How to Send a Quotation by Email (Templates)
How to send a quotation by email: subject lines, a short cover message, PDF attachment tips and 4 copy-ready templates for new, revised and urgent quotes.
The way you send a quotation by email can matter as much as the price on it. A clear subject line, a three-line message and a properly named PDF attachment make it easy for a client to read, forward to a manager and say yes. This guide covers each part of the email, then gives you four templates you can copy for new quotes, revised quotes, quotes that need approval and quotes sent after a site visit.
What a good quotation email does
A quotation is a formal offer to supply goods or services at a stated price for a stated period. The email that carries it has a smaller job: get the document opened, make the key numbers obvious and tell the client exactly how to accept. If you are unsure what the attached document itself should contain, start with our guide to a standard quotation format with sample fields, then come back to the email.
A strong quotation email does five things:
- Identifies the quote with a number and job name the client can search for later.
- Summarises the scope in one sentence so there is no doubt about what is priced.
- States the total, the deposit (if any) and the date the price expires.
- Explains the next step, such as replying "approved", signing the PDF or paying a deposit.
- Makes you easy to contact with a phone number and a name, not just a company logo.
How to send a quotation by email, step by step
- Finish the quotation document first. Check the client name, site address, line items, quantities, tax and total. Give it a unique quote number; if you do not have a system yet, see our quotation number format examples.
- Export it as a PDF. PDF keeps your layout fixed on every device and is harder to edit by accident. Name the file clearly, for example Quotation-Q-2026-041-Patel-Kitchen.pdf, not scan001.pdf.
- Reply in the client's thread if one exists. If the client emailed a request, answer that email so the quote sits with their original brief. Otherwise start a new email.
- Write a specific subject line. Include "Quotation" or "Quote", the number and the job.
- Write a short body. Greeting, one line of thanks or context, the scope summary, the headline figures, the validity date and the next step.
- Attach and check. Open the attachment from your sent-items preview to confirm it is the right file. Sending the wrong client's quote is one of the most common and most damaging mistakes.
- Set a reminder. Put a follow-up date in your calendar three to five working days out, and another just before the quote expires.
Subject line examples
| Situation | Subject line |
|---|---|
| New quote | Quotation Q-2026-041: kitchen tiling, 14 Oak Lane |
| Quote with a deadline | Your website redesign quote (valid until 30 Nov) |
| Revised quote | Revised quotation Q-2026-041 Rev 2: reduced scope |
| Reply to a tender or RFQ | RE: RFQ 118 office chairs: quotation from Northline Supplies |
| Quote after a site visit | Following today's visit: quote for roof repair |
The same principles apply to invoices, and our list of invoice email subject lines has more patterns you can adapt.
Template 1: New quotation email
Use this for most first-time quotes. It is deliberately short.
Subject: Quotation Q-2026-041: kitchen tiling, 14 Oak Lane
Hi Priya,
Thanks for showing me the kitchen on Tuesday. Please find attached our quotation Q-2026-041 for removing the old tiles and supplying and fitting 18 square metres of porcelain floor tiles.
Total: 2,340.00 including VAT
Deposit to book: 30% (702.00)
Quote valid until: 12 December 2026
Earliest start: week of 5 JanuaryTo go ahead, just reply "approved" to this email and I will send the deposit invoice and confirm your start date. Happy to talk through any of the items on 07700 900123.
Best regards,
Sam Holt
Holt Tiling
Template 2: Quotation that needs internal approval
Business clients often forward quotes to a finance team or manager. Write the email so it still makes sense when forwarded without context.
Subject: Quotation Q-2026-052: 12-month IT support for Brightway Ltd
Hi Daniel,
As requested, attached is our quotation for managed IT support covering 25 users at your Leeds office.
Summary: monthly fee 875.00 plus VAT, 12-month term, starting 1 January 2027. The quote includes help desk, patching, backups and two on-site visits per month. Hardware is excluded and would be quoted separately.
The price is held until 15 December. If your finance team needs a purchase order raised, our company details and VAT number are on page 1. Once we receive the PO or your written acceptance, we will schedule onboarding.
Kind regards,
Aisha Rahman, Account Manager
If the client issues a purchase order in response, copy the PO number onto every invoice you send for the job; many accounts teams will not pay an invoice that does not quote it.
Template 3: Revised quotation email
When you change a quote, say what changed and make the old version clearly superseded. Never quietly overwrite the number.
Subject: Revised quotation Q-2026-041 Rev 2: reduced scope
Hi Priya,
As discussed, I have removed the splashback from the quote and switched to the 60 x 60 cm tile you preferred. The revised quotation (Rev 2) is attached and replaces the version sent on 12 November.
New total: 1,896.00 including VAT (previously 2,340.00). The validity date has been reset to 19 December 2026.
Everything else, including the start date, stays the same.
Thanks,
Sam
Template 4: Quote sent the same day as a site visit
Subject: Following today's visit: quote for roof repair, 3 Mill Road
Hi Mr Evans,
Thanks for your time this morning. As promised, here is our quotation for replacing the damaged ridge tiles and resealing the chimney flashing. I have included photos of the areas we discussed on page 2.
Total: 1,150.00. No deposit required for this job. The price is valid for 30 days.
If you would like to go ahead, reply to this email or call me and we can book a dry day.
Regards,
Lee
What to put in the email body and what to leave in the PDF
| Put in the email body | Keep in the quotation PDF |
|---|---|
| Quote number and job name | Full itemised line items with quantities and rates |
| One-sentence scope summary | Detailed scope, inclusions and exclusions |
| Total, deposit and validity date | Tax breakdown and subtotal |
| How to accept | Terms and conditions, payment terms |
| Your name and phone number | Business registration, tax number and address |
The validity date deserves a mention in both places. Clients often treat a quote as open-ended unless told otherwise; our guide to the quotation validity period covers how long to hold prices and how to word the clause. Payment and cancellation rules belong in the document itself, and our article on quotation terms and conditions has sample clauses.
Formatting tips that help the quote get read
- Write for a phone screen. Many clients open quotes on a phone first. Short lines and a figures block (total, deposit, valid until) read well on any screen.
- Use one attachment. Combine the quote, drawings and photos into one PDF where possible. Several loose files get lost.
- Keep the file size small. Compress photos so the PDF stays a few megabytes at most; very large attachments can bounce.
- Match names exactly. The client name and address in the email, the quote and the eventual invoice should all match.
- Offer a formal cover letter only when it adds value. Tenders and corporate buyers sometimes expect one; see our quotation letter format for that case.
Common mistakes when emailing a quotation
- Attaching an editable Word or Excel file. The client, or anyone they forward it to, can change the figures. Send PDF.
- No validity date. Without one, a client may try to accept a six-month-old price after material costs have risen.
- Burying the total. If the client has to open the PDF and scroll to find the price, a competitor's clearer quote wins attention.
- Long sales pitches. The client asked for a price. A paragraph about your company history slows them down; put credentials in the PDF or a portfolio link.
- Unclear next step. "Let me know" is weaker than "Reply approved and I will book your start date."
- Sending from a no-reply address. Clients reply to quotes with questions. Make sure replies reach a person.
After you hit send
Log the quote in a simple tracker with the number, client, value, date sent, follow-up date and status. When a client goes quiet, a short, friendly nudge is normal and expected; our quote follow-up email templates give you wording for the first, second and final follow-up. When the client accepts, convert the quote into a deposit invoice or a full invoice using the same line items, so the numbers match exactly. The steps for emailing that invoice are in our guide on how to send an invoice.
You can build the quotation itself in our free invoice generator: add your logo, line items and terms, change the document title to Quotation, and download a clean PDF ready to attach. There is no sign-up, so you can have a quote in the client's inbox within minutes of leaving the site.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write an email to send a quotation?
Keep it short. Use a subject line that names the quote number and the job, greet the client by name, confirm what the quote covers in one sentence, state the total and how long the price is valid, and say how to accept. Attach the quotation as a PDF rather than pasting prices into the body, and sign off with your name and phone number so the client can call with questions.
Should I attach the quotation or put it in the email body?
Attach it as a PDF and repeat only the headline numbers in the body: total, validity date and deposit. A PDF keeps your layout, line items and terms together, prints cleanly and is easy to forward to whoever approves the spend. Prices typed only in an email body are easy to misread, hard to file and often lose formatting on phones.
What subject line should I use for a quotation email?
Put the document type, number and job in the subject so the client can find it later. Examples: Quotation Q-2026-041 for kitchen tiling, 14 Oak Lane, or Your quote for website redesign (valid until 30 November). Avoid vague subjects like Hello or Documents, which are easy to miss and look like spam. If the client sent a request, reply in the same thread instead.
How soon should I send a quotation after a site visit or call?
Aim for the same day or the next working day while the conversation is fresh. Speed signals reliability, and clients who request several quotes often decide in the first few days. If a full quote needs supplier prices, send a short email the same day saying when the quote will arrive, then meet that date.
Is it professional to send a quotation from a Gmail address?
It works, but an address on your own domain looks more established and is less likely to be filtered. Whichever you use, keep the display name as your business name, add a signature with your phone number and address, and make sure the email on the quotation matches the address you send from, so clients know where replies should go.
What should I do if the client does not reply to my quotation email?
Send a polite follow-up after three to five working days asking whether they received it and if anything needs adjusting. A second follow-up a week later, close to the validity date, works well. Keep each message short and helpful, offer a quick call, and stop after two or three attempts so you do not damage the relationship.
Invoice Creator Editorial Team
Guides on invoicing, cash flow and small-business finance from Invoice Creator, operated by Next Software Development Company. Content is reviewed for accuracy against the fields our own invoice generator produces.
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