Inspect trims at goods-in, not on the sewing line. Pull the sample size for your lot under AQL 2.5, run six checks, and photograph every defect next to the carton label. A claim raised inside the agreed window with batch evidence is usually settled; one raised six weeks later rarely is.
Sample size: use the table, not instinct
AQL inspection follows ISO 2859-1. For general inspection level II, AQL 2.5 for major defects and 4.0 for minor, these are the sample sizes buyers normally work to. "Major" means the part cannot be used or will fail in wear; "minor" means it is off-spec but still functional.
| Lot size (pcs) | Sample size | Accept at AQL 2.5 | Reject at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 151–280 | 32 | 2 | 3 |
| 281–500 | 50 | 3 | 4 |
| 501–1,200 | 80 | 5 | 6 |
| 1,201–3,200 | 125 | 7 | 8 |
| 3,201–10,000 | 200 | 10 | 11 |
| 10,001–35,000 | 315 | 14 | 15 |
| 35,001–150,000 | 500 | 21 | 22 |
Draw the samples from at least three cartons, not from the top layer of one. Carton-to-carton variation is where plating and colour problems hide: the top carton is often the one the factory packed last and checked most carefully.
Timing matters as much as the count. Inspect on the day the pallet lands, before it is put away in the warehouse, because once the cartons are mixed into stock the batch number stops meaning anything.
The six checks that catch most defects
- Colour against the approved lab dip, under D65 first, then TL84. Ten seconds per part; staring longer adapts the eye and hides differences. If the dip was never approved physically, that is the first finding.
- Count and size. Weigh or count one inner box and extrapolate. Short counts of 1–2% are common and expensive on a 50,000-piece order.
- Plating and surface: pits, blisters, peeling at the rim, burrs on the back, scratches from bulk packing.
- Function: five pieces per lot on a pull stand to the specified load; ten open-close cycles on snaps; fifty slider cycles on zips.
- Marking: logo depth and orientation, size and colour on labels, care and content wording against the signed artwork.
- Packing: inner box count, poly bag, desiccant where specified, carton mark and batch number.
Those six cover the failure modes that reach a chargeback. The defect-to-cost breakdown explains what each one costs once the goods are sewn, and the pull-test and salt spray thresholds give you the numbers to test against when a check fails.
Document as if you will need it
A claim lives or dies on evidence. Photograph the defect next to a ruler and next to the carton label showing the batch number. Keep the defective parts — do not return them immediately. A factory cannot investigate a part it never sees, and a supplier who is denied the evidence will treat the claim as a price negotiation.
Write one line per defect: what it is, how many, which carton, which batch, and what the specification said. That sentence, repeated per defect, is the whole claim. Add the inspection date and the sample size, so the numbers can be checked against the AQL table.
Claim windows, and why timing decides outcomes
Most suppliers accept claims within 14 days of arrival, some within 30. The window exists for a reason: after the goods have been cut, sewn and shipped, causation cannot be established — a peeled button could have been plated badly or washed wrongly, and nobody can prove which.
Two practical rules follow. Inspect the first carton on the day it lands. And if a defect is found, quarantine the balance of the shipment instead of consuming it while the claim is discussed.
Pre-shipment inspection beats goods-in inspection
On large orders, inspect at the factory before the container loads. A plating or colour problem caught there costs a week; caught at your warehouse it costs air freight, a re-cut, or a markdown.
Ask for a pre-shipment inspection slot in the PO, and ask what the factory's own batch record shows for that lot: pull test, salt spray hours, colour measurement. If those records exist against the batch number, your goods-in check becomes a confirmation instead of a discovery. How we test and record each batch covers what that record contains.
A one-page goods-in checklist
- Approved lab dip and signed artwork on the table before opening the first carton
- Sample size pulled per the AQL table, spread across three cartons
- Six checks completed, results written, not remembered
- Defects photographed with ruler and carton label, sample parts retained
- Count verified by check-weigh, inner box and carton marks compared
- Claim raised inside the agreed window, with batch number and specification quoted
That page takes about forty minutes on a 10,000-piece lot, and it is the cheapest insurance in the whole trim programme.
FAQ
Send a photo of the defect with the carton label and the batch number, and we will tell you whether it is a production fault, a setting fault or a specification gap — and what we would change in the next lot.
Senfa Mfg Email: [email protected]
Last updated: 2026-11-07