Can C-BOX supply a subrack to our drawing without a tooling charge?

Yes for sheet-metal build-to-print work. Laser cutting, CNC punching, bending and welding are programmed per drawing, so there is no die to pay for and MOQ can be as low as one piece. Tooling charges only appear where a die is genuinely needed — extrusion dies for a new aluminium profile, or a die-cast mould — and those are quoted separately and owned by the customer.

Technical note · 2 November 2026 · Sourcing

19″ subrack MOQ and lead time from China: what actually drives both

Q: What is the minimum order quantity for a 19-inch subrack?

It depends on which of three categories the part falls into. Stock-cleared items start at 10–20 pcs (for example 24560-820 at MOQ 10 and 34561-320 at MOQ 20). Catalogue parts such as 34560-584 carry MOQ 100, while small pressed or turned parts such as 34561-384 and 21100-660 carry MOQ 1,000. Custom builds start from one piece because there is no die to amortise, but the unit price is a prototype price and is quoted with the drawing.

Q: Why is one supplier quoting 15 days and another 40 for the same subrack?

Because the two quotes usually describe different scopes. A 15-day quote is normally catalogue stock plus a machining operation, with finishing subcontracted and the shop assuming your quantity is large enough to run on an existing set-up. A 40-day quote covers new programming, first-article inspection, material bought for that batch, and anodising or powder coating that goes through a controlled line. Both can be honest; they are not the same product. Always ask whether the quoted time includes finishing and first-article inspection.

Short answer: two suppliers quoting the same 19″ subrack at 15 and 40 days are usually not quoting the same scope. Lead time is set by four things — whether the part is catalogue or new, whether programming and first-article inspection are included, whether finishing is in-house, and whether the batch pays for its own material. MOQ is likewise three different numbers, depending on whether the part is stock-cleared, catalogue or build-to-print. This note sets out both, with the price and MOQ figures we publish per part number.

In this note 1 · What sits inside a quoted lead time 2 · MOQ is three different numbers 3 · Real price and MOQ on four part numbers 4 · Why the cheap 15-day quote exists 5 · What to put in the RFQ 6 · Lead times by scenario

1 · What sits inside a quoted lead time

A 19″ subrack is a Eurocard mechanical assembly — our subrack range is representative — built to IEC 60297-3-100 / -101 at 482.6 mm (EIA-310) mounting width. The metal itself is not the slow part; the sequence around it is. On a build-to-print subrack, the working days are consumed roughly like this:

Block	Working days	What the buyer never sees
Drawing review and process routing	2–3	Interface check against the rail, guide and panel stack; which operations must precede finishing
Programming and first off	2–3	Laser / CNC punch programs, bend sequence, weld fixture; the first part is measured, not shipped
Material	5–10	6063 aluminium extrusion is normally stocked; a special cross-section is 2–3 weeks. Steel sheet and stainless are weekly buys
Machining and assembly	7–12	Cutting, punching, bending, tapping, riveting; insertion of the threaded strips
Finishing	5–8	Anodising or powder coating — the block most often subcontracted by trading companies, and where their dates slip
Final assembly, FAI, packing	2–3	Dimensional report and first-article inspection, requested at no extra charge

Added up, a new custom subrack lands around 23–40 working days. That is the honest number, and it is why a catalogue part and a new drawing cannot share a delivery date.

2 · MOQ is three different numbers

“What is your MOQ” has three answers, and they are all true at once:

Stock-cleared items — 10 to 20 pcs. Surplus and end-of-run stock we clear rather than store. This is the cheapest way to test a supplier: 24560-820 (20 HP rail insulation strip) at MOQ 10 and 34561-320 (M2.5 threaded insert for 20 HP rail) at MOQ 20.
Catalogue parts — 100 or 1,000 pcs. The number is printed on each model page, not negotiated: rails, panels and insulating strips sit at 100; small pressed and turned parts sit at 1,000 because that is where a press or a screw machine becomes economic.
Build-to-print — from 1 piece. Laser cutting, CNC punching and bending are programmed, not tooled: there is no die to amortise, so the MOQ is one. What you pay instead is a prototype unit price. Dies only appear where they are physically required — a new extrusion profile or a die-cast mould — and those are quoted separately and belong to the customer.

For a first order, the practical route is a USD 100–300 trial on catalogue parts with no tooling fee, so the interface, the finish and the packing are verified before any volume commitment.

3 · Real price and MOQ on four part numbers

Published figures, EXW Kunshan, for comparison against any quote you are holding. All of them sit inside the 771-part cross-reference, so an existing drawing or an incumbent brand number can be matched directly:

Part number	Item	Price	MOQ
34560-584	Horizontal rail, rear, type H-ST, heavy, 84 HP, anodised	USD 3.50 / pc	100
34561-384	Threaded insert (strip nut), M2.5, for 84 HP rail	USD 0.30 / pc	1,000
21100-660	Sleeve for M2.5, brass, nickel plated (100 pcs pack)	USD 0.10 / pc	1,000
24560-884	Horizontal rail insulation strip, 84 HP, polycarbonate	USD 0.60 / pc	1,000

If the job is a shielded assembly rather than a plain cage, the frame parts that close each EMC joint are set out in the companion note on the six contact points in a 19″ subrack.

Two things follow. First, the subrack kit itself — the 24563-133 3 U × 84 HP × 295 mm shielded kit for backplane mounting — is priced on quantity, finish and machining, not on a list price. Second, on small parts the MOQ step matters more than the unit price: an insert at USD 0.30 across 1,000 pcs is USD 300 of material, while the same insert bought as a 20-piece clearance lot costs USD 0.56 each. Whether to buy the small lot or the full box is a project decision, not a supplier preference, and we quote both.

4 · Why the cheap 15-day quote exists

Four mechanisms produce a date the factory cannot hold:

Finishing is subcontracted. Anodising and powder coating are the queue nobody controls. A shop that sends parts out quotes the machining it owns and hopes the finishing line is free.
The quote assumes an existing set-up. “15 days” often means: we already run this rail, so your batch joins the next run. Change the depth, the HP width or the gasket and the set-up disappears — the date does not.
First-article inspection is excluded. The price looks sharp because nobody measured the first part. If your incoming inspection is strict, that becomes your problem at goods-in.
Material is priced at a quantity you did not order. A 1,000-pc material buy is cheap; a 100-pc buy from a distributor is not. When the real quantity appears, the date and the price both move.

5 · What to put in the RFQ so the lead time is real

Five lines save a week of correspondence:

Part number, or a drawing with the interface dimensions (U height, HP width, depth, rail type).
Quantity per line and whether it is a one-off or a repeat — the second changes the set-up decision.
Finish, and the standard it must meet (clear or black anodised, RAL number for powder).
Whether EMC contact is required, and at which joints — rail to panel, or panel to gasket.
Whether first-article inspection and a dimensional report must travel with the shipment.

Asked this way, the answer you get back is a scope, not a wish. We quote within 24 hours on standard items and 3–5 days on custom builds that need a drawing review and process routing, and the lead time is stated on the quotation rather than in the email.

6 · Lead times by scenario

Scenario	Typical lead time	Counted from
Standard catalogue parts	about 10 calendar days	Order confirmation and deposit
19″ cabinets	about 21 calendar days	Order confirmation and deposit
Catalogue part with a modification (holes, cut-outs, silkscreen, colour)	the catalogue time plus the finishing and re-inspection steps, stated on the quotation	Drawing approval
Build-to-print subrack or chassis	quoted per drawing, typically 23–40 working days	Drawing approval and first-article sign-off

Chinese statutory holidays are not counted and extend the delivery date accordingly. Nothing here replaces a quotation: the point is that the number on it can be traced to a block on the table above.

Frequently asked

What is the minimum order quantity for a 19-inch subrack?

Three tiers: stock-cleared items at 10–20 pcs, catalogue parts at 100 or 1,000 pcs as printed on the model page, and build-to-print work from 1 piece with a prototype unit price.

Why is one supplier quoting 15 days and another 40 for the same subrack?

Usually a different scope: stock plus one operation, with finishing subcontracted, versus new programming, own material, controlled finishing and first-article inspection. Ask whether finishing and FAI are inside the date.

Can C-BOX build to our drawing without a tooling charge?

Yes for sheet-metal work — laser, punch, bend and weld are programmed per drawing, so MOQ can be one piece. Tooling charges apply only where a die is genuinely needed (new extrusion profile, die-cast mould), and the tooling belongs to the customer.

Next step. Send the part number or the drawing with the target quantity. We come back with unit price, MOQ, lead time and the process route behind it — and if a cheaper route exists (stock-cleared lot, standard finish, split shipment), we say so in the same reply. Request a quotation.