Fabric faults that are found after cutting are expensive: the cut pieces are wasted and replacements may not match. A fabric inspection before cutting catches holes, streaks, thick and thin places, stains and shade changes while the roll can still be sorted or returned. ASTM D5430 covers visual inspection and grading of fabrics, including the four-point penalty system that many buyers and mills use.

How four-point scoring works

Each defect found on the roll receives points according to its length, from one point for a small defect up to four points for a long one, as set out in the standard. The points are added up and compared with the length of fabric inspected, so roll quality can be expressed as points per length. Check the current edition for the exact scoring rules and for how large holes are handled.

Agree the rules first

The system gives a score, not a decision. Agree in writing the maximum score per roll and per lot, how rolls above the limit are handled (returned, downgraded or used only for small pieces), and what share of rolls is inspected. Also agree how shade variation and width are checked, since the four-point system looks at visible defects.

What to look at on knit rolls

Hold the fabric over a lit inspection table at a steady speed and look for holes, needle lines, drop stitches, streaks, barré, oil marks and thick or thin places. Roll quality is only one part; also check width, weight with ASTM D3776, and compare shade between rolls at the start, middle and end. Record roll numbers, so problems can be traced.

Link it to garment inspection

Fabric inspection reduces garment defects but does not replace final inspection. Your final inspection sampling under ISO 2859-1 still checks garments, while the fabric check removes a major source of faults before they enter production.

Practical points

Ask for the inspection records and a few photos with the roll numbers before cutting starts. Make sure cutters know to mark and avoid flagged areas, otherwise the points scored do not help. If the factory buys fabric from a mill, ask the mill to share its own roll inspection reports too, and compare them with the factory’s results; large differences are a sign that one of the two checks is not reliable.