What every yarn and fabric inspection covers
Yarn and fabric are intermediate goods. The buyer is usually a garment maker, a home-textile converter or a trader, and the order is written in counts, constructions, metres and kilograms rather than styles and sizes. The inspection follows that logic. It starts with the lot, not the item:
- Quantity by lot. Number of rolls, bales or bags against the packing list, with lot, shade and roll numbers traced to the order.
- Measurement on sampled units. Roll length and width, fabric weight in GSM or ounces per square yard, cone and bag weights for yarn.
- Construction. Ends and picks per inch on woven fabric, compared with the contract; for yarn, the count and twist stated on the label and in the mill's test sheet.
- Appearance. Fabric faults graded roll by roll; yarn cones examined for contamination, colour and winding faults.
- Shade. Dyed and printed goods compared with the approved lab dip or strike-off under the agreed light, and rolls compared with each other.
- Packing and marking. Roll tickets, bale and bag marks, wrapping and moisture protection.
- Samples for the lab. Count, strength, fibre content, fastness and shrinkage need laboratory instruments. We draw samples at random, seal them and send them to an ISO/IEC 17025-accredited lab through lab testing coordination. We do not run these tests ourselves.
How many rolls to open is agreed in advance. A common practice is to open 10% of the rolls in a lot, spread across dye batches; for yarn, bags are drawn under an AQL plan or the buyer's own scheme. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton yarn | Count or strength below contract; short weight; contamination | Limited inspection: cone and bag weights, moisture reading, cone appearance, packing and marking, sealed samples for the lab |
| Greige fabric | Weaving faults and a construction lighter than ordered | 4-point grading, pick glass counts of ends and picks, loomstate width and GSM, piece length |
| Finished and printed fabric | Shade differences and print faults that only show once cut | Side-centre-side and roll-to-roll shade, bow and skew, print registration, quick rub check, samples for fastness and shrinkage |
| Denim fabric | Shade groups mixed; skew causing leg twist; weight off | Shade grouping of rolls, ounce weight, skew, stretch and recovery samples, indigo crocking |
Synthetic fabrics and technical textiles such as bulk bags have their own section: see man-made and technical textile inspection.
Grading fabric faults with the 4-point system
ASTM D5430 describes visual inspection and grading of fabric. Its most widely used option is the 4-point system: the inspector runs the fabric over a lit inspection frame, marks every fault and gives it penalty points by its length, from 1 point for a fault up to 3 inches long to 4 points for one longer than 9 inches. Holes are scored by size: 2 points up to 1 inch, 4 points above. No single linear yard can collect more than 4 points, so a continuous fault scores 4 points for every yard it runs.
The points for each roll are converted to points per 100 square yards, which lets rolls of different widths and lengths be compared. ASTM D5430 does not set a pass mark. That is a commercial decision, so the limit, and how it differs for greige, finished and printed goods, belongs in the purchase contract. Without a limit in writing, a roll with 30 points and one with 60 points can both be argued to pass.
The 4-point score covers appearance only. A roll can score well and still fail on width, weight, shade or bow, so those are checked and reported separately.
Market rules and buyer requirements
Most yarn and fabric is bought business to business, so the contract and the buyer's specification set most requirements. Chemical and labelling rules still follow the fabric into the finished product:
- Restricted substances (EU). REACH Annex XVII limits azo dyes that release listed amines, and other substances, in textiles that touch the skin. Garment makers pass these limits back to the mill. See azo dyes and restricted substances and REACH.
- Certified fibre. Organic or recycled claims need a valid scope certificate and a transaction certificate for the shipment. See OEKO-TEX and GOTS.
- Cotton origin (US). Under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, US Customs presumes that goods made wholly or partly in Xinjiang are made with forced labour and bars them from entry. Mills that blend imported cotton should keep traceable bale and yarn records.
- Fibre content. When the fabric becomes a product, its fibre content must be labelled. See EU textile labelling.
- Origin and invoice description. HS code, fibre content and construction on the invoice should match the goods. See country of origin labelling.
Where yarn and fabric are made in India
Spinning, weaving and processing are spread across many states. We name a town only where an official source supports it. Four textile towns are listed by DGFT as Towns of Export Excellence for textiles:
| Town | Status |
|---|---|
| Bhilwara, Rajasthan | Town of Export Excellence for textiles (DGFT, Appendix 1B) |
| Ahmedabad, Gujarat | Town of Export Excellence for textiles (DGFT, Appendix 1B) |
| Kolhapur, Maharashtra | Town of Export Excellence for textiles (DGFT, Appendix 1B) |
| Bhiwandi, Maharashtra | Town of Export Excellence for textiles (DGFT, Appendix 1B) |
The listing is for textiles in general; DGFT does not say which yarn or fabric each town makes. IBEF puts India's exports in FY2025-26 at US$3,521.73 million for cotton yarn and US$6,595.08 million for cotton fabrics and made-ups (IBEF cotton industry page, updated October 2026). IBEF names Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh as the central cotton-growing zone.
Synthetic fabric centres, including Surat, are covered on the man-made textiles page.
Booking a yarn or fabric 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. Bhilwara, Ahmedabad, Kolhapur and Bhiwandi are outside our inspector base cities, so travel is charged at actual cost; see pricing.
Fabric inspection is slow work: one inspector can check only a limited length of fabric in a day on a frame, so the share of rolls to open drives the number of man-days. Tell us the lot size, roll lengths and the share of rolls you want opened, and send the approved lab dip or strike-off, the construction sheet and your points limit. For goods with shade or print risk, a during-production inspection on the first rolls off the line costs less than rejecting a finished lot. The product pages below cover each type in detail.
Sources
- DGFT: Appendix 1B, Towns of Export Excellence (Bhilwara, Ahmedabad, Kolhapur, Bhiwandi: textiles)
- IBEF: Cotton industry and exports (updated October 2026)
- ASTM D5430: Standard test methods for visually inspecting and grading fabrics
- US Customs and Border Protection: Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act
- ECHA: Substances restricted under REACH (Annex XVII)