Pre-shipment inspection (PSI), also called final random inspection (FRI)

PSI and FRI: two names for one inspection

Pre-shipment inspection is the last quality check a buyer can make before goods leave the factory. "Final random inspection" names the same thing from the sampling side: the inspection is final because production is complete, and random because the inspector, not the factory, picks the units to check. Buyers usually schedule it before paying the balance of the order, so the result can decide whether money and goods move.

A PSI answers one question: does this lot, as packed, match the purchase order, the specification and the approved sample within the agreed limits? It does not try to fix production. That is the job of the earlier inspections, which is why buyers new to a factory often add a during-production inspection (DUPRO) as well.

PSI vs DUPRO vs loading checks

The three inspections sit at different points in the order and answer different questions.

If you can afford only one, a PSI is the usual choice for a repeat order from a proven factory, and a DUPRO often saves more on a first order. The guide to when to book each inspection sets out the trigger points, and container loading supervision covers the loading day.

How a pre-shipment inspection works, step by step

1. Preparation. The buyer sends the purchase order, specification, approved-sample photos and label artwork. The inspector turns them into a checklist for the product.
2. Quantity and packing status against the purchase order: how many units are produced and how many are packed.
3. A random sample drawn from packed cartons, sized by lot quantity, inspection level and AQL (see AQL sampling explained). Pieces set aside by the factory are refused.
4. Workmanship, with each defect classed as critical, major or minor.
5. Dimensions, weight and function against the specification: measurements, assembly trials, moving parts, stability, moisture for wooden goods.
6. Packing and labelling, including carton marks, barcodes and compliance labels, and a carton drop test for fragile and heavy goods. ISTA publishes standard test procedures for packaged products, which buyers can name in their packing specification.
7. The verdict and the report, comparing the defect counts with the accept and reject numbers for each class.

A detailed version for buyers is the pre-shipment inspection checklist.

AQL sampling in a PSI: a worked example

Sample sizes come from ISO 2859-1, now in its 2026 edition. The lot size and inspection level give a code letter; the code letter gives the sample size; the AQL for each defect class gives the accept and reject numbers. Most consumer-goods inspections use General Inspection Level II, zero tolerance for critical defects, AQL 2.5 for major and AQL 4.0 for minor.

Single sampling, normal inspection, General Inspection Level II.

Example. An order of 1,000 lamps is a lot in the 501–1,200 band: code letter J, a sample of 80. The inspector finds 4 major and 8 minor defects. Major is within limits (accept up to 5), but minor reaches the reject number of 8, so the lot fails. One critical defect, such as an exposed live part, would fail it on its own. To work out your own plan, use the AQL calculator.

What a pre-shipment inspection does not do

• It is not a lab test. Chemical content, flammability and full stability tests need an accredited laboratory. Samples can be pulled and sealed during the PSI through lab testing coordination.
• It is not a government certificate. In India, for example, the DGFT pre-shipment inspection certificate (PSIC) covers imports of metallic waste and scrap, and the Export Inspection Council certifies products notified under the Export (Quality Control and Inspection) Act, 1963. A buyer's PSI is neither.
• It does not clear customs or replace the documents your destination requires.
• It does not check every unit. It is a statistical decision about the lot. For a defect you cannot accept in any unit, specify a 100% check of that point.

What the report contains

A clear result, the AQL figures for each defect class, every defect with photos, measurements, packing and labelling photos, and the inspector's notes. Clear To Load reports open with a single verdict: Cleared to load, Hold or Not cleared, and arrive within 24 hours of the inspection. Read a real one: Sample 01, a final random inspection of 181 pieces of furniture in Jodhpur that was cleared with 2 minor findings, or Sample 05, where one critical tip-over defect failed the lot. If a lot fails, the guide to a failed inspection explains rework and reinspection.

Final random inspection

9 furniture styles · 181 pieces · Jodhpur · November 2022

Cleared to load

Sample (ISO 2859-1, level II, code G)

31 pcs

Critical defects

0 · zero tolerance

Major defects (AQL 2.5)

0 · accept ≤ 2

Minor defects (AQL 4.0)

2 · accept ≤ 3

Quantity vs PO

181 of 181 offered

Barcodes

Scanned · passed

Pre-shipment inspection by country

Clear To Load inspects in India today, at any factory in the country, priced by the man-day with travel by band (see pricing). Pages for other Asian sourcing countries will be added as inspection teams launch there.

Pre-shipment inspection in India

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Checked 14 October 2026.

1. ISO 2859-1:2026, Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes, Part 1 (iso.org)
2. ISTA test procedures for packaged products (ista.org)
3. DGFT: Pre-shipment inspection agencies and PSIC for imports of metallic waste and scrap
4. Export Inspection Council of India, set up under the Export (Quality Control and Inspection) Act, 1963