A custom refractory brick enquiry needs more than a shape sketch. Before asking for a firm offer, make the part list, drawing revisions, quantities and manufacturing scope agree with one another. A drawing that helps identify an old component is not automatically the document a supplier is authorised to manufacture against.
This guide is a purchasing review aid for shaped refractory items. It does not approve a material substitution, design a lining, establish tolerances or confirm that a particular supplier can produce or assemble the requested set.
Separate reference information from the manufacturing basis
Label each file by purpose: identification reference, proposed manufacturing drawing, assembly layout or inspection requirement. Record its source and revision. Ask the authorised purchaser or designer to identify which documents govern the order and which are background only. Keep unreadable dimensions and missing views open rather than estimating them from a photograph.
Where a drawing belongs to another organisation, confirm the permitted use and permission to share it with a prospective manufacturer. Removing a title block does not by itself create that permission.
Create a register for each shape and revision
Use a stable item ID for every distinct shape. The following fields are a suggested communication tool, not a form prescribed by a standard.
| Field | Record for each item | Unresolved question |
|---|---|---|
| Drawing identity | Drawing number, revision, file date and intended purpose | Which version is the proposed manufacturing basis? |
| Quantity | Current RFQ quantity, order unit and any separately requested spares | Does the current list supersede quantities on an old drawing? |
| Material basis | Requested grade and applicable specification revision | Has the offered material been reviewed separately from the shape? |
| Geometry and interfaces | Relevant views and the project-defined mating or locating features | Who confirms missing dimensions, orientation and interfaces? |
| Scope and evidence | Individual parts or set, agreed checks and required records | Are fitting, trial assembly or additional tooling included, excluded or still open? |
Do not combine similar-looking shapes into one item to simplify the list. If handed or mirrored parts are required, ask the drawing owner to identify them explicitly. The purchaser and supplier should be able to trace every quoted line back to the same item and revision.
Resolve conflicts without silently choosing a document
An old assembly drawing may show a historical total while the current enquiry requests a replacement quantity. Preserve both records and ask which quantity governs the present enquiry. A later email does not necessarily change every technical requirement in an earlier drawing.
Write a short clarification for each conflict: affected item, conflicting references, proposed basis, person authorised to decide, and decision reference. Until the required decision is recorded, describe a quotation as conditional on that open point. Do not overwrite an old file and lose the reason for the change.
Define individual-part supply and set-level work separately
Agree whether the enquiry covers loose individual shapes, a numbered set, or a set with specified fitting or trial-assembly work. Do not assume that an accepted material grade or an individual dimension check proves that a complete arrangement will fit.
For any requested set-level review, identify the assembly drawing, relevant interfaces, sequence or orientation information, and the party responsible for the design. Then ask the proposed supplier to confirm what can actually be checked and documented. The purchase scope should name the agreed work, rather than simply say “complete set”.
Ask what a pattern, mould or gauge will be used for
A supplied physical pattern may help communicate a shape, but its purpose, condition and relationship to the current drawing need confirmation. Do not assume that it also serves as the production mould, inspection gauge or assembly fixture.
Ask the supplier to list the tooling and checking arrangements required for the offered route, what is already available, what needs to be made, and what remains outside the offer. Any ownership, approval and return arrangements for supplied tooling should be agreed separately. This article does not select a manufacturing process or promise that existing tooling is suitable.
Use a written scope decision before ordering
| Review outcome | What to record | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Basis agreed | Item, drawing revision, quantity, scope and decision reference | Use that same basis in the supplier response and order review |
| Clarification open | Specific missing dimension, file conflict or scope question | Obtain the authorised decision; do not mark the item unconditionally compliant |
| Deviation proposed | Exact change, affected items and supporting information | Request the required written acceptance; a supplier proposal is not approval |
| Current supply route does not fit | The requirement the proposed route cannot meet | Close that quotation route or seek an authorised alternative; do not lower the requirement silently |
Before placing the order, check that the item register, supplier offer, agreed deviations and document schedule refer to the same revision. Keep technical acceptance and the commercial decision distinguishable. For general commercial inputs, use the Refractory Brick RFQ Checklist; after delivery, use the Incoming Inspection Guide.
Sources and scope
ISO 12678-1 addresses dimensions and conformity to drawings for refractory bricks. Its public catalogue entry is not a project-specific tolerance or acceptance schedule. No standard full text or customer drawing is reproduced here.
RATH's refractory industry brochure describes drawing-based planning and consideration of later assembly. This is industry background from another manufacturer, not evidence of Vuulcan's manufacturing, design or assembly capabilities. The registers above are suggested procurement tools, not engineering instructions or standard-mandated forms.
For a review, send the shareable current item list, relevant drawing references and requested scope through the requirements form. Availability, technical support, document coverage and quotation timing remain subject to the actual review.