Key takeaways
- Bureau Veritas and SGS score 14 of 18 on our rubric; Intertek scores 13. All three offer online booking and same-day or immediate reports.
- All three hold ISO/IEC 17020 Type A accreditation in India on the NABCB register. Bureau Veritas CPS India's scope (IB 157) covers furniture, décor, textiles, toys and electrical goods; SGS India's (IB 003) covers textiles and garments, leather goods, and furniture, gift articles and handicrafts; Intertek India's (IB 027) consumer goods scope covers garments and home textiles.
- Updated 14 Oct 2026: SGS rose from 9 to 13 and Intertek from 7 to 13 after re-checking their own sites, and Bureau Veritas from 13 to 14 once the NABCB register was counted. Updated 15 Oct 2026: SGS rose to 14 after we re-checked its NABCB scope.
- None of the three publishes a consumer goods inspection price.
- Each has accredited labs in India: Bureau Veritas in Bangalore, Noida and Tirupur; SGS in Chennai (softlines); Intertek in Bangalore (toys).
- If your retailer names one of them, that settles it. If not, choose by the testing you need and the terms each offers in writing.
The three groups at a glance
Disclosure: Clear To Load is an inspection company and competes with the companies on this page. Every statement about SGS, Intertek and Bureau Veritas comes from their own websites or India's NABCB accreditation register, 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 If anything here is out of date, email hello@cleartoload.com and we will correct it.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 | Intertek | Bureau Veritas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group size | Over 100,000 people; over 2,500 labs and facilities in 115 countries; more than 145 years | Over 45,000 employees; over 1,000 locations in over 100 countries; over 140 years | Over 82,000 employees; over 1,600 offices and labs in 140 countries; created in 1828 |
| Consumer goods inspection | More than 2,000 consumer goods inspectors worldwide | Furniture inspections "for every piece of furniture imaginable"; no inspector count stated | CPS division: over 12,000 specialists in over 40 countries |
| India | SGS India founded 1950, Mumbai head office; Chennai softlines lab | India pages for hardlines, toys, softlines and more; ISO 17025 toy lab in Bangalore | BVCPS (I) Pvt Ltd for inspections, audits and assessments; NABL lab locations in Bangalore, Noida and Tirupur |
| Inspection types | Initial production, during production, final random, loading and unloading supervision | Factory evaluation, pre-production, during production, final random, loading supervision | Pre-shipment and during production inspections, factory audits, testing |
| Booking | SGS Online Booking (OLB) tool | i2Q programme describes online booking; furniture page uses a request form and phone | InSpec: online account and booking, 24/7 |
| Report | Furniture page: written reports issued immediately on completion; not stated on the India page | i2Q programme describes same-day reporting | Usually within a few hours; same-day available |
| Price | Not published | Not published | Not published; early-booking discount 15 days ahead |
| Accreditation stated on own site | ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection services in Kuwait; ISO/IEC 17025 (NABL) for the Chennai softlines lab | Global ISO/IEC 17020 for its Government and Trade Services inspection body; ISO 17025 for the Bangalore toy lab | ISO 17020 from Accredia (stated on its automotive type-approval page); NABL labs in India |
| ISO/IEC 17020 in India (NABCB register) | SGS India, IB 003, valid to 23 Dec 2028; consumer goods scope covers stage and final inspection of textiles and garments, leather goods, and furniture, gift articles and handicrafts | Intertek India, IB 027, valid to 4 May 2030; consumer goods scope covers garments and home textiles | Bureau Veritas CPS India, IB 157, 4 Aug 2025 to 3 Aug 2028; pre-shipment and final inspection of furniture, décor, textiles, leather goods, toys and electrical goods |
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. Accreditation is scored from each company's own site and from the NABCB register of accredited inspection bodies (checked 14 Oct 2026).
| Criterion | SGS | Intertek | Bureau Veritas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accreditation | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| India presence | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Price transparency | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Booking | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Report speed | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Reach | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Total | 14 | 13 | 14 |
The only difference is accreditation. Bureau Veritas CPS India's NABCB scope covers pre-shipment and final inspection of general consumer goods, from furniture and décor to toys and electrical goods, and SGS India's covers textiles and garments, leather goods, and furniture, gift articles and handicrafts. Both meet our top score. Intertek India's NABCB scope for consumer goods covers garments and home textiles, a narrow product scope, so it scores 2. All three state online booking and same-day or immediate reports, and none publishes a price.
Updated 14 Oct 2026: on re-checking their own sites, SGS (9 → 13) and Intertek (7 → 13) scored higher than in our first version, for accreditation statements, online booking and report times we had missed. The same day we began counting the NABCB register for accreditation, which raised Bureau Veritas from 13 to 14.
Updated 15 Oct 2026: on re-checking SGS India's NABCB entry (IB 003), we raised SGS from 13 to 14. Our earlier version wrongly said its consumer goods scope covered garments and home textiles only. Large groups may also agree terms in each client contract. The rubric only sees what is published, so it is a guide to transparency, not to inspection quality.
What each group does well for buyers in India
SGS
SGS states that its consumer goods quality assurance specialists are science or technology graduates, that more than half have over five years of SGS inspection experience, and that all complete integrity training each year. Its final random inspection page states the sampling method (ANSI/ASQ Z1.4, ISO 2859-1) and timing (all goods produced, at least 80% packed). Its Chennai lab tests textiles, home textiles, leather and footwear, which suits buyers from south Indian clusters such as Tiruppur, Karur and Ambur. Its furniture inspection page says written reports are issued immediately on completion.
Intertek
Intertek's India hardlines page lists testing for furniture, home décor, candles, food contact materials, home improvement, sporting goods, stationery and packaging and transit, and it has a toy lab in Bangalore. Its furniture inspection page includes factory evaluations as well as inspections. It also lists remote inspections in India. Its i2Q programme describes online booking and same-day reporting. That fits hardlines buyers who want testing and inspection in one group.
Bureau Veritas
InSpec publishes the most detail about booking of the three: online account, 24/7 booking, card or wallet payment, reports usually within hours, clear change rules (until 4 pm factory time the day before) and an early-booking discount for bookings 15 days ahead. Its three NABL lab locations in India cover north (Noida) and south (Bangalore, Tirupur), and the same sites appear in its US CPSC list.
Choose SGS if, Intertek if, Bureau Veritas if
One point separates the three, so the scores rarely decide on their own. Choose by your retailer, your product, any accreditation your contract requires and the testing you need.
- Choose SGS if your retailer names it, you want accredited inspection of furniture, textiles, leather goods or handicrafts under SGS India's NABCB scope, you buy textiles, leather or footwear from south India and want lab testing in Chennai, or you want certification, testing and inspection in one large group.
- Choose Intertek if your retailer names it, you want garment or home-textile inspection under Intertek India's NABCB scope, you buy hardlines such as home décor, furniture, candles or toys, and want testing and inspection together.
- Choose Bureau Veritas if your contract requires an accredited inspection body in India for furniture, décor, toys or other general consumer goods, you want published booking rules (24/7 online booking, card or wallet payment, a change cut-off the day before), plan bookings 15 days ahead for the early-booking discount, or need labs in both north and south India.
Ask all three, for your factory in India: which entity inspects; where the inspector is based and whether travel to your city is included; the written price and report time; reinspection terms; and a sample report for your product. Craft clusters such as Jodhpur, Moradabad and Saharanpur are far from metro offices, so the travel answer matters.
For when a global group is the right fit and when a specialist is, read global vs specialist inspection companies.
How this comparison was made
We read each company's own pages on 14 Oct 2026: group facts, consumer goods inspection pages, India pages, booking pages and accreditations. We also read each company's Indian entry on the NABCB register. No third-party reviews were used. Each fact is linked under Sources, and we re-check them regularly; the scores were last revised on 15 Oct 2026.
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 SGS, vs Intertek and vs Bureau Veritas.
Sources
- SGS: About SGS (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- SGS India: SGS in India (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- SGS India: Product inspection (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- SGS: Furniture inspection (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- SGS: Chennai laboratory news, March 2024 (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- SGS: Accredited in Kuwait for inspection services, news July 2024 (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- Intertek: About (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- Intertek: Furniture inspection services (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- Intertek India: Hardlines and toys (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- Intertek: i2Q programme (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- Intertek: Government and Trade Services accreditations (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- Bureau Veritas: Group at a glance (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- Bureau Veritas CPS: InSpec FAQ (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- Bureau Veritas CPS: Accreditations and credentials (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- Bureau Veritas CPS: Automotive accreditations and designations (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- Bureau Veritas India: Consumer products services (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- NABCB: Accredited inspection bodies register (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- NABCB: IB 003, SGS India, scope (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- NABCB: IB 027, Intertek India, scope (checked 14 Oct 2026)
- NABCB: IB 157, Bureau Veritas CPS (India), scope (checked 14 Oct 2026)