Which Manufacturing Industries Send the Most RFQs? (2026)
Machinery: 121 of the 1,271 U.S. manufacturing quotes in the 12 months to October 2026, ahead of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering (82) and Electrical & Electronic (50).
Mechanical & Industrial Engineering carried the most quoted value ($35M). Among industries with 20+ quotes, Defense & Space converted best (28%) and Construction held its quote count flat at 37. Most industries sent fewer quotes than a year earlier, Machinery −46%. 614 quotes (48%) have no industry on the account, so the ranking describes the classified half.
The numbers
| Industry | Quotes | vs year before | Quote amount | POs | Quote → PO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machinery | 121 | −46% | $7.7M | 27 | 22% |
| Mech. & Industrial Eng. | 82 | −25% | $35M | 17 | 21% |
| Electrical & Electronic | 50 | −28% | $4.8M | 9 | 18% |
| Construction | 37 | no change | $2.5M | 10 | 27% |
| Aviation & Aerospace | 30 | −55% | $4.8M | 4 | 13% |
| Automotive | 27 | −51% | $1.2M | 5 | 19% |
| Defense & Space | 25 | −60% | $868K | 7 | 28% |
| Building Materials | 17 | −35% | $544K | 4 | — |
| Plastics | 17 | −37% | $427K | 5 | — |
| Oil & Energy | 16 | −27% | $156K | 3 | — |
| Packaging & Containers | 13 | no change | $693K | 4 | — |
| Mining & Metals | 12 | −64% | $2.4M | 4 | — |
Download the data (CSV): Quotes and purchase orders by industry. Notes on the files are on the findings page.
How we measured it
Industry is the account’s primary industry label (name variants merged), not a NAICS code. Quote-to-PO rates are shown only where an industry has at least 20 quotes. Sources: sections 06, 17 and Appendix B of the study.
From Factur’s outbound prospecting for U.S. manufacturing suppliers: every opportunity that reached a quote, its amount, and whether it became a purchase order, plus the calls and emails logged in the CRM, over the 12 months November 2025 – October 2026 compared with the 12 before, by opportunity close date. See the full study for what is and isn’t counted.
Related findings
- Machinery manufacturing quotes and orders
- Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
- Glossary: NAICS vs SIC codes
- All industry pages
Questions
Which manufacturing industries send the most RFQs?
Machinery: 121 of the 1,271 U.S. manufacturing quotes in the 12 months to October 2026, ahead of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering (82) and Electrical & Electronic (50).
Which manufacturing industry has the largest quotes?
Mechanical & Industrial Engineering: $35M quoted from 82 quotes.
Which industry converts the most RFQs into orders?
Among industries with 20+ quotes, Defense & Space (28%) and Construction (27%).
Cite this
Factur (2026). Which Manufacturing Industries Send the Most RFQs? (2026). 2026 U.S. Manufacturing Sales Study. https://data.facturmfg.com/reports/answers/which-industries-send-the-most-rfqs.html
License: CC BY 4.0. Free to cite, quote, embed and reuse with attribution to Factur and a link to this page. Data: November 2025 – October 2026; full study.
Read the full 43-page studyDownload the PDF
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Factur runs outbound prospecting for U.S. manufacturers · facturmfg.com · More free data on U.S. companies by state: Insights