QIMA vs Intertek for product inspection in India

QIMA vs Intertek at a glance

Scores on the published rubric

Same rubric as our list of quality inspection companies in India: six criteria, 0 to 3 each, maximum 18. Scores match that list and were re-checked and revised on 14 Oct 2026.

Updated 14 Oct 2026: on re-checking Intertek's own site, we raised Intertek from 7 to 13, for its accreditation statement and the online booking and same-day reporting described in its i2Q programme, which our first version missed. The same day we began counting India's NABCB register for accreditation; Intertek India's scope covers garments and home textiles, a narrow scope, so Intertek stays at 2 for accreditation. The whole gap is price transparency. Intertek's furniture inspection page still uses a request form, so ask which booking route, report time and price apply to your order, in writing.

Where QIMA is the stronger choice

• You book inspections yourself, order by order. myQIMA is self-serve, QIMA states an inspector on site within 48 hours, and orders can be changed or cancelled until 1:00 pm CST (China Standard Time, 5:00 am GMT) the day before.
• You want a number to budget against. QIMA's starting price of US$419 per man-day includes travel, meals, accommodation and overtime.
• You import textiles and want testing close to the factory. QIMA runs a lab in Tiruppur, and its Indian lab entity holds NABL ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation.
• You need social or security audits too. QIMA's India page lists ethical, environmental, structural and C-TPAT audits as well as manufacturing audits.

Where Intertek is the stronger choice

• Your retailer or brand uses Intertek. Some retailer programmes name the inspection provider. If yours names Intertek, use it so reports fit the programme.
• You buy hardlines from India and want testing in the same group. Intertek India lists hardlines testing for furniture, home décor, candles and holders, food contact materials, home improvement, sporting goods, stationery and packaging and transit. See home décor and handicrafts inspection and candle inspection.
• You import toys. Intertek has an ISO 17025 lab in Bangalore for toys and allied products, including soft, electrical and plastic toys. See toy inspection.
• You want a factory evaluation before the first furniture order. Intertek's furniture page lists factory evaluations alongside inspections, and final random inspections that check quantity, workmanship, function, colour, size and packing.
• You want inspections without travel. Intertek India lists remote inspections as a service.

Choose QIMA if, choose Intertek if

Choose QIMA if you are an importer who books order by order and values a published price, changes allowed until 1:00 pm CST the day before and one self-serve portal, especially when sourcing from several Asian countries.

Choose Intertek if your customer's programme already uses Intertek, or you want hardlines or toy testing and inspection from the same group and are ready to agree price in a contract. On our rubric Intertek scores 13, one point below Bureau Veritas and SGS (14 each), whose Indian accreditation scopes cover general consumer goods. For garments and home textiles, Intertek India's own NABCB scope may meet an accreditation requirement.

Before you book either for a factory in India, ask:

1. Which entity will inspect, and is any accreditation in scope for your product and India?
2. Where is the inspector based, and is travel to your factory's city included? Furniture clusters such as Jodhpur and Saharanpur are far from metro offices.
3. What is the report time, and what does a reinspection cost?
4. Can you see a sample report for your product? For furniture, compare it with our furniture inspection guide.

How this comparison was made

We read QIMA's and Intertek's own pages on 14 Oct 2026: company facts, product inspection services, India pages, accreditations and pricing. No third-party reviews were used. Each fact is linked under Sources, and every cell is re-checked each quarter; the scores were last revised on 14 Oct 2026, after re-checking both companies' own sites.

Clear To Load, which publishes this page, is one India-only option: based in Jodhpur, not yet accredited (ISO/IEC 17020 accreditation is in progress), with no in-house lab. It scores 10 of 18 on the same rubric. See Clear To Load vs Intertek.

Sources

1. QIMA: About (checked 14 Oct 2026)
2. QIMA: Product inspections (checked 14 Oct 2026)
3. QIMA: Quality control in India (checked 14 Oct 2026)
4. QIMA: Accreditations (checked 14 Oct 2026)
5. QIMA: Quality control pricing (checked 14 Oct 2026)
6. Intertek: About (checked 14 Oct 2026)
7. Intertek: Furniture inspection services (checked 14 Oct 2026)
8. Intertek India: Hardlines and toys (checked 14 Oct 2026)
9. Intertek: i2Q programme (checked 14 Oct 2026)
10. Intertek: Government and Trade Services accreditations (checked 14 Oct 2026)