A change after approval
A new size, metal, or finish can mean new material and starting that part again. The new date is set when the change is agreed.
British Columbia
British Columbia
WHEN A FABRICATION LEAD TIME STARTS, AND WHAT CAN MOVE IT
Your parts go into the schedule once the fabricator has everything it needs to build them.
A sheet metal fabrication lead time starts once you've approved the quote and the drawings in writing, and the deposit or purchase order is in. At Duct Duct Goose, most duct packages, custom fittings, and grease duct are then typically ready in 1 to 2 days. The exact time depends on the size of the order. So if you sent a request two weeks ago and nothing is ready, your order may still be waiting on one of those steps. Check what each step waits on, what can push the date back, and what to send so your order starts sooner.
Run down this list with your quote in hand. If any of these is still missing, that's what your order is waiting on.
| What has to be in place | Why it's needed first | If it's still missing |
|---|---|---|
| Your approval of the quote, in writing | It confirms the scope and the price you're agreeing to | Reply by email, or sign and return the quote |
| Approved drawings, latest revision | The parts are built from them, so the sizes have to be final | Sign off the drawings, or send back one marked-up set |
| A deposit or purchase order | It holds the metal and a slot in the schedule for your order alone | Send it with the approval, not a few days after |
| Final sizes and equipment details | The drawings can't be approved with a size or model number missing | Send the model numbers and the equipment's spec sheets |
The number on a quote covers more than the hours on the machines. These four kinds of time show where the days go.
The whole span from the day your approvals and deposit are in to the day the parts are ready. It includes the time your order waits for its turn in the schedule.
The hours the metal spends being cut, bent, welded, and finished. A fitting can spend far less time on the machines than its lead time, because other orders are booked ahead of it.
The days spent asking questions, pricing, and agreeing on the scope. They come before your lead time begins, so a quick answer to our questions saves the most time of all.
On a project with an engineer or architect, the shop drawings may need their review first. That window is set by the project, not by us.
In duck, duck, goose, nobody runs until the tap on the head. Your lead time works the same way, and the tap on the head is your last approval coming in. These are the steps before it.
Your request. You send what you have, with the date you need the parts.
Questions and scope review. We check for missing sizes and equipment details, and whether the material is on hand. We also check room in the schedule and work that belongs to another trade.
The quote. It sets out the scope, the price, and the typical lead time.
Your approval. Written approval of the quote, approved drawings, and the deposit or purchase order.
Your lead time starts. The drawings become flat patterns, the shapes cut from the flat sheet before bending. The material is checked, and the parts go into the schedule.
When the lead time starts counting
Steps 1 to 4 come before the lead time. It starts at step 5.
BEFORE THE LEAD TIME
LEAD TIME
Your request
What you have, plus the date you need it
Questions
Missing sizes, material on hand, room in the schedule
The quote
Scope, price and the typical lead time
Your approval
Written approval, approved drawings, deposit or PO
Lead time starts
Flat patterns, material checked, into the schedule
Steps 1 to 4 sit outside the lead time. The faster each one is done, the sooner your lead time starts.
These are typical times, not promises. Each one starts only when the deposit and approved drawings are in.
| Kind of job | Typical lead time | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
| Straight duct packages | 1 to 2 days, depending on the size of the order | The deposit and approved drawings |
| Custom duct fittings | 1 to 2 days, depending on the size of the order | The deposit and approved drawings |
| Grease duct | 1 to 2 days, depending on the size of the order | The deposit and approved drawings |
| Stainless kitchen pieces | 1 to 2 weeks | The deposit and approved drawings |
Some fittings can be ready within hours, when the shop has room that day. We work Monday to Friday from 7:30 am to 5 pm, and any rush happens within those hours. When a job has to jump the queue, the price changes too, and what makes rush fabrication cost more explains why.
Even after work starts, a change, a missing detail, or late material can still move the date. Most can be avoided with one step when you order.
A new size, metal, or finish can mean new material and starting that part again. The new date is set when the change is agreed.
If a gauge or finish has to be ordered in and the supplier ships late, your date moves with it. Ask at quoting whether the material is on hand.
If a cut-out size or an equipment model turns out to be missing, work on that drawing stops until someone confirms it. Send the spec sheets with the order.
When two people send different changes, work on that part waits until one set is agreed. Name one person who approves the drawings.
Powder coating goes to a finishing partner after the metalwork is done, so it adds its own time. Ask for that date when the order is quoted.
If the site can't take every part at once, a larger order can go out in stages. Each area's parts are released when that area is ready.
Some changes can still be made after you sign, and what happens after you approve drawings shows which ones. A change made before cutting usually costs less time than one made after the metal is formed.
When a project has an engineer or architect, the shop drawings usually have to be reviewed before anything is built. Federal projects in Canada, and some municipal ones, use the National Master Specification. It sets out how that review works.
| What the specification says | What it means for your date | What to do about it |
|---|---|---|
| No work on a part until its review is complete | Fabrication can't start until the reviewed drawings come back | Plan the review before you plan the delivery date |
| A rejected set is corrected, sent again, and reviewed again | Each round adds another review window to the schedule | Check sizes and openings before the first submission |
| The project sets the review period. One federal job in BC allowed 7 business days for each submission | The review window sits on top of the fabrication lead time | Read your project's specification and build the window in |
| A late submission doesn't earn more time | The review period stays the same, so the delay comes out of your schedule | Put the drawings for review near the top of the job's to-do list |
| The reviewer doesn't take responsibility for your sizes | A size found wrong after review sends the drawing back, and work waits | Confirm them yourself, or book a field measure |
Your own contract sets the details. Check how it handles drawing review before you plan the dates.
Most slow starts come from how a request or an approval is sent, and each one has a simple fix.
| What gets sent | What happens to the date | What to send instead |
|---|---|---|
| "Need it ASAP" | Nobody can plan around it, so the job is booked once the details land | "Delivered to site by Thursday" |
| An approval given over the phone | There's nothing on file to build from yet | A reply email, or the signed quote |
| Approved drawings, with the deposit to follow | Work waits for the deposit | Both together, in one email |
| "Go ahead, we'll confirm the sizes later" | The drawing can't be approved, so work can't start | Final sizes, or a booked field measure |
| An install date written as a delivery date | The parts are planned for the wrong day | Say whether it's a pickup, delivery, or install date |
| A change emailed to a different person | The change can miss the fabricator, or arrive after the part is cut | Send every change to one contact, as a new revision |
A late change can also lead to a second quote, and why quote revisions happen covers the usual causes. Naming one contact for every change keeps both the quote and the date steady.
Two requests for the same fitting, sent on the same Monday. This is an illustration, not a Duct Duct Goose quote.
Same fitting, same fabricator, and Request B starts eight days sooner. The difference is how quickly everything before the start was sorted out.
Every order goes through the same five steps, from your request to release. Each one is there to catch a problem before it costs you a day.
Reading the request. Before we quote, we check for missing sizes, the material, room in the schedule, and work that belongs to another trade.
Quoting with the lead time written down. The quote gives the typical lead time and what starts it.
Confirming your approval. Written approval of the quote, approved drawings, and the deposit or purchase order put your order in the schedule.
Detailing and checking material. Approved sizes become shop drawings, flat patterns, and machine programs, and the metal is checked before cutting.
Building and releasing. Parts are cut, bent, welded, and checked in Pitt Meadows, then released for pickup, delivery, or install. A larger order can go out in stages as the site is ready.
The same five steps run for HVAC ductwork packages, custom duct fittings, welded grease duct, and stainless kitchen work.
Contractors who can answer questions and approve quickly get the most from the schedule. A date that's fixed while the design is still changing is harder to meet.
If your date can't move and the drawings may still change, say so on the first call. We'll tell you plainly whether the date works, even if it means someone else gets the order.
Each item sent up front answers a question that would otherwise hold up the start. What Duct Duct Goose Needs to Quote Custom Metalwork has the full list for the quote itself.
A photo can start the conversation, but photos are different from fabrication drawings, and work waits for a drawing. More guides for getting a job priced and moving sit in Quote-Ready Resources.
Send a finished drawing set or a sketch with a deadline. We'll tell you what's still needed before we can start, and what the date looks like once we do.
Standard ductwork and fittings price instantly on WebDuct, the online pricing and ordering portal, with a company account. Stainless, grease duct, installs, and other custom work start with a request or a call.
At Duct Duct Goose, we specialize in sheet metal fabrication and stainless steel services for commercial and industrial applications, including HVAC systems, ducts, and custom metalwork. Please note that we do not offer services for automotive-related projects, such as vehicle parts, repairs, or modifications.
