Key takeaways
- SGS scores 14 of 18 on our rubric and Clear To Load scores 10. SGS wins on accreditation, booking, report speed and reach.
- SGS India was founded in 1950 and is based in Mumbai. Its India directory lists 39 locations, with labs in Tirupur, Chennai, Manesar and Bengaluru among others.
- SGS publishes a furniture inspection service with raw material checks, reports on completion and SGS container seals on request.
- SGS publishes no inspection price. Clear To Load publishes US$249 per man-day plus a travel fee outside Jodhpur.
- Clear To Load works only in India, is not yet accredited and has no own laboratory.
Clear To Load vs SGS at a glance
Disclosure: Clear To Load publishes this page and is one of the two companies compared. Every statement about SGS comes from SGS's own website, checked on 14 Oct 2026 and listed under Sources. If anything here is out of date, email hello@cleartoload.com and we will correct it.
| Criterion | SGS | Clear To Load |
|---|---|---|
| Who they are | Global testing, inspection and certification group, more than 145 years old: over 2,500 labs and business facilities in 115 countries and over 100,000 people | Independent inspection company in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, founded 2017 |
| Consumer goods inspectors | More than 2,000 worldwide; SGS says all are science or technology graduates and more than half have over five years with SGS | Staff inspectors in Jodhpur, Jaipur, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Delhi NCR and Kolkata, plus vetted freelance inspectors |
| India presence | SGS India, founded 1950, head office in Vikhroli, Mumbai; 39 locations in its India contact directory | Head office in Jodhpur; every Indian city assigned to one of three travel bands |
| Inspection types | Initial production check, during production check, final random inspection, loading and unloading supervision; a pre-production raw material check for furniture | Pre-production, during production and pre-shipment inspection, container loading supervision, factory audit |
| Booking | SGS Online Booking, linked from its India product inspection page | Online booking request, confirmed within 24 hours |
| Report | Furniture page: written reports "immediately on completion" | Within 24 hours, ending in Cleared to load, Hold or Not cleared |
| Published price | None on the pages checked | US$249 per man-day; travel fee outside Jodhpur (see pricing) |
| Inspection accreditation | On its own site: ISO/IEC 17020 from the GCC Accreditation Center for its Gulf inspection services. India's NABCB register also lists SGS India (see below) | Not yet accredited; ISO/IEC 17020 accreditation in progress |
Scored on our published rubric
We use the same six-point rubric as our list of quality inspection companies in India. Each criterion scores 0 to 3, from what the company publishes on its own website and, for accreditation, India's NABCB register (checked 14 Oct 2026).
| Criterion | SGS | Clear To Load |
|---|---|---|
| Accreditation | 3: ISO/IEC 17020 for Gulf inspection services, and in India (NABCB IB 003) for textiles and garments, leather goods, and furniture, gift articles and handicrafts | 0: not yet accredited |
| India presence | 2: offices in India; consumer goods inspection cities not named | 3: Jodhpur office and named cities with inspectors |
| Price transparency | 0: no price published | 2: day rate published, travel extra outside Jodhpur |
| Booking | 3: online booking tool | 2: online request, confirmed within 24 hours |
| Report speed | 3: written report on completion | 2: within 24 hours |
| Reach | 3: 115 countries | 1: India only |
| Total | 14 / 18 | 10 / 18 |
Updated 15 Oct 2026: on rechecking SGS India's NABCB entry, we raised SGS's accreditation score from 2 to 3 and its total from 13 to 14. Its Indian scope covers furniture and other general consumer goods, not only garments and home textiles as our earlier version said.
The rubric scores what a buyer can check before booking. It does not measure inspector skill or report quality; test those with a sample report and a first order.
SGS in India: offices, labs and accreditation
SGS India's contact directory lists 39 locations. The head office is SGS House in Vikhroli, Mumbai. Labs are listed in Tirupur, Chennai, Manesar, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Pune, Navi Mumbai and Ahmedabad, and offices in Ludhiana, Karur, Coimbatore and Jamnagar, among others. The directory does not say which locations handle consumer goods inspection, which is why SGS scores 2 rather than 3 for India presence.
On accreditation, SGS's own news page (July 2024) states ISO/IEC 17020 accreditation from the GCC Accreditation Center for its Gulf inspection services. India's accreditation register, kept by NABCB, separately lists SGS India Pvt Ltd as an ISO/IEC 17020 Type A inspection body (certificate IB 003, valid to 23 Dec 2028). Its long scope schedule includes stage and final inspection of textiles and garments (IAF scope 04), leather goods such as shoes, jackets and accessories (05), and wood products, namely furniture plus some gift articles and handicrafts (06). Since 14 Oct 2026 our rubric counts the NABCB register for accreditation. That scope covers general consumer goods, so SGS scores 3, as Bureau Veritas does (rechecked 15 Oct 2026). If your contract requires an accredited body in India, ask SGS to inspect under IB 003 and confirm the scope covers your product.
Furniture inspection: what SGS publishes and how we compare
SGS publishes a dedicated furniture inspection service, which helps if you buy furniture from India. The table sets its stated service against ours.
| Step | SGS (furniture page) | Clear To Load |
|---|---|---|
| Before production | Pre-production check of raw materials such as wood and metal | Pre-production inspection of raw materials, components and the approved sample |
| Inspectors | All specialise by product range | Based in furniture clusters: Jodhpur, Jaipur and Saharanpur |
| Wood moisture | Not mentioned on the page | Checked against a target, typically 8–11%, set by your market's climate (our default limit is 11%); see wood moisture content |
| Report | Written report immediately on completion | Within 24 hours, after supervisor review, with a verdict |
| Loading | Loading supervision; SGS seals on containers at the client's request | Container loading supervision, with container and seal photos in the report |
Our published sample reports show real furniture findings, such as a mango wood cabinet that tipped forward with its drawers open (Sample 05, Jodhpur). See also furniture inspection in India.
What an order costs: a worked example
SGS publishes no inspection price, so you need a quote. Clear To Load's price is fixed by two published numbers: US$249 per man-day and the travel band of the factory's city.
Example: a final inspection of dining tables at a factory in Jaipur that needs two man-days. Jaipur is in Band B, so the fee is 2 × (US$249 + US$99) = US$696, report included. In Jodhpur (Band A) the same job is US$498. If the goods fail and need checking again, a reinspection is US$149.
Ask SGS for a written quote for the same job and compare the total, including travel and the cost of a reinspection. Our guide to inspection prices in India compares published man-day rates.
Choose SGS if… Choose Clear To Load if…
Choose SGS if your retailer or contract names SGS or requires an accredited inspection body; you buy furniture, textiles, leather goods or handicrafts and want inspection under SGS India's NABCB scope; you want SGS seals on your containers; or you source from several countries under one programme.
Choose Clear To Load if your goods are made in India only, especially furniture, home décor or handicrafts from Rajasthan, Saharanpur or Moradabad; you want the price before you ask; and accreditation is not a contract requirement for you today.
Some importers use both, with the same AQL and defect classes so the reports compare. See global vs specialist inspection companies.
How this comparison was made
We checked SGS's own pages on 14 Oct 2026: About SGS, SGS in India, the India contact directory, product inspection (India), furniture inspection, the online booking link and SGS's Gulf accreditation news. We also checked SGS India's entry on the NABCB register. We used no third-party reviews. Clear To Load facts come from our own company record. We re-check these pages regularly.
Sources
- SGS: About SGS (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- SGS India: Product inspection (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- SGS: Furniture inspection (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- SGS: SGS in India (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- SGS India: Contact directory (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- SGS: Online booking for product inspections (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- SGS: GAC ISO/IEC 17020 accreditation and PAI Kuwait, news July 2024 (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- NABCB register: IB 003, SGS India Pvt Ltd (checked 14 and 15 Oct 2026)