UNDERSTANDING

APPAREL QUALITY
Lecture – 03
Contents
• Inspection
• Testing
• Difference between Inspection and Testing
• Types of Inspection and Testing
• Understanding of Inspection and Inspection loop. Stages
of Inspection in Apparel Production, Pilot run, Final
inspection for continuous production
• Defects terminology- Critical, Major, Minor
INSPECTION
• Inspection is the visual examination or review of materials,
product components and Finished product on the basis of
their adherence to some established set of standard,
specification or requirement.
• It is at the discretion of individual companies to determine
which stages of development, manufacturing, and
distribution products will be evaluated and inspected for
compliance.
• Example :- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo3s-
R7QxtE
TESTING
• Testing refers to the activity of putting fabric, Trims,
garments in a controlled atmosphere and assessing the
characteristics of the same. Testing requires the
understanding of the principles of the procedures of
testing,certain degree of skill to carry out the testsand
expertise to interpret the report results and ability to
correlate results with performance.
• Testing requires use of specialized machines.

• Example :- https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=idwgIaOqdZU
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TESTING AND
INSPECTION
TYPES OF TESTING
• There are two main categories of tests: destructive and
nondestructive.
• Destructive tests require specimens to be cut from the
lab sample, whereas nondestructive tests allow for
measurements to be taken on a material or finished
product without causing damage.
• Wear testing allows a designer, manufacturer, or product
developer to evaluate the performance of a product in the
environment in which the consumer will use it, also known
as wear-service conditions
TESTING
• Laboratory Testing:- Defined as evaluating, characteristics
or performance of material using Standard Procedures in
a specialized facility.
• Testing – Controlled atmosphere, trained technicians
• Supplier Testing:- Company supplying the material tests
their product.
• In- house Testing:- Costly , Done by the companies
producing the product.
• Independent Testing:- Contract testing,
TYPES OF INSPECTION
• Inspection and evaluation involve the visual assessment and
physical measurement to determine acceptability and ensure
compliance with required specifications and allowed tolerances.
• Inspectors are individuals who are trained to conduct visual
examinations of raw materials and sewn garments to effectively
assess products and determine if they will meet brand or
customer expectations in relation to appearance, size,
performance, and function. Whereas testing provides hard data
relating directly to product performance and function, visual
inspection can also signal problem areas, such as missed or
broken stitches that can lead to seam failure. Written
specification standards are used by inspectors to compare
materials and products to determine if they meet established
requirements.
• Inspection is critical because it allows for fabric or garment defects to be
identified and traced (if necessary) so corrective measures can be taken.
This lessens the incidence of the same types of faults from occurring
repeatedly.
• Product inspections are conducted by inspectors to visually determine if
garments comply with product specifications and dimension tolerances.
When evaluating garment dimensions, measuring tapes, rulers, or
templates are used.
• A standard inspection procedure (SIP) includes step-by-step instructions
for evaluating garments that must be followed so that each garment is
inspected the same way, to provide accurate and consistent results.
Within these procedures, specific details pertaining to defects that may be
present are well defined, and the classification of the flaw (critical, major,
or minor) is also indicated. . Inspectors must draw on their experience and
use good judgment to determine if a defect is something that will prevent
a customer from purchasing the garment or cause them to return it.
LEVELS OF INSPECTION
• No inspections- Not used in apparel industry. No
inspection means the processes are stable and no
variable would effect the output. This can also mean
losing customers.
• Inspection by Random Sampling:- which requires
inspection of a specific percentage, typically 10 percent of
a shipment regardless of the number of units, and
acceptance or rejection of an entire shipment based solely
on those evaluated garments. This method does have its
drawbacks, such as the number of units being too large to
effectively inspect or too small to be representative of the
shipment.
• inspection by statistical sampling:- which is similar to random sampling
except acceptance or rejection is based on statistics, reducing the risk of
under-inspecting smaller shipments or over-inspecting larger ones.AQL
table is used for the same
• ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 and ISO 2859 standards provide sampling procedures
for inspection by attributes. The tables in these methods provide ranges of
designated lot sizes and sample sizes as well as the corresponding
percentages for determining the acceptable quality level (AQL). AQL is the
maximum percent of defective products allowed for inspection sampling to
be deemed satisfactory when using these standards. For example, a lot
size of 500 units will have a sample size of 50 and an AQL of 4.0 percent.
• 100 percent inspection, where each unit of every shipment is inspected,
and individual garments are accepted or rejected. Although this is the most
thorough method, it is very time consuming and cost prohibitive unless the
level and severity of defects requires every unit to be re-inspected.
•
AQL
• The general levels of inspection defined in the ANSI/ASQ Z 1.4
Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection by Attributes standard
include normal, tightened, and reduced.Normal inspection (level II) is
used when the acceptance quality limit is consistently met. In general, if
the percentage of defects exceeds the acceptance quality limit, having
two out of five consecutive unacceptable shipments or lots, the level is
raised to tightened inspection (level III) status. This heightened status
will usually return to normal inspection (level II) once five consecutive
shipments or lots are found to be acceptable. In the event that 10
shipments or lots are meeting acceptance quality limits under level II
normal inspection, then reduced inspection (level I) status may be
instituted. “Under reduced inspection (level I), the sampling procedure
may terminate without [the inspector] making a decision. In these
circumstances, the lot or batch will be considered acceptable, but
normal inspection (level II) will be reinstated starting with the next lot or
batch.
• In process Inspection - Fabrics are spread and cut after
inspection. It is important for workers to make sure the
layup (total number of plies in a fabric spread) is relaxed,
on-grain, and properly aligned with the correct nap
direction, if applicable. Assembly, seam appearance, and
garment shape can be affected if not cut properly. As
garment pieces are offloaded from the cutting table, they
need to be checked to make sure the placement of
notches and drill holes are correct, shades from different
dye lots are marked, and pieces are checked to ensure
sizes are bundled properly.
• End-item inspection, also known as finished product
inspection, generally takes place once the production run
is 100 percent assembled and a minimum of 80 percent is
packaged. When workmanship defects are detected, they
are documented to indicate the problem, tagged, and sent
back to the sewing floor to be reworked. Garments that
cannot be repaired are discarded and referred to as
scrap. During end-item inspection, stitching, seam
construction, attachment of findings and trims, placement
of pockets, matching of patterns, garment dimensions,
appearance, coloration, and packaging are all evaluated
to determine conformity with specification standards.
AQL TABLE
INSPECTION LOOP
Detection of
Inspection
Defects

Feedback of
Correction of these defects
the defects to appropriate
Personnel

Determination
of causes of
defects
STAGES OF INSPECTION IN APPAREL
INDUSTRY
• Pre Production Inspection
• Initial Inspection or Pilot Lot Inspection
• In process Inspection – Close to the source
• In line Inspection – Random sample selection
• End Line Inspection – 100 %
• Final Random Inspection – done by the buyer
Pre Production Inspection
• Sample Inspection –
• Requirements of the buyer – Lab dips, Washing , Tests ,
Paper patterns, Markers, measurements.
• Labels ( trims , color, quality and Text)
• Hand Feel
Initial Inspection or Pilot Lot Inspection

• Color
• Workmanship
• Accessories or Trims Quality
• Final garments conformance to buyers standards
In process Inspection
• Done by the operator.
• Aim :- to identify any defect at an early stage. Example
inspection for holes/ stains by a Operator during
Spreading
In line Inspection
• Random sample selection in the line based on complexity
and Ease of repair
• Example in a shirt – collar attachment
Random final Inspection
• Based on AQL chart and Critical major and minor defined
by the consumer
• Done by the buyer or a representative of buyer.
• The representative requires –
• A. 80% complete production
• B. Approved sample
• Approved Spec sheet
• Trim card
• Packing list
• Purchase order
Types of defects
• A defect is a flaw that deviates from the level of
quality planned for materials and garments. When a
product has a number of flaws it can be deemed defective
because it may no longer satisfy the intended appearance
or functional characteristics desired for the product’s use.
• According to ANSI/ASQ Z 1.4 Sampling Procedures and
Tables for Inspection by Attributes, apparel defects can be
classified by three rating categories: critical defects, major
defects, and minor defects.
DEFECTS CLASSIFICATION
• Critical defects are severe flaws that can cause minor to fatal
injuries or unsafe conditions during use and maintenance of the
product. Injuries can range from a cut on the skin caused by a
broken needle or straight pin that has been stitched into the
garment, to a scrape from a prong cap of a no-sew snap or metal
eyelet that has not been completely secured/attached, to severe
injury or death caused by burns from a flammable children’s
garment in which the required garment label was missing. This type
of defect typically involves legislative requirements for safety, as well
as other labeling requirements that must be adhered to for legal sale
of the merchandise.
• The entire shipment fails inspection when a critical defect is found,
even if only one defect is discovered. If the critical defect can be
remedied, the entire shipment must be re-inspected and approved in
order for goods to be sold to consumers.
• Major defects impact the functional performance of a
product, meaning it is highly likely the defect will cause
product failure at some point during usage. Major defects
can include a faulty zipper or an open seam.
• Minor defects Flaws that only impact the aesthetic
appearance of a garment are rated as minor defects.
These defects include color differences of component
materials (mismatched dye lots) or a stain on the fabric.
Even though minor defects are aesthetic in nature, they
are still undesirable and should be avoided in order to
maintain brand integrity and the customer’s perception of
quality the brand offers.
DEFECTS AND NON CONFORMANCES
• A defect is a condition in a product which will have adverse
affect on the appearance, serviceability or the salability of
the product. Examples of the same can be broken button or
open seam.
• Non conformance simply means not meeting the
requirements. For example if the buyer asks for size
distribution of 4 pieces of XL, 6 pieces of L and the
manufacturer packs 4 pieces of L and 6 pieces of XL.

• A defect can be non conformance but a non conformance

may not be defect. Example stained garment is a defect and
non conformance because it affects appearance and is not
meeting the requirement of a clean garment.