What every footwear inspection covers
A shoe is sold as a pair, worn under load and judged on fit. That changes the inspection in three ways: the unit of sampling is the pair, the left and right shoe are compared with each other as well as with the sample, and a few checks are done with hands and simple tools to see whether the shoe will hold together when it is worn.
- Quantity and assortment by style, colour and size run against the purchase order, with inner boxes opened to confirm the size printed on the box matches the size marked in the shoe.
- Pairing. Both shoes the same size, colour, height and toe shape; no two left shoes in a box; laces, insoles and accessories complete.
- Size and fit. Inside length and width measured against the size chart or last; on request, a fit trial on a person with the right foot size.
- Construction. Sole-to-upper bond pressed and flexed at the toe and heel, heel fixing, stitching, lasting wrinkles at the toe, and symmetry of counters and straps.
- Inside the shoe. A hand run around the inside of every sampled shoe for nail points, tacks or staples coming through the insole, and broken needles if the buyer requires a needle-detector check.
- Appearance. Shade against the reference in a light box, glue marks, scuffs, colour bleeding, loose threads and printing.
- Odour, moisture and mould, especially for leather after the monsoon, with a moisture meter where agreed.
- Labels and marking: size, material label for the upper, lining and sole, origin marking, barcodes and box labels.
Samples follow ISO 2859-1; see the AQL guide. Each finding is classed critical, major or minor and the report ends in one verdict: Cleared to load, Hold or Not cleared.
How the checklist changes by product
| Product | Main risk | What the inspector adds |
|---|---|---|
| Leather shoes and boots | Sole separation; shade or size mismatch within a pair | Sole and heel bond checks, lasting quality, pair matching, mould check in cartons |
| Leather sandals | Straps pulling out of the sole | Strap and toe-post pull checks, buckle function, wet rub for colour on straps |
| Kolhapuri chappals | Handmade size variation; name used for goods from outside the GI area | Pair-by-pair measurement, hand-stitch and braid checks, origin documents |
| Juttis and mojaris | Embroidery, beads and mirrors coming loose | Trim pull checks, sole stitching, dye bleed on textile uppers |
| Safety footwear | Shoe differs from the certified model | Marking against the EU type-examination certificate, toe cap and midsole presence |
| Sports shoes and sneakers | Cement bond failure; white soles yellowing | Peel and flex checks, bite-line and glue overflow, colour migration |
| Canvas and textile shoes | Foxing tape lifting; stains on light canvas | Foxing and toe-cap adhesion, canvas colour rub, print alignment |
| Rubber and EVA footwear | Strap plug pulling out; shrinkage in heat | Plug pull check, hardness with a durometer, dimensions, moulding flash |
Why sole bonding and pairing decide most footwear results
Most returned shoes fail in one of two ways: the sole comes away from the upper, or the customer receives a pair that does not match. Both can be found before shipment.
Sole bonding. In cemented construction, the most common for casual and sports shoes, the upper is roughed along the lasting margin, primed, coated with adhesive, heat-activated and pressed onto the sole. If the roughing is shallow, the adhesive is applied unevenly or the press time is short, the bond looks fine on the day and opens after a few weeks of wear. The inspector presses a thumbnail along the edge at the toe and heel, flexes the forefoot, and looks for gaps and adhesive that has not wetted the surface. Where a peel strength figure is in the specification, it is measured by a lab or on the factory's tester under supervision. Stitched constructions, such as Goodyear-welted or Blake-stitched shoes, are checked for stitch density and thread tension instead.
Pairing. Left and right shoes are often cut from different hides or moulded in different cavities. Shade, grain, heel height and toe spring can drift between them. Boxing errors put two sizes, or two left shoes, in one box. The inspector opens every sampled box and compares the two shoes side by side, not just one shoe against the reference.
Market rules that shape the checklist
| Market | Rule | What it means at the factory |
|---|---|---|
| EU | Directive 94/11/EC on footwear labelling: material of the upper, the lining and insole, and the outer sole, shown by pictogram or words | Material label on at least one shoe of each pair, matching what the shoe is made of |
| UK | Footwear (Indication of Composition) Labelling Regulations 1995, which implemented the same directive | Same three components and material categories |
| EU | REACH Annex XVII: chromium VI below 3 mg/kg in leather touching the skin (entry 47); dimethylfumarate (entry 61); PAHs in rubber and plastic parts (entry 50); phthalates (entry 51); CMR substances in footwear (entry 72) | Tested leather and component lots; no anti-mould sachets of unknown content. See chromium VI in leather and REACH |
| EU | PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425 for safety footwear, usually to EN ISO 20345:2022 | CE marking and markings that match the EU type-examination certificate |
| US | OSHA 29 CFR 1910.136 points to ASTM F2413 for protective footwear; CPSIA lead limits for children's shoes | Marking against the test report; for kids' sizes, a Children's Product Certificate. See CPSIA |
| California | Proposition 65 | Warnings where lead in hardware, DEHP in PVC or hexavalent chromium exceed safe-harbor levels. See Prop 65 |
| All | Origin marking | "Made in India" on the shoe or its label as the market requires. See country of origin labelling |
The inspector checks labels, markings, lot numbers and certificates, and can pull and seal samples for an ISO/IEC 17025-accredited lab through lab testing coordination. Chemical and performance results come only from the lab.
Where footwear is made in India
Footwear is made in many states. We name a town only where an official source supports it.
| Place | Status |
|---|---|
| Agra, Uttar Pradesh | Town of Export Excellence for leather products (DGFT, Appendix 1B); Agra district's One District One Product is leather products and footwear; "Agra Leather Footwear" GI (application 721, registered) |
| Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh | Town of Export Excellence for leather products (DGFT, Appendix 1B) |
| Ambur, Tamil Nadu | Town of Export Excellence for leather products (DGFT, Appendix 1B) |
| Maharashtra and Karnataka | "Kolhapuri Chappal" GI (application 169, registered) for districts in both states |
| Jodhpur, Rajasthan | "Mojari Craft of Jodhpur (Rajasthan)" GI (application 735, registered) |
Kolhapur is also a Town of Export Excellence, but for textiles, not footwear.
The Council for Leather Exports (CLE) puts footwear, leather and leather products exports at US$4.75 billion in 2025-26, with footwear about 52% of that. Its product split, from DGCI&S data:
| Segment | 2024-25 (US$ million) | 2025-26 (US$ million) |
|---|---|---|
| Leather footwear | 2,007.76 | 1,946.86 |
| Non-leather footwear | 252.91 | 261.97 |
| Footwear components | 244.17 | 253.38 |
Source: Council for Leather Exports, Overview of the Indian Leather Industry 2026. CLE also describes India as the second largest footwear producer after China, at 2.58 billion pairs (2018 figure).
Booking a footwear inspection
Clear To Load is based in Jodhpur, with inspectors in Jaipur, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Delhi NCR and Kolkata, and covers every city in India. An inspection costs US$249 per man-day. Agra, Kanpur, Ambur and Kolhapur are outside our inspector base cities, so travel there is charged at actual cost; in Jodhpur there is no travel fee. See pricing.
For a first order, a during-production inspection once the first pairs come off the line catches sole bonding and size problems while the lasts and moulds can still be corrected. A pre-shipment inspection then checks packed goods. Send the approved sample pair, the size chart, the material label wording and any test reports or certificates you hold. The product pages below cover each type in detail.
Sources
- DGFT: Appendix 1B, Towns of Export Excellence (Agra, Kanpur, Ambur: leather products; Kolhapur: textiles)
- ODOP Uttar Pradesh: Agra, leather products and footwear
- IP India GI Registry: Agra Leather Footwear, application 721
- IP India GI Registry: Kolhapuri Chappal, application 169
- IP India GI Registry: Mojari Craft of Jodhpur (Rajasthan), application 735
- Council for Leather Exports: Overview of the Indian Leather Industry 2026
- Directive 94/11/EC on the labelling of materials used in footwear (EUR-Lex)
- Your Europe: Footwear labelling
- The Footwear (Indication of Composition) Labelling Regulations 1995 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Regulation (EU) 2016/425 on personal protective equipment
- 29 CFR 1910.136, Foot protection (eCFR)