the five items above, the reply is a feasibility note in engineering language: the tooling position, the unit price, the finish options, the lead time and the minimum order — together with any point where we think your specification will not do what you want. If something is missing, we will ask rather than assume, because an assumed cut-out is the most expensive kind of mistake in this trade.
Frequently asked questions
What do you need from me to quote a lighting housing?
A 2D drawing with critical tolerances marked, a 3D file, a physical sample or a reference photo, plus target quantity, destination market and any certification requirement. A drawing marked with critical tolerances gives the most accurate quotation.
Can JUNKE quote from a sample instead of a drawing?
Yes. A physical sample can be measured and a quotation built from those measurements. The caveat is that without a drawing both sides rely on that measurement being correct, so a dimensioned drawing removes the risk.
Why does the quantity split matter more than the total?
Because set-up cost is per size and finish. Three thousand pieces across six sizes and two finishes is twelve set-ups, not one. Sending the intended mix rather than a single headline number is what makes the first quotation accurate.
Related reading: the seven housing ranges, how an OEM or ODM project runs.