What every garment inspection covers
Garments are counted by style, colour and size, sampled from packed cartons, and checked piece by piece on a clean, well-lit table. The checklist follows your purchase order, size chart and approved sample. Without those three documents, the inspector can only report what is there, not whether it is right.
- Quantity and assortment. Packed and unpacked quantity by style, colour and size, and the size ratio in each carton against the packing list.
- Measurements. Each point of measure on the size chart, such as chest, body length, sleeve, waist, inseam and neck opening, on several pieces per size. Results are recorded against your tolerance, not a general one.
- Workmanship. Open seams, skipped and broken stitches, stitches per inch, puckering, uneven hems, raw edges, untrimmed threads, stains, holes and pressing marks.
- Fabric. Shade against the approved swatch under the same light, shade between panels of one garment, weight, hand feel, weaving or knitting faults, and print quality.
- Trims and accessories. Buttons, snaps, zips, elastic, drawcords, labels and embellishments: right type and colour, securely attached, working smoothly.
- Labels. Fibre content, country of origin, care instructions, size, the importer's identity, and any brand, barcode or price ticket.
- Packing. Folding, polybag size and warnings, hangers if specified, carton dimensions and strength, shipping marks, and barcode scans.
On-site tests usually include a pull test on buttons and snaps, a wet and dry rub on dark shades, a barcode scan, and a carton drop test. Sample sizes follow ISO 2859-1; see the AQL guide. We confirm the number of man-days before you book.
How the checklist changes by product
A knit T-shirt and a pair of jeans share a size chart and a care label, and very little else. The product pages below set out the checks that belong to each type.
| Product | What the inspector adds |
|---|---|
| T-shirts and knit tops | Side-seam twist after washing, neck rib recovery, print adhesion, GSM against the order |
| Woven shirts | Collar and cuff fusing, stripe and check matching, buttonhole cutting, seam pucker |
| Denim jeans | Wash shade bands, leg twist, rivet and shank-button attachment, indigo crocking |
| Children's clothing | Drawstrings, snap and button security, sharp points, tracking labels, certificates |
| Nightwear and loungewear | Tight-fit dimensions and hangtags on children's sleepwear, fire-safety labels, brushed fabrics |
| Kurtas and ethnic wear | Set completeness, dye bleeding between pieces of a set, dupatta finish |
| Embroidered garments | Bead, sequin and mirror security, reverse-side finish, thread bleeding |
| Scarves and stoles | Hem finish, squareness, print penetration, fibre naming of viscose and silk |
Woollen sweaters are covered under woollen knitwear.
How garment defects are classed
Every defect found is recorded with a photo and placed in one of three classes. Your defect list decides the final class; where you have none, we agree one with you before the visit.
| Class | Meaning | Garment examples |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | Could injure the wearer or breaks a legal requirement | Broken needle in a garment, a drawstring in the hood of a child's jacket, a snap that pulls off a babygrow, a missing fibre or origin label if your list classes it so |
| Major | Likely to cause a return or make the garment unsaleable | Open seam, measurement out of tolerance, wrong colour or shade band, broken zip, hole, stain on the front |
| Minor | A visible flaw that does not stop the sale | Untrimmed thread, slight pucker on an inside seam, small mark on an inside panel |
Factories in India often have a needle control policy and a metal detector for children's and some adult orders. The inspector checks that the broken-needle log is kept and, where you require it, passes cartons through the detector.
Market rules that apply to apparel
An inspection checks labels, documents and what can be seen and measured on the goods. Flammability, fibre analysis and chemical tests are done by an accredited lab; we can pull and seal the samples.
| Market | Rule | What it means at the factory |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Textile Fiber Products Identification Act, 16 CFR 303 | Generic fibre names and percentages, country of origin and the importer's name or RN. On garments with a neck, the origin goes on a label at the inside centre of the neck |
| United States | Care Labeling Rule, 16 CFR 423 | A permanent care label that stays legible for the life of the garment and gives at least one safe method of care |
| United States | 16 CFR 1610 | Apparel fabric must not be Class 3. Light cotton and viscose and brushed or pile fabrics need lab tests |
| United States | CPSIA and 16 CFR 1120 | Children's garments: lead limits, tracking labels, a Children's Product Certificate, and no hood or neck drawstrings in children's upper outerwear |
| United States | Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act | Goods made wholly or partly in Xinjiang are presumed to be made with forced labour and are refused entry unless the importer proves otherwise. Ask for cotton and yarn traceability, especially where yarn or fabric is bought in |
| European Union | Regulation (EU) 1007/2011 | Fibre names from the regulation's list, with percentages, in the language of each country of sale |
| European Union | REACH Annex XVII | Azo amines (entry 43), nickel release from rivets, buttons and zips (entry 27), nonylphenol ethoxylates (entry 46a) and CMR substances in clothing (entry 72) |
| Canada | Textile Labelling Act | Fibre content in English and French, and the dealer's name and address or CA number |
Buyers often add their own restricted substances list and OEKO-TEX or GOTS claims; see OEKO-TEX and GOTS and azo dyes and restricted substances. For the full import picture, see importing into the USA and importing into the EU.
Where garments are made in India
The government names Towns of Export Excellence for a specific product. Five of them are garment towns:
| Town | Listed product | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tirupur, Tamil Nadu | Hosiery | DGFT Appendix 1B |
| Ludhiana, Punjab | Woollen knitwear | DGFT Appendix 1B |
| Gurgaon, Haryana | Apparel | DGFT Appendix 1B |
| Noida, Uttar Pradesh | Apparel products | DGFT Appendix 1B |
| Faridabad, Haryana | Apparel | Foreign Trade Policy 2023 (DGFT presentation, 31 March 2023) |
IBEF reports readymade garment exports of US$15.77 billion in FY2025-26, with the USA taking about a third. Cotton T-shirts, cotton dresses, baby garments, knitted shirts and nightdresses are among the leading items (IBEF, page updated October 2026).
Gurgaon, Noida and Faridabad are in Delhi NCR, where Clear To Load has inspectors. Tirupur and Ludhiana are reached by travel from our bases; see pricing for travel bands. The product pages below cover each garment type in detail.
When to inspect a garment order
- Pre-production. Bulk fabric shade and weight against the approved lab dip and swatch, trims against the trim card, and the pre-production sample against your comments. Fabric problems are cheapest to fix before cutting.
- During production. The first finished pieces off each line, checked for fit, measurements and workmanship while the rest of the order can still be corrected.
- Pre-shipment. When the order is finished and mostly packed, so cartons can be drawn at random. This is the inspection that leads to a Cleared to load, Hold or Not cleared verdict.
- Container loading. Carton count, condition and seal number, useful when several factories ship in one container.
Garment factories often send cutting, embroidery, printing or washing to outside units. Ask which steps are subcontracted. A factory audit shows what is done in-house before you place the order.
Sources
- DGFT: Appendix 1B, Towns of Export Excellence
- DGFT: Foreign Trade Policy 2023 presentation (new TEEs incl. Faridabad, apparel)
- PIB: Foreign Trade Policy 2023 announced (31 Mar 2023)
- IBEF: Apparel industry and exports (updated Oct 2026)
- eCFR: 16 CFR Part 303, Textile Fiber Products Identification Act rules
- eCFR: 16 CFR Part 423, Care Labeling Rule
- eCFR: 16 CFR Part 1610, flammability of clothing textiles
- Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 on textile fibre names and labelling
- REACH, Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006
- US CBP: Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act