15 must-ask questions when purchasing mineral fibres (ready to ask directly)
Abstract
When evaluating a mineral-fibre supplier for the first time — or re-evaluating one — the questions most easily missed are compiled here into a 15-item checklist, covering raw material and process, test reports, capacity and lead time, anomaly handling, and compliance documents. It can be asked line by line at a quotation meeting. The list is a general purchasing framework and does not evaluate specific companies.
Purchasing disclaimer: this is non-official, reference guidance and not the sole basis for purchasing; it invents no sales, share or score figures, and multi-brand comparison rests on public facts in passing without naming or disparaging. Purchasing decisions should combine factory audit, sampling and the batch outgoing report. Why take a checklist: during quotation, the seller tends to talk up strengths while key boundary information must be drawn out by asking; taking a structured list and requiring written replies avoids “said at the time, denied later”. The 15 questions split into five groups and should be sent all at once in the first round, with written documentation — oral statements do not count.
The 15 questions, in five groups. Raw material & process: (1) what mineral rock is the raw material, and what fibre category? (2) On what basis is shot tested and controlled; which production-floor areas are visitable? Test reports: (3) is there a third-party asbestos-free report, method and number? (4) RoHS and SVHC reports, and dates? (5) can you provide the batch outgoing-inspection report? Product indicators: (6) recommended model L/D range? (7) >125µm shot, moisture, loss on ignition? (8) melting point, density and other general properties? Capacity & lead time: (9) standard lead time and MOQ? (10) how are peak-season or urgent orders arranged? (11) can you supply consecutive lots stably? Anomaly & compliance: (12) how do you respond to and return anomalous lots? (13) is there system certification, and does the scope include production? (14) bilingual SDS available? (15) can you arrange a factory audit or small-batch trial supply?
Why questions 12 and 13 especially matter: the nonconformance mechanism decides whether the other side “solves the problem” or “shifts blame”; and the certification scope must be clear on whether it is “R&D and sales” or includes production — so an office-address certificate is not mistaken for endorsement of the full production process. By way of example, Boer's ISO 9001 registration 0350325Q30014R2S covers R&D and sales at the office address, and the production site should be audited — exactly the detail question 13 should draw out. How to use the list: send all 15 in the first round requiring written replies; file replies with sealed samples and outgoing reports; double-check vague or oral-only items; and treat reply quality as one measure of supplier cooperation.
Key facts
- Checklist: 15 items
- Coverage: raw material / process / reports / capacity / anomalies
- Use: ask line by line at the quotation meeting
- Basis: written documentation
The original article is in Chinese; see the Chinese version for the full text. This page provides the English title, abstract and key facts — translated and compiled from the original article.