What quality control actually covers on an underwear order
Most quality disputes are not caused by a supplier who cannot sew. They are caused by a specification that was never written down, or by an inspection that happened once, at the end, when correcting anything had already become expensive. This guide sets out the five checkpoints we run on a knitted underwear programme and, more usefully, what a buyer should verify at each one.
Our programmes run in partner factories in the Xiamen–Quanzhou–Jinjiang knitwear cluster of Fujian Province. Those factories hold the amfori BSCI audit position; the fabrics are OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified. We are a sourcing and supply-chain partner rather than a factory owner, which is why the inspection standard is described here as ours rather than the building’s.
The five checkpoints
1. Incoming fabric, before it reaches a needle
Every fabric batch is checked before cutting rather than after the goods are finished. What is verified: composition against the approved specification, weight per square metre, shrinkage after repeated washing, colourfastness, and pH for skin-contact fabrics. On a colour-critical style, the batch is also checked against the approved lab dip rather than against a screen.
2. In-line checks during production
In-line inspection happens while the goods are still on the line, where a fault can still be corrected in the same run. The checkpoints that catch the most are the cut (against the graded pattern), the join at the side seam and gusset, the waistband tension, and the stitch density. An inspector who only appears after packing is measuring history.
3. The golden sample, sealed before bulk
Before bulk production begins, a reference unit is produced and signed off by both sides. Every later inspection measures against that sealed sample. This is the single control that prevents the most common dispute on a repeat order — a garment that matches the specification and still feels different in the hand, because the shade, the waistband recovery or the finishing drifted between runs.
4. Final inspection at AQL 2.5, Level II
Final inspection is carried out after packing, on a random sample, at AQL 2.5, Level II: zero critical defects, major defects at or below 2.5%, minor defects at or below 4.0%. For a 5,000-piece order that means roughly 200 units inspected. The inspection measures against the sealed golden sample and the approved specification, including measurements, labelling and packing.
5. Packing and pre-shipment confirmation
Packing is checked against the agreed specification — polybag, barcode placement, carton configuration and any channel-specific prep — and pre-shipment photographs are issued together with the shipping documents so the goods and the paperwork can be reconciled before the container leaves.
What a buyer can verify, and how
- Ask for the inline checkpoints, not only the final inspection. A supplier who can describe only the final inspection is describing a filter, not a control.
- Confirm the standard in writing: AQL 2.5, Level II, zero critical defects, measured against a sealed golden sample.
- Ask for the material test reports for the fabric batch before cutting, and compare them with the composition on your approved specification.
- Appoint a third party if you want one. SGS, Intertek, Bureau Veritas or your own QC team are welcome to attend the final inspection, and they inspect against the same sealed sample.
- Ask what happens on a fail. The goods should be held rather than shipped, and nothing should leave against a failed inspection without your written agreement.
What is not covered by an inspection
Inspection verifies the goods against the specification. It does not verify that the specification was right for your market, and it does not verify the fit on a body. Those are settled earlier, at sampling: this is why the fitting sample and the sealed golden sample matter more than any inspection report. If the brief was wrong, a clean inspection report simply confirms that the wrong garment was made correctly. Our MOQ guide and packaging and labelling guide cover the two specification areas buyers most often leave until too late.
· Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd. — OEM & ODM underwear sourcing partner
| Supplier | Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.) — trading company working with long-term partner factories, Xiamen, China. |
|---|---|
| Checkpoint 1 — Incoming fabric | Checked before cutting: composition, GSM, shrinkage, colourfastness and pH for skin-contact fabrics, against the approved specification and lab dip |
| Checkpoint 2 — In-line | Cut against the graded pattern, side seam and gusset join, waistband tension, stitch density — corrected in the same run |
| Checkpoint 3 — Golden sample | A reference unit sealed and signed by both sides before bulk begins; every later inspection measures against it |
| Checkpoint 4 — Final inspection | After packing, on a random sample, at AQL 2.5, Level II: zero critical, major ≤2.5%, minor ≤4.0% |
| Checkpoint 5 — Packing and pre-shipment | Packing checked against specification; pre-shipment photographs issued with the shipping documents |
| Fabric standards checked | Composition, weight per square metre, shrinkage after repeated washing, colourfastness, pH (skin contact) |
| Inspection standard | AQL 2.5, Level II, against the sealed golden sample |
| Third-party inspection | SGS, Intertek, Bureau Veritas or the buyer's own QC team, against the same sealed sample |
| Compliance | OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified fabrics; amfori BSCI audit position at the production site |
Buyer checklist
- Ask for the inline checkpoints rather than only the final inspection, because a final inspection alone is a filter rather than a control.
- Confirm the inspection standard in writing: AQL 2.5, Level II, zero critical defects, measured against a sealed golden sample.
- Request the fabric test reports for the batch before cutting, and check the composition against your approved specification.
- Require the golden sample to be sealed and signed before bulk begins, and keep your own reference unit.
- Make sure fabric is checked before it is cut, not after the goods are finished.
- Agree in advance what happens on a failed inspection: goods held, not shipped, and no shipment against a fail without your written agreement.
- Decide whether to appoint a third-party inspector for the first order, and tell the supplier before the inspection window rather than during it.
- Agree the packing specification before production, because packing is a factory-stage decision.
Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.)
Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.) — OEM/ODM underwear sourcing and supply-chain partner in Xiamen, China; in the trade since 2009, incorporated in 2013. Based in the Xiamen–Quanzhou–Jinjiang knitwear cluster, Fujian Province, south-east China.