Defects & QC Diagnosis
Root-cause questions for defects found after washing or in customer returns: print cracking, seam twist and pilling, and which test separates one cause from another.
24 questionsAll Talk topics
Questions in this topic
- Hoodie print cracking after washing: is it the ink, the curing or the fabric?
- Why do T-shirt side seams twist after washing, and who is responsible?
- Loungewear pilling in returns: fabric, construction or customer use?
- Our inspection contract says "AQL 2.5 per ISO 2859-1". Which edition applies now?
- Undershirt necklines stretch out and look wavy after washing. Where do we look first?
- Zip-up hoodies show a wavy zip placket after washing. What causes it?
- After washing, the side seams on our tees twist toward the front. What causes it?
- Should our inspection use AQL 2.5 or 4.0 for major defects on knitwear?
- Inspection found small holes along our tee hems. Is it the needle, the machine or the fabric?
- Our tees arrive with hard fold creases and shiny press marks. What should the packing spec say?
- How many garments should be measured at final inspection, and what tolerance should we use?
- Different sizes of the same colour look slightly different. How do we control shade in bulk?
- What should we review with the factory in a pre-production meeting?
- Is an open seam or a broken stitch a major or a minor defect in our knitwear inspection?
- Our hoodies arrive with loose, untrimmed threads. Is that a defect, and how do we stop it?
- A lab test says our tee is 57% cotton, but the label says 60%. Is that within tolerance?
- Inspection found small oil spots on our tees. Are they major defects, and can they be cleaned?
- We received a third-party inspection report on our hoodie order. How do we read it and what should we ask about?
- Our new tees smell strongly of chemicals when the carton is opened. What should we ask the factory?
- Our pre-shipment inspection of 3,000 tees failed. What are our options and who decides?
- Which colour fastness tests should we ask for on bulk tees, and what is a sensible minimum set?
- Should we ask the factory to inspect knit fabric rolls with a four-point system before cutting?
- The neckbands on our tees ripple and flare away from the neck. Is the band too long or the fabric wrong?
- Some cartons of our tees arrived with the wrong sizes mixed in or labels that do not match the size inside. How do we prevent and check this?
Background guides
- Apparel Quality Control Checklist: What It Has to Cover
- Garment Quality Inspection Process: Pre-Production, In-Line and Final Inspection Explained
- Inspecting Wholesale Apparel Orders: Factory QC That Protects Your Buy
- Hoodie QC for Wholesale: Stitching, Weight, Pilling, and Zippers
- Loungewear QC for Wholesale: Seams, Drawstrings, and Print Durability
