Quote · PI · pdf-lib

Quotation and proforma generator

Build a branded quotation or proforma invoice PDF. Pick the document type, fill the seller and buyer blocks, line items with HS and grade, validity window, Incoterm, lead time, and payment terms. Generates a PDF in the Sourzi format ready to send.

Last updated 2026-05-08. Math runs in your browser, no data leaves your computer.

General guidance only, not legal or professional engineering advice. Verify against the cited primary sources (IMDG, REACH, ChAFTA, RCEP, Customs Tariff Act, supplier SDS, etc.) before committing to a shipment, declaration, or contract. Sourzi assumes no liability for outcomes based on these calculators.

A quotation is your indicative offer; a proforma invoice is your commitment with bank details for the buyer wire. Same template, two titles. Pick the type below; the rest of the document is identical.

Document type

Quotation is non-binding indicative; Proforma Invoice is the seller commitment with bank details.

Currency

Seller (you)

Company name

Contact name and email

Address

Buyer

Company name

Contact name and email

Address

Document header

Document number

Issue date

Valid until

Line items

Always name the grade and packaging in the description. Vague descriptions invite later disputes.

Terms

Incoterm and port

Lead time

Payment terms

Bank details (for Proforma Invoice only)

Required on a Proforma Invoice so the buyer can release the wire. Not shown on a Quotation.

Notes

Quotation discipline that closes deals

A quotation is the first concrete number the buyer sees. The buyer compares it against three or four alternative quotes from competing suppliers and decides who to engage. Three things determine whether the quote moves to a PO: the price has to be competitive, the supplier signal has to be credible, and the next step has to be obvious. The quote document carries all three. Price competitiveness is in the line items; credibility is in the specificity of the description, the grade reference, and the lead time; the next step is in the validity window and the contact name.

Specificity beats brevity. "Citric acid 99 percent, 25 USD/kg" is a quote that loses to a more specific competitor; "Citric acid monohydrate, CAS 5949-29-1, FCC grade per USP-NF current monograph, 25 kg paper bag, 1,420 USD/MT FOB Shanghai, 21-day lead time, T/T 30/70 against PI" is a quote the buyer can act on. The longer version is the one a procurement officer can take to finance and request a PO against; the shorter version requires a follow-up email to clarify, and that follow-up is when the deal goes cold.

Validity windows protect both sides. The buyer needs a window long enough to socialise the quote with their team and finance; the seller needs a window short enough to protect against bunker, FX, and raw material moves. Seven days is too short to let finance approve and the PO issue; 30 days is too long to hold the FOB price stable on commodity chemicals. 14 days is the sweet spot for most commodity FOB out of China.

The transition from quotation to PI is a small but meaningful step. The PI adds the bank details and changes the document title; the line items, terms, and validity stay the same. A quote that the buyer accepts becomes a PI on request. The buyer side issues a PO against the PI; the seller side counter-signs the PO and the cargo enters production. The quote-PI-PO sequence is the standard chemical-trade onboarding handshake.

Worked example. The 30-day quote that lost the deal

The booking. A US distributor sends an enquiry for 50 MT of caustic soda 50 percent solution to four Chinese suppliers. Three return quotes within 48 hours; one returns 72 hours later. The slow-quote supplier offers a 15 USD/MT lower price than the fastest with a 30-day validity. Distributor finance is on holiday for two weeks; quote sits on the procurement officer desk for 16 days. Day 17 the procurement officer asks finance to release; finance flags that the validity is only 13 days remaining. Looks fine on paper, the price is still good.

The failure. Procurement officer emails the slow-quote supplier asking to confirm the price. Supplier has had bunker move 12 USD per MT in the meantime; supplier sales lead is happy to honour the quote until the supplier production manager flags that the FOB cost has moved up. Supplier comes back asking for 8 USD/MT increase ("market has moved, we can hold most of the deal"). Distributor reads this as the supplier reneging on the quote and goes with the second-fastest quote which was 7 USD/MT cheaper than the new revised slow-quote number. The slow supplier lost the deal not on price but on quote-document discipline; a 14-day validity would have forced the conversation 16 days earlier when the answer was still "yes, price holds".

The fix. On the next quote round, the slow-quote supplier shortens validity to 14 days and adds a one-line note: "FOB price is bunker-indexed; if buyer expects to issue PO after 14 days, we will refresh the quote within 24 hours of request". Now the buyer side has a clear validity expectation and the supplier has a defensible refresh trigger. Three months later the same buyer comes back, asks for a refresh, gets a number 3 USD/MT lower than the previous attempt because bunker has moved the other way, and issues the PO immediately. Quote document discipline is what closes the loop.

Frequently asked

What is the difference between a quotation and a proforma invoice?

A quotation is the seller indicative offer; non-binding, used early in the conversation to give the buyer a number to compare against alternatives. A proforma invoice (PI) is the seller commitment to sell on the listed terms; it is the document the buyer needs to open an LC, to request a wire transfer from finance, or to apply for an import licence. Functionally, the PI is a quotation with a validity window and a clear next step (the buyer issues a PO against the PI).

How long should a quotation be valid?

Standard validity is 7 to 14 days for commodity chemicals where the FOB price moves with bunker, exchange rate, and supplier raw material cost; up to 30 days for fine chemicals and speciality where the price is more stable. Always state the validity explicitly on the quote ("Valid until 22 May 2026"); a quote without a validity window is a free option for the buyer that can come back six months later expecting the same number.

What goes on a chemical quotation?

Eleven fields: seller (company, address, contact); buyer (company, contact); quotation number and date; valid until; line items (description with grade and packaging, HS code, quantity, unit price); currency; Incoterm and named port; estimated lead time; payment terms; notes (CoA per batch, pre-shipment inspection, any non-standard terms); seller signature.

Should the quote include a discount or a list price?

For first-time buyers or strategic accounts, quote the negotiated price directly (no list and no discount). For repeat buyers with a tier structure, name the list price and the applied discount so the buyer can confirm against their account. Layered discounts (volume + payment-term + early-bird) are common in distributor pricing and should be itemised, not bundled.

Can the same template be used for a quotation and a PI?

Yes; the only difference is the document title and one or two terms. A quotation is "Quotation"; a PI is "Proforma Invoice" and adds the bank details for wire transfer (so the buyer can release the deposit). The same line items, the same Incoterm, the same payment split. Once the buyer accepts the quote and asks for a PI, the seller side reissues the document with the title changed and the bank line added.