What counts as knock-down
A piece is knock-down when some of its joints are made by the customer, not the factory. The opposite is a fully assembled (or "set-up") piece, glued and fixed before packing. Many pieces are partly knock-down: a solid wood table with the top and apron built in the factory and four legs bolted on at home.
In furniture from India, KD is the normal way to ship large items. Typical joints are:
| Product | Usual KD joint | Where it goes wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Beds | Bed bolts or hook plates joining rails to headboard and footboard | Rails that do not meet the post, slats short for the frame |
| Wardrobes | Cam fittings, dowels and bolts joining sides, top, base and back | Panels that do not meet, a missing cam, doors that will not align |
| Dining and coffee tables | Hanger bolts in each leg, threaded into a corner plate or insert | Bolt loose in the leg, plate screws too long for the top |
| Chairs | Bolts and barrel nuts through the back rails | Thin rails split at the bolt hole |
| Metal frames | Machine bolts into welded nuts or threaded holes | Powder coat filling the threads |
What an inspector checks on KD furniture
A KD product is only as good as its weakest bag of screws. The customer, not the factory, finishes the build, so the inspection has to do what the customer will do.
- Fittings bag count. On sampled cartons the bag is opened and every item counted against the fitting list in the instructions: type, size, length and quantity. A bag that is one cam short is a unit the customer cannot finish.
- Hardware labels. The bag carries the item code, and each fitting type is marked or bagged so it matches the letter or number used in the instructions. The bag is fixed inside the right carton of a multi-carton set.
- Pre-drilled hole alignment. Holes for bolts, cams and dowels are checked for position, depth and breakout. Holes drilled off-line, too near an edge or end grain, or right through a show face are found here.
- Assembly test. Sampled units are assembled using only what is in the carton and only the printed instructions. The inspector records any part that will not fit, any gap at a joint, and whether the built unit is square, level and firm when racked by hand.
- Instructions. Present in each carton, for the right item and version, in the languages of the selling market, with steps that match the parts. Under the EU GPSR, instructions and safety information must be in a language consumers in the selling country can easily understand.
- Safety parts. Wall-fixing or anti-tip kits where the product or market needs them, for example clothing storage units under the US STURDY Act.
How KD findings are usually classed
| Finding | Usual class |
|---|---|
| Required anti-tip kit missing on a unit sold where one is mandatory | Critical |
| Fitting missing or wrong size, so the unit cannot be finished | Major |
| Holes out of line, so a part has to be forced or redrilled | Major |
| Screw or bolt that breaks through a visible face when tightened | Major |
| Instructions missing, for another item, or not in the ordered language | Major |
| Bag unlabelled but complete and correct | Minor |
The buyer's checklist decides the final class; see critical, major and minor defect.
How Clear To Load inspects KD orders
At a during-production inspection, we check drilling jigs and the first drilled parts, when a hole fault can still be fixed on the machine. At the pre-shipment inspection, we count fittings bags on sampled cartons and assemble sampled units from the carton, then repack them. Agree in your checklist how many units to assemble, because a large wardrobe can take far longer than a chair. Carton strength for KD panels is covered in the packaging and drop testing guide.