Quality control and inspection in apparel manufacturing

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SL. No. Subject
Page
No.
1 Quality Control 01
2 Quality Assurance 2-3
3 ISO 9000 QA & QC 4
4 Fabric Inspection 5
5 4 Point System 5-7
6 Fabric Defect 7-15
7 Sewing Thread Inspection 16
8 Trims & Accessories 17-19
9 Pattern & Marker Inspection 20-21
10 Spreading Inspection 22-23
11 Cutting Inspection 23-24
12 Bundling Inspection 25
13 Sewing Stitch Defect 25-28
14 Ironing Defect 28
15 Final Inspection 29-30
16 AQL System 31-32
17 Zone Identification 33-34

1
Quality Control
Subject: Quality Control in Apparel
Quality Control
Quality control is a process through which a business seeks to ensure that product quality is
maintained or improved with either reduced or zero errors. Quality control requires the
business to create an environment in which both management and employees strive for
perfection. This is done by training personnel, creating benchmarks for product quality, and
testing products to check for statistically significant variations.
A major aspect of quality control is the establishment of well-defined controls. These
controls help standardize both production and reactions to quality issues. Limiting room for
error by specifying which production activities are to be completed by which personnel
reduces the chance that employees will be involved in tasks for which they do not have
adequate training.
Quality control in garment manufacturing technology
In the apparel industry quality control is practiced right from the initial stage of sourcing raw
materials to the stage of final finished garment. Quality control in garment industry is very
complex and lengthy task. There are several stages to control quality in garment
manufacturing. They are given below:
 Pre-production quality control
 Quality control during production
 Final inspection
 Quality control to developing a sampling plan
 Post-production quality evaluation

2
Quality Control
Subject: Quality Assurance in Apparel
Quality Assurance
Quality assurance is defined as all those possible planned and systematic actions necessary
to provide adequate confidence than a product or service will satisfy given requirements for
quality. The quality assurance section is assigned to maintain consistency for uniform quality
of the material in process & various stages of garment manufacturing.
Quality Assurance (QA) is the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various aspects of
a project, service or facility to maximize the probability that standards of quality are being
attained by the production process. Quality Assurance cannot absolutely guarantee the
production of quality products.
Process Flow Chart of Quality Assurance Department
Accessories check
↓
Fabric inspection
↓
Shade segregation
↓
Shrinkage test
↓
Size set check
↓
Marker check
↓
Spreading quality assurance
↓
Cutting quality assurance
↓
Hard pattern check
↓
Pre-production meeting
↓
General instruction

3
Quality Control
Subject: Quality Assurance in Apparel
↓
Inspector layout
↓
In process audit
↓
Two time process check
↓
Two time machin check
↓
Two time accessories check
↓
Weekly in process summary
↓
100% in line process check
↓
Sewing final check
↓
Hourly final audit with measurement
↓
Finishing 100% check
↓
Button pulls check
↓
Hourly final audit
↓
Broken needle check
↓
Accessories compliance
↓
Every final audit
↓
Pre-final inspection
↓
Ready for final inspection
↓
Shipment

4
Quality Control
Subject: ISO 9000 Quality Control &Assurance
Quality Control
The ISO 9000 definition states that quality control is part of quality management focused on
fulfilling quality requirements (requirements related to quality).
What the definition fails to tell us is that controls regulate performance. They prevent
change and when applied to quality regulate quality performance and prevent undesirable
changes in the quality standards. Quality control is a process for maintaining standards and
not for creating them. Standards are maintained through a process of selection,
measurement and correction of work, so that only those products or services which emerge
from the process meet the standards. In simple terms quality control prevents undesirable
changes being present in the quality of the product or service being supplied. The simplest
form of quality control is illustrated in the Figure below. Quality control can be applied to
particular products, to processes which produce the products or to the output of the whole
Quality Assurance
The ISO 9000 definition states that quality assurance is part of quality management focused
on providing confidence that quality requirements will be fulfilled. Both customers and
managers have a need for quality assurance as they cannot oversee operations for
themselves. They need to place trust in the organization’s processes and thus avoid
constant intervention.
Customers and managers need:
 Knowledge of what is to be supplied (This may be gained from the sales literature,
contract or agreement).
 Knowledge of how the product or service is intended to be supplied (This may be
gained from the supplier’s proposal or offer).
 Knowledge that the declared intentions will satisfy customer requirements if met
(This may be gained from personal assessment or reliance on independent
certifications).
 Knowledge that the declared intentions are actually being followed (This may be
gained by personal assessment or reliance on independent audits).
 Knowledge that the products and services meet their requirements (This may be
gained by personal assessment or reliance on independent audits).

5
Quality Control
Subject: Fabric Inspection
Fabric inspection:
Inspection in reference to the apparel industry can be defined as the visual examination or
review of raw materials like fabric. The quality of a final garment depends on the quality of a
fabric when it is received as a roll. Even the most outstanding manufacturing methods
cannot compensate for defective materials. Normally, we inspect 10% of the rolls we
receive and evaluate them based on a four-point system. This way, we can avoid fabric
related quality problems before it is put into production
Fabric Inspection is an important aspect followed prior to garment manufacturing to avoid
rejects due to fabric quality and faced with an unexpected loss in manufacturing.
Fabric inspection is done for fault/defect rate, fabric construction, fabric weight, shrinkage,
end to end or edge to edge shading, color, hand feel, length/width, print defect and
appearance.
Fabric inspection ensures to minimize the rejection of cut panels or rejected garments due
to fabric faults. Cutting inspected and approved fabric ensures not only finished garment
quality but also reduces rejects, improves efficiency and timely deliveries.
Normally four systems are used for inspection of finished garments.
1) 4 point system
2) 10 point system
3) Graniteville “78” system.
4) Dallas system.
But among them 4 point system is widely used.
4- Point System:
The 4- point system is widely used for fabric inspection, in the United States it is known as AAMA
point grading system (AAMA- American Apparel manufacturers association).
Procedure of Four Point System:
 Fabric inspection is usually done on fabric inspection machineries.
 These machineries are designed so that rolls of fabric can be mounted behind the
inspection table under adequate light and re-rolled as they leave the table.
 Inspection machineries are either power driver or the inspector pulls the fabric over
the inspection table.
 The defects are located, marked and recorded on an inspection form.
 Some machinery is equipped to measure the length of each roll of fabric
(meter/yard).

6
Quality Control
Subject: 4 Point System
Fabric defects point values based on the following:
Length of defect in Fabric Points allotted
Up to 3 inch 1
Over 3 inch up to 6 inch 2
Over 6 inch up to 9 inch 3
Over 9 inch 4
Holes and Opening
1 or less 2
Over 1 inch 4
Calculations and Result:
Total defect points per 100 yard square are calculated.
If fabric rolls contains less than 40 points per 100 yard square are considered “first” quality
and as an Acceptance criteria.
If fabric rolls containing more than 40 points per 100 yards square are considered “second”.
Example:
A fabric roll 130 yard long and 45 inch wide contains the following defects:-
6 defects up to 3 inch- ...................................6 X 1 = 6 points
5 defects over 3 inch but less 6 inch- ............. 5 X 2 = 10 points
2 defects over 6 inch but less 9 inch- ..............3 X 2 = 6 points
1 defects over 9 inch- ....................................1 X 4 = 4 points
1 hole over 1 inch dimensions- .......................1 X 4 = 4 points
………………………………………………………………………………………
Total defect points................................................= 30 points

7
Quality Control
Subject: 4 Point System, Fabric Defect
Therefore,
Points per 100 yard square =
Total points scored in roll X 36 inch
……………………………………………………………… X 100
Fabric width/inches X Total length yard inspected
30 X 36
= ……………………… X 100
130 X 45
= 18.4 (Defect points per 100 yard square.)
So, the roll is Accepted.
Fabric Defect
A Fabric Defect is any abnormality in the Fabric that hinders its acceptability by the
consumer. Due to the increasing demand for quality fabrics, high quality requirements are
today greater since customer has become more aware of poor quality problems. To avoid
rejection of fabric, it is necessary to avoid defects. Price of fabric is reduced by 45%-65% due
to the presence of defects.
Different types of fabric defects:
Crack between stripes
A crack seen along the length of the fabric between the stripes woven with different
weaves.
Causes
• Differences in warp release due to uneven beam surface.
• Differences in crimp relationship of ends grouped in separate dents in the reed and in
weaves.
Remedies
• Avoid uneven build of beam surface by proper system of denting at the sizing machine.
• Ensure that denting at weaving is such that ends of the two weaves are not separated by
a reed dent.

8
Quality Control
Subject: Fabric Defect
Double end
More than one end working in a heald eye without the adjacent end missing.
Causes
• Sticky ends on weavers beam
• Wrong drawing-in of ends through heald eyes.
Remedies
• Take precautionary measures during sizing.
• Bring the defect to the notice of the drawing-in operator.
• Instruct weavers and supervisors to periodically check fabric to remove double ends.
Floats
Defect in a woven fabric where warp and weft threads do not interlace as desired.
Causes
• Broken end getting entangled with the adjacent warp ends. The breaks between reed
and healds are more prone to form floats, especially when the warp loses its elasticity
due to over stretching or over-backing during sizing.
• Knots with long tail ends leading to entanglement of ends.
• Fluff with long tail ends leading to entanglement of ends.
• Fluff or foreign matter trapped in the shed.
• Broken heald unable to lift or lower the thread.
• Lighter type of warp stop motion pins used on the loom.
Remedies
• Attend to broken ends without delay on looms equipped with warp stop motion; ensure
proper functioning of the same.
• Avoid long tail ends in knots in weaving preparatory and weaving.
• Ensure cleanliness of loom.
• Take maximum possible care while blowing the looms.
• Use screens to avoid fluff flying to adjacent looms.
• Inspect the healds for wear before putting on a new beam.
• Ensure proper selection of drop pins.
Misdraws
Incorrect positions of ends in the fabric causing considerable damage in fabrics with woven
design/stripes.
Causes
• Faulty drawing-in of beam.
• Faulty drawing-in of broken ends by the weaver.

9
Quality Control
Remedies
• Bring the defect to the notice of the drawing-in operator.
• Ensure periodic inspection of the fabric on loom by the supervisory stuff.
Missing end
Void caused by a missing warp thread in the fabric.
Causes
• Failure of weaver in attending to warp breaks immediately.
• Warp stop motion not acting properly.
Remedies
• Missing the incidence of lappers during sizing.
• Use spare ends on loom as a substitute for the missing ends.
• Instruct the weaver to attend to warp breaks immediately.
• Discourage the weaver’s habit of waiting for the broken end on the beam to advance
sufficiently for knotting.
• Inspect the drop pins while putting on a new beam and weed out the defective ones.
• Check the warp stop motion assembly.
Reedy fabric
Fine cracks appearing across the fabric between groups of warp ends, matching with the
pattern of denting in the reed.
Causes
• Excessive warp tension.
• Late shed timing leading to lack of proper tension at beat-up.
• Insufficient toughing of shade.
Remedies
• Adjust the warp tension.
• Resort to early shed timing.
• Raise the back-rest 12-24 mm above the front-rest level.
Stitches
Individual warp thread floating over a group of weft threads. Defect is more prominent in
synthetic blended warps due to static electricity generation and hairiness of these yarns.
Causes
• Soft sized beam.
• Inadequate amount of antistatic agent in the size recipe.
• Improper tensioning of warp.

10
Quality Control
Remedies
• Ensure proper sizing.
• Ensure proper size recipe.
• Prefer slightly higher tension on warp.
• If necessary, introduce lease rods between the healds and the drop pins.
Thick end
A warp end having diameter larger than normal.
Causes
• Excessive count variation.
• Accidental mixed-up of counts in winding and warping.
• Piecing up of broken end with a wrong thread during weaving.
Remedies
• Avoid it.
• Conduct frequent checks to avoid mix-up of counts.
• Inspect the thrums provided on the loom.
Warp streaks
Stripes running in warp way direction characterized by apparent differences in shade from
the adjoining portions, arising mainly as a result of variation in the amount of light
transmitted and reflected from groups of threads.
Causes
• Short, medium and long-term variations in warp and/or uneven spacing of dents in the
reed. Coarser count and closer spacing of ends appear lighter while finer count and
wider spacing appear darker in shade than the normal portion of the finished fabric.
• Mix-up of yarns of different luster, count or blend proportion.
• Faulty drawing-in ends, e.g. double ends, missing ends etc.
• Variations in package and beam dyeing.
Remedies
• Improve the quality of warp since normal control exercised on count variation proves
inadequate to prevent streakiness.
• Check the condition of reed.
• Use all metal reeds which give better results compared to pitch-bound reeds.
• Ensure early shed timing and lower warp tension to help lessen the prominence of
streaks in the fabric.
• Adopt good materials handling system with proper storage and identification of
materials to avoid mix-up of yarns.
• Bring the defect to the notice of operators.

11
Quality Control
Broken pattern
Restricted to fabric woven with patterns on drop box looms. It occurs either when the
sequence of weft colors to be put is disturbed or when the width of color band is affected.
Causes
• Improper adjustment of pattern cards or lattices.
• Weaver neglecting to adjust the pattern chain before restarting the loom after mending
a break or a crack.
• Inserting pick in a wrong shed after mending a weft break.
Remedies
• Check and adjust the pattern cards or lattices at the start of beam.
• Make the weaver’s quality conscious.
• Resort to pick finding prior to restarting the loom.
Broken pick
Weft is inserted only for a portion of a pick.
Causes
• Weft break or weft exhaustion on ordinary looms.
• Weft break or improper size of bunch on auto-pirns.
• Improper functioning of weft fork.
• Weft change effected through weft fork mechanism on automatic looms.
Remedies
• Check the shuttle for loose fitting of pirn or roughness of surfaces as these cause more
weft breaks.
• Check also the shuttle boxes for settings and surface condition to prevent cutting of
weft.
• Check the shuttle and shuttle boxes.
• Ensure proper size of bunch on auto-pirns.
Cut weft
A defect generally randomly distributed over the fabric, not clearly visible in the grey stage,
but becomes pronounced in the finished fabric.
Causes
• Improper condition or quality of emery roller covering.
• Viscose yarn from old lot or of lower strength is used.
Remedies
• Check the emery roller covering.
• Ensure proper check on the quality of blended yarn.

12
Quality Control
Double pick
Two or more picks inserted in the same shed where only one is desired.
Causes
• Failure of the weaver to find out the correct shed when restarting an ordinary loom.
• Pirn change when affected by weft fork on automatic loom.
Remedies
• Resort to pick finding while restarting.
• Effect the pirn change with weft feeler mechanism.
Gout
Foreign matters like lint or waste or pieces of harness strapping and leather accessories
woven into the fabric.
Causes
• Indiscriminate throwing of waste by weavers.
• Foreign matter getting into the shed during weaving.
Remedies
• Ensure cleanliness of machines and surroundings in the loom shed.
• Keep frequent check on harness strappings and leather accessories for undue wear and
replace them, if necessary.
Sloughing off
Thick bunches of yarn are woven into the fabric in the weft direction due to slipping off of
coils of yarn from the pirn during weaving.
Causes
• Improper package characteristics.
• Softly wound pirns.
• Harsh picking and/or poor shuttle checking.
• Poor humidity conditions during the storage of pirns.
Remedies
• Employ correct package characteristics in pirn winding.
• Ensure proper yarn tension during pirn winding in the case of rewound weft and in
spinning in the case of direct weft.
• Check the picking and checking mechanisms.
Slub
An abnormally thick place in the yarn finally appearing in the fabric.
Causes
• Undrafted portion in the yarn.

13
Quality Control
Remedies
• Minimize the incidence of slubs during spinning.
• Clear the yarns effectively during winding.
Snarl
It is a short length of yarn, mostly weft, which has spontaneously doubled back on itself. The
snarling tendency is latent in highly twisted yarns. In some fabrics, the snarls are found to be
randomly spread over the width of the fabric, while in some other cases, they are restricted
to a region at a fixed distance from one of the selvedges.
Causes
• Highly twisted weft.
• Low weft tension.
• Shuttle rebounding either due to harsh picking or poor checking. Centre weft fork not
set right.
Remedies
• Condition the weft prior to weaving by steam conditioning, CMC conditioning or
gumming.
• Provide suitable drag in the shuttle.
• Ensure smooth picking and adequate checking of shuttle in the boxes.
• Check the setting of centre weft fork.
Starting marks
A thick or thin place is produced in the fabric due to variation in pick density while starting
the loom.
Causes
• Weaver letting back the fell of the fabric too close to the reed by faulty adjustment of
take-up motion.
• Faulty functioning of anti-crack motion.
Remedies
• Instruct the weavers about the correct procedure.
• Ensure correct functioning of the motion.
Cracks
A higher pick density than the normal is referred to as starting mark while a lower pick
density is referred to as crack.
Causes
• Improper letting back of the fell of the fabric.
• Improper lifting of the dead weights on let-off motion while adjusting the warp tension.
• Faulty functioning of anti-crack and weft fork mechanisms.
• Snagging of warp due to the shed being kept open for exceptionally long periods.

14
Quality Control
Remedies
• Undrafted portion in the yarn.
• Guide the weavers about the right adjustment.
• Set the mechanisms properly.
Thick and thin places
Weft bars differing in appearance and repeating several times along the fabric.
Causes
• Irregular let-off.
• Faulty take-up.
Remedies
• Set the let-off and/or take-up motion properly.
Hole or tear in fabric
A defective portion in the fabric marked by distortion or cutting of warp and weft.
Causes
• Mechanical faults in loom.
• Weavers tapping the fabric with the shuttle tip or pirn on the front rest when inserting a
new pirn.
• Carelessness of the weaver in removing gout.
• Holes form during the finishing processes due to the presence of foreign matter.
Remedies
• Rectify the mechanical faults.
• Make the weaver quality conscious.
• Take precautions in weaving to avoid incidence of woven foreign matter.
Smash
A damaged spot in the fabric with many broken ends and floating picks due to shuttle being
trapped in the shed.
Causes
• Incorrect timing of shedding and picking.
• Improper starting of loom.
• Too weak or too harsh checking of shuttle.
• Improper working of loose reed and knock-off mechanisms.
Remedies
• Tune the loom properly.
• Tune the checking mechanism.
• Tune the mechanisms properly.

15
Quality Control
Temple marks
Small pin holes appearing near the selvedge zones and being more prominent in fine and
superfine varieties.
Causes
• Incorrect selection of temples.
• Improper setting of temple cap.
• Temple rings not moving freely.
Remedies
• Select the temples to suit the quality of fabric.
• Ensure that the cap is not set too close to the temples and that there is sufficient gap for
smooth passage of fabric over the temples.
• Ensure cleanliness of temple assembly.
Knots
Knot is a fastening made by tying together the ends of yarn.
Causes:
• When thread breaks during process of winding, warping, sizing or weaving
Tails Out
Untrimmed loose threads on the selvedge of the fabrics
Cause:
• These kinds of defects arise if the cutter doesn’t work properly
Remedy:
• To solve this problem, either the cutter blade or the degree of the cutter has to be
changed
Oil or Stain
These are spot defects of oil, rust, grease or other stain found on the fabric
Cause:
• Improper oiling or greasing of looms
• Oil stained take-up roller
Remedy:
• Keep the stained portion of the fabric over an absorbent pad. Apply the stain remover,
wetting the stain and surrounding portion thoroughly
• Rub gently to quicken the penetration of the stain remover
• Rubbing should be done towards the centre of stain to avoid spreading
• Note that delicate fabric needs reduced pressure, otherwise, hole formation or
displacement of the fabric will occur.

16
Quality Control
Subject: Sewing Thread Inspection
Sewing Thread Inspection in Garments Industry
Sewing threads are bought by checking for having the following properties:
1. Thread construction or ticket number
2. Sew-ability of sewing thread:
Thread construction or ticket number:
In apparel manufacturing industry, ticket number is a commercial numbering system.
Normally, ticket number is the manufacturer’s reference numbers for the size of a
given thread. In fact, the size or count of sewing thread is called ticket number. The
following are the tests done to identify thread construction or ticket number.
 Thread count,
 Thread elongation,
 Thread balance,
 Number of twist,
 Thread tenacity,
 Thread ply.
Sew-ability of sewing thread:
The ability of sewing of a thread is called sew-ability. To identify the sew-ability, 3 thread
packages are collected from a lot and sewn 100 yards length and here also noted the
running performance of sewing machine. It is done to determine the ability of sewing thread
compared with the fault free thread. Also the following properties are inspected to
determine the sew-ability of thread:
 Imperfections of thread,
 Finishing of thread,
 Thread Package density,
 Color of thread.,
 Yardage of thread,
 Winding of thread.

17
Quality Control
Subject: Trims & Accessories Inspection
Trims and Accessories Inspection
Quality of Trims and Accessories quality is very important for garments because of its added
value with the final product. Trims and Accessories Inspection in apparel is required to
ensure the use of right quality trims and accessories for getting quality garments, although
Trims and Accessories are supplied by the third party/buyer nominated supplier. Basically,
garments maker check trims quality after receiving. If there is any quality issue, then they
can claim for compensation within a certain date of Trims and Accessories in-house. If GMTS
maker fails to identify defects in their inspection process, then they must have to carry
liability. So Trims and accessories quality plays a vital role in the apparel industry.
One can set inspection procedures for the trims and accessories as following. Like garments,
trims are not checked for 100%. Quality inspector only needs to confirm that bulk trims are
sourced as per required standards. Only trims or accessories that are made by manual
processes are required to check 100% of quantity.
Trims and Accessories Inspection Procedure in Apparel Industry
For inspecting trims and accessories, following standard procedure will be followed:
 Trims and Accessories Quality Control (QC) will check trims after in-housed by using
AQL 1.5 of every lot.
 If this particular lot fails as per AQL, QC will check 50% Trims of whole lot.
 If QC finds more defective Trims from out of 50% check, QC will check 100% Trims
(whole lot).
 After completing the check, QC will claim supplier via merchandising
 A claim must be done within 7 days after in-house in factory.

18
Quality Control
Trims and Accessories Quality Defect Criteria to Identify During Inspection
• Shade matching
• Shrinkage
• Color bleeding
• Width and thickness
• Strength
• Number and size
• Fiber content
• Print Mistake
• Color Problem
• Code Mistake
• Fitness Problem
• Print Spot
• Measurement Problem
• Size Mistake
• Gum Nil
• Running Color
• PO Mistake
• Style Mistake
• Letter Mistake
• Spot
• Broken
• Logo Mistake
Shade matching: When we are talking about shade matching of trims it is more important
that trims color should match with base fabric rather than color code or pantone card. Trims
those are specified DTM requirement is checked after attaching trims on the fabric swatch.
Check shade of the trims whether the shade is matched or not.
Shrinkage: If shrinkage % of the trims varies from the fabrics shrinkage%, it will cause
defective garment. Trims such as tapes, laces must be tested for its shrinkage%. To check
the shrinkage, take some sample of trims of a length of about 1.2 meters. Mark on its two
ends keeping a gap in between marks of exactly 1 meter. Dip one sample in cold water for
about 12 hours. Take out tapes from water and flat dry. Measure the length in between
marks using same measurement tape/scale.
Width & Thickness: Measure width of the trims such as tapes, elastics, laces etc. It would
be good if you take measure after wash.
Size & Numbers: Thread numbers, button size, length of zippers etc. need to check against
standards.
Text content/ fonts/language on labels and tags: Texts are printed in the trims like
hang tags, price tags, brand labels, case labels. It is very important that all information is
matched with approved one. Fiber content printed in care label must match with test report
made for fiber content.

19
Quality Control
Print Mistake: Any problem showing for incorrect printing. Example: color bleeding
Color Problem: Used different color/shade, not match with approved trims color
Code Mistake: Barcode or any types of code mistake
Fitness Problem: Not found as per ordered length and width.
Print Spot: Any spot only for printing
Measurement Problem: Any types of measurement do not match with an approved
swatch
Size Mistake: When everything okay but mentioned size not correct
Gum nil: If there needed gum but not found in the inspection
Running Color: Different types of color in trims when one color is approved
PO Mistake: When everything is okay but mentioned PO number not correct
Style Mistake: When everything is okay but mentioned style not correct
Letter Mistake: Used capital letter instead of small or small letter instead of capital.
Spot: Any type of spot is to be considered as a defect
Broken: Trims and accessories broken is a critical defect.
Logo Mistake: Any problem in logo design and color.

20
Quality Control
Subject: Pattern & Marker Inspection
Quality control in marker making
Marker is a thin paper which contains all the necessary pattern pieces for all sizes for a
particular style of garments. It is made just before cutting and its purpose is to minimize the
wastages of fabric. In case of marker making quality is very important factor. Though quality
is a relative term.
The objectives of quality control in marker making can be summarized as:
 To ensure the markers are made to a size ratio that gives the required quality and
quantity per order by reducing the wastage of fabrics.
 To ensure no garment part is missed in the marker and the marker is of comparable
length and width of the fabric being laid.
 To check notch or drill mark
 Fabric width must be higher than marker width
 Fabric length must be higher than marker length
 Matching of green line
 Check pattern size and dimension
 Matching of check and stripe taking into consideration
 Considering garments production plan
 Cutting table length consideration
 Pattern direction consideration
Quality inspection procedure for markers
Locations with manual marker making system: In these locations, the markers should be
inspected by the Quality Control Department before the fabric is laid. This will leave
sufficient time to make any correction to the marker that is necessary.
Locations with computer marker making (CAD) system: In location that uses the CAD
system, the marker information needs to be cross-checked by an operator other than one
who compiled the marker, before the marker is printed. This is to ensure that no operator
error has occurred. The marker can then be re-inspected by the Quality Control Department
after it has been placed on the lay of fabric prior to cutting.

21
Quality Control
Subject: Pattern & Marker Inspection
Marker Inspection
SL Check points Allowance
1 Ensure the correct patterns have been used. No allowance
2 Ensure the size ratio is correct No allowance
3 Ensure the correct sizes have been drawn onto the
marker as per the size ratio
No allowance
4 Ensure all the garment parts have been drawn onto
the marker
No allowance
5 Ensure the patterns are facing the correct direction
in case of marker making modes.
No allowance
6 Ensure the patterns have been placed onto the
marker in such a manner as to achieve the highest
fabric utilization.
Stripes and Checks 80%
&
Solid color 95%
7 Ensure the marker is of the correct widths,
comparable to the fabric so that the fabric is not
wasted. If the marker is too small or too wide then
incomplete garment parts are cut.
Zero to half inch
8 Ensure the marker is of correct length Zero to one inch
9 Ensure splicing marks are correctly drawn on the
marker.
No allowance
10 Ensure all notches and drill holes have been drawn
on the marker.
No allowance
11 Ensure no unauthorized alterations have been
made to the marker.
No allowance

22
Quality Control
Subject: Spreading Inspection
Fabric Spreading Inspection
There are two methods applied in garment industry for fabric spreading process. They are
manual method and mechanical method. The manual method is totally hand spreading
method therefore this process is quite slow. On the other hands, mechanical method is two
types. They are semi-automatic and full automatic. Before fabric spreading few perpetration
is essential both manual and mechanical methods. For smooth and proper spreading
process in garments below factors must be considered during fabric spreading-
Fabric Length and Weight:
During fabric spreading length and width should equal to marker length and width.
This measurement must be uniform before fabric cutting. Otherwise fabric wastage may be
increased or defective garment component may be produced.
Fabric Tension:
The tension in fabric lay should be uniform. If the tension is higher than small size actual
size. On the other hand, if the fabric lay be loose then it may create problem during
fabric cutting and lager size of component may be produced than the actual size.
Fabric Splicing
Another important factor of fabric spreading is fabric splicing. Splicing should be accurate
during fabric spreading. Excess splicing may increase faulty area and short splicing may
produce faulty component. The lay of the fabric should be maintained according to the
fabric construction and splicing methods.
Static Electricity:
Generally man-made fibers are may increase the charge of electricity, which is the main
reason for producing static electricity in the fabric spreading process. Static electricity
should be removed by earthing or using special oil between two layers of fabric.
Fabric Ply Direction:
The direction of fabric ply should be corrected. Fabric ply direction depends on the type of
fabric, Shape of the pattern and construction of fabric. Therefore, ply direction must be
checked before laying the ply on cutting table. Otherwise, they may create problem during
the sewing section in garments.
Ply Number:
Ply number is another important factor for fabric spreading. Ply number should be counted
during fabric spreading. The higher ply number may increase vibration between cutting
knife and fabric layer and low number of ply may reduce the fabric spreading productivity.

23
Quality Control
Subject: Spreading & Cutting Inspection
Stripe and Check Matching:
Stripe and check should be matched with every ply of fabric. Therefore stripe and check
matching are done very carefully during fabric spreading process in garments. Otherwise
that will be created problem during the sewing section in garments.
Fabric Faults removing:
There are different types of fabric faults are found in fabric inspection section. They are such
as hole, missing end, broken end, thick end, Reedy fabric, broken pattern, double pick, slub,
snarl, thick and thin places, temple marks etc. Before fabric spreading those faults must be
identified and also remove from fabric.
Following work in Spreading Quality control
Cut numbers
Ends
Leaning
Tension
Narrow Goods
Remnants
Counts
Ply Height
Fabric Fault
Fabric Cutting Inspection
After receiving fabric by cutting section, cutting QA personnel collects all types of report
from material control QA department. First shade group should be compared with fabric roll
and lab test report. If both reports are OK, then proceed to layer Inspection.
Before cutting any fleece fabric or padding item, QA personnel need to send that item for
GSM (Grams Square Miter) checking through lab test and collect the lab result for
proceeding.
After cutting the layer QA personnel ensures cut panel accuracy with pattern although check
any cutting discrepancies in component and make cut panel accuracy Report.
Wrong cutting: This occur due to
 Careless cutting operator
 Deflection of blade.
 Unsharpened blade.
 Roller jams during cutting

24
Quality Control
Subject: Cutting Inspection
Quality control policy for garment cutting section
To getting perfect and defect free cutting, different quality policy systems are adopted
in cutting section. Some quality policies are mentioned in below:
 Before spreading all fabric are being inspected and relaxed.
 During fabric spreading all reject areas are marked for easy identification and
replacement after cutting.
 All garment parts are checked after cutting and reject parts are replaced from the
cutting from fabric of same roll.
 AH important areas are given cutting mark for easy control and to maintain
quality.
 If they want to control twisting of fabric they are tumbling the fabric (especially for
low GSM fabric.)
 Before spreading, for all stripe fabric they are giving smaller lay and are doing
hand scissoring for stripe matching.
 Cutting parts from top, center and bottom are checked with the pattern, to avoid
any gross deviation after cutting.
 Control of fabric quality:
 Check for miss cut
 Ragged cutting
 Control of size and shape
 Control of notches and drill marks
Spreading and Cutting Stage Problem:
Effect Cause
Lack of Sufficient
fabric Relaxation
Operators are not allowing
sufficient time for
relaxation
Too many no of plies
during spreading
Ply height was found to be more
than 7”
Excessive dragging
during spreading
Higher dragging tension
maintained between
spreader roller to lay
Blunt knife edges Edges of knife are not sharp and it
leads to
uneven shaping

25
Quality Control
Subject: Bundling & Sewing Inspection
Bundling Inspection
Most of the sewing rooms use the bundling system, where small batches of garments move
from one workstation to another in a controlled manner. In order to prepare the cut work, it
is essential for operators to be able to identify each pile. This is the function of the marker, if
used, as the style number, the size and the part identification will be part of the plot. If
markers are not used, a top-ply labeling system is required.
Whenever the bundling system is used, it should be accompanied by work tickets or bundle
tickets. It gives fundamental information about the work such as the style number, the size
of the garment, the number of garments in the bundle and the date issued. Work tickets are
usually created on site once the outcome of spreading/cutting is known.
To avoid mistake in sorting, it is better to use code number on each pattern.
Sewing Stitching Defect
A seam is a method of joining two or more pieces of materials together by a row of
stitching. In garment industry quality control of practiced right from the initial stage of
sourcing raw materials to the stage of final finished garment. Sewing is one of the basic
steps of apparel manufacturing process. Also sewing section is the most significant section
of a garments industry. There are various stitching defects occur in garments in sewing
operation. The major seam quality problems associated with the garment manufacturing
process are discussed in below:
Common and Important Stitching Defects in Garments:
Skipped stitches:
Causes:
 Bobbin hook or looper does not enter thread loops at the correct time
 Thread loop failure caused by incorrect needle size/style for the particular
thread size/type
 Thread loop failure because thread control mechanism is incorrectly set,
thereby leading to thread loop starvation
 Fabric flagging due to improper presser foot control or larger throat plate hole
 Deflection of needle
 Improper loop formation of thread

26
Quality Control
Subject: Sewing Stitch Inspection
Remedial Measures:
 Check the machine clearances and the timings
 Check if the needle is inserted and aligned correctly
 Change the needle size/style
 Restart and check loop formation
 The presser foot pressure should be checked and readjusted if necessary
 Change the throat plate to match the needle size
 Readjust tensions
Staggered stitches:
Causes:
 Needle vibration or deflection
 Incorrect or blunt needle point
 Incorrect needle-to-thread size relationship
 Improper fabric control and bouncing of presser foot
Remedial Measures:
 Needle size can be increased or tapered needle can be tried
 Either sewing needle or sewing thread can be changed
 Can go for positive sewing feed mechanism
Variable stitch density
Causes:
 Improper control of fabric feed
Remedial Measures:
 Increase the foot pressure
 Can go for positive sewing feed mechanism
Seam grin
Causes:
 When two fabric panels are opened at opposite sides of one another to the seam,
a gap is revealed between the two fabric panels
Remedial Measures:
 Increase stitching tensions
 Stitches per inch (SPI) can be increased

27
Quality Control
Subject: Sewing Stitch Inspection
Seam slippage
Causes:
 This happens when the yarns in the fabric are pulled out of the seam and are more
frequent in fabrics made from continuous filament yarns
Remedial Measures:
 French seam type can be tried
 Seam width can be increased
 Stitch density should be optimized
Needle thread breakage
Causes:
 Thread gets trapped at the thread guide
 Snarling of thread before tension disc
 Excessive needle thread tension
 Irregularities or damages in needle guard, throat plate, bobbin case and needle
eye
 Excessive needle heat, groove or eye blocked with melted fabric
 Overheating of hook
 Quality of needle thread is inferior
Remedial Measures:
 Use a foam pad or a similar device to prevent the package from tilting
 Ensure that the rethreading is done correctly
 The needle thread tension can be reduced and the condition of the disc
tensioner should be checked
 Replace the needle with one of better quality
 Change to a correctly finished thread of a better quality
Bobbin/looper thread breakage
Causes:
 Bottom thread not wound properly on the bobbin
 Bottom thread tension is very high
 Damages in bobbin case, looper eyelet
 Improper fitting of bobbin case
Remedial Measures:
 Adjust the alignment of the bobbin winder
 Adjust the bottom thread tension
 Polish the edges and the correct surfaces of bobbin hook and case

28
Quality Control
Subject: Sewing Stitch & Ironing Inspection
Thread fusing
Causes:
 Incorrect sewing thread
 Poorly finished woven fabric
 Damaged needle or overheating of needle
Remedial Measures:
 Use better quality sewing thread
 Change to more suitable needles.
 Apply needle coolants
Imbalanced/variable stitching
Causes:
 Incorrect sewing tensions
 Incorrect threading
 Needle thread getting snagged on bobbin case or positioning finger
 Variable tension caused by poor thread lubrication
Remedial Measures:
 Check for snarling, adjust the thread tension
 Re-thread the machine
 Polish the bobbin case surface
 Reset the positioning finger and the opening finger, if fitted
 Switch to superior quality threads from coats
Ironing Defect
Burnt part: a burnt part the color, hair, tightness and other properties of which was
distorted by higher temperature while ironing.
Un ironed part: A part of a garment that was not pressed well during the interoperations or
final ironing.
Protruding seam allowances: Defect of thinning when ironing with gloss and visibility of
seam allowance width from the right side.
Inadequate Pressing: Caused by excessive heat or pressure resulting in poor pleating,
fullness or twisting of a seam on garment surface.
Pressing Producing Shine on Fabric: Usually caused by excessive heat or incorrect type of
pressing surface

29
Quality Control
Subject: Final Inspection
Final inspection
After materials have been tested for quality and the products have been
manufactured, products are tested for their performance requirements, overall
appearance, and sizing and fit. Proper sizing and fit can be measured as per the size of the
garment or they can be tested by putting the garments in manikins or even live models.
They are also checked visually for any faults during the production process. Hence,
the quality of stitching, joining of garment components and accessories are inspected.
Although each component of a garment is tested individually, in pre production
quality control, products are tested for a final time to assess the compatibility of
materials used together and any noticeable fault. Garments are inspected for off-grain
fabric, poor or uneven stitching, mismatched plaids or stripes along seams, puckered
or extra material caught in seams, and uneven seams along hems, among many
other problems that can occur in the apparel industry.
During inspection, some parts of a product are more important than others in terms of
allowable defects. Every garment manufacturer defines its own product zones and includes
these in their specifications as there is no industry standard. They will also define what they
deem as critical, major, and minor defects. A critical defect results in a flaw that produces an
unsafe or hazardous situation like a hole in a latex glove that would compromise the safety
of the wearer. A major defect is a flaw that often contributes to product failure or lack of
usability for a product. Examples of a major defect could be a broken zipper, broken
stitches, or tears in the fabric. A minor defect is a flaw that does not reduce the usability of a
product, but still deviates from standards and specifications. Examples of minor defects
could be an unclipped thread, untrimmed seam allowance, or slubbed yarns in the fabric.
Pre-shipment or final inspection is generally organized by buyer’s representative. This
inspection process mainly held on the apparel factory. If reject rate is higher than a pre-set
value the whole lot is rejected or returned for recheck.
To get high quality and defect less garment, to get right measurement, perfect finishing, and
the accuracy of final inspection, apparel manufacturer have to maintain a sequence of
different steps is as follows. It is also used as a sequence of final inspection of garments
shipment lot.

30
Quality Control
Subject: Final Inspection
Activities to be performed during final inspection are as follows:
1
Verifying Packing list comparing with P.O. sheet
2
Determining of lot size
3
Selecting of inspection severity level & sampling plan
4
Preparation of Inspection
5
Checking of carton
6
Selection of carton
7
Checking of Packing & packaging
8
Selection of sample randomly (sample packing)
9
Checking of garments Sample
10
Checking of measurement (Dimension)
11 Record and list all of the major or minor defects/defectives/non
conformances
12
Tabulation and evaluation of results from this record
13
Drawing of defective sample for reference
14
Filling up of Carton (If samples are ok)
15
Putting of Sticker & signature on carton
16 Preparation of Report
17 Conformation for the shipment

31
Quality Control
Subject: AQL System
AQL Random Sampling Inspection
 The AQL inspection takes the samples from goods, inspects them and depends on
the quantity of samples inspected and decides to accept or reject them.
 The standard is based on Military Standard 105D (MIL-STD-105D)
 Its provides with the sampling plans, the number of samples to be inspected and the
acceptable quality level (AQL)
 AQL 1.5 is applied to very severe inspection on high-class expensive item.
 AQL 2.5 is applied when textiles of normal/good quality are involved.
AQL (II)
 Three types of sampling plans: single, double and multiple.
 Each sampling plan can be performed in three levels- normal, tightened & reduced
depending on quality of products.
 In garment industry, single & double normal sampling plans are applied.
Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) refers to the maximum number of defective items that could
be considered accepted during the random sampling of and inspection. It is expressed in a
percentage (%) number of average defective items where average defective item is the
multiple result of total number of defective items found during inspection and total number
of items inspected.
The faults or defects which are found during inspection are mainly classified into four
categories:
1. Critical: Must be 100% accurate. There is no range.
2. Major: Normally 2.5%
3. Minor: Normally 4%
4. Slight: Normally 6.5%
Types of AQL System Followed in Apparel Industry:
There are total six types of acceptable quality level (AQL) system followed in garment
manufacturing industry which are pointed out in the below:
1. AQL-1.0%,
2. AQL-1.5%,
3. AQL-2.5%,
4. AQL-4.0%,
5. AQL-6.5%,
6. AQL-10%.

32
Quality Control
Subject: AQL System
AQL Chart for Garment Industry:
An acceptable quality level (AQL) chart have presented in the below to facilitate the easy
understanding of the above discussion.
Lot or Batch Size Sample Size
Code Letter
Sample
Size
Acceptable Quality Level (AQL)
2.5% 4.0% 6.5%
Ac Re Ac Re Ac Re
2-8 A 2 0 1 0 1 0 1
9-15 B 3 0 1 0 1 0 1
16-25 C 5 0 1 0 1 0 1
26-50 D 8 0 1 1 2 1 2
51-90 E 13 1 2 1 2 2 3
91-150 F 20 1 2 2 3 3 4
151-280 G 32 2 3 3 4 5 6
281-500 H 50 3 4 5 6 7 8
501-1200 J 80 5 6 7 8 10 11
1201-3200 K 125 7 8 10 11 14 15
3201-10000 L 200 10 11 14 15 21 22
10001-35000 M 315 14 15 21 22 21 22
350001-150000 N 500 16 18 23 25 23 25
150001-500000 O 800 18 20 25 28 25 27
500000 and over P 1250 20 22 28 30 28 30
How to Read AQL Table?
It is very easy process. Now terms of AQL table are given below:
Lot or Batch size: This means total how many pieces inspector is going to check or inspect.
Sample size Code letter: This code is indicative a range of batch size.
Sample size: It means that how many pieces will be picked up for inspection from the total
offered pieces (Batch).
Ac (Accepted): The number in this column denotes that if the inspector finds up to that
much defective pieces the shipment will be accepted by buyer.
Re (Rejected): On the other hand number in this column denotes that if the inspector finds
that much defective pieces or more than the listed number, the shipment will be rejected
(or asked to the manufacturer for 100% inspection and re-offer for final inspection) by
buyer.

33
Quality Control
Subject: Zone Identification
Garments Defect Zones
Generally defects are classified into three categories in the eye of buyer’s inspection. These
are Critical, Major, and Minor defects. This location is called as a zone (garment zoning).
Garment zoning is done for fair evaluation of the garment during the visual audit. In some
cases, a major defect can be considered as minor defect based on the location of the defect
in a garment. This location is called as zone. Garments zoning is done for get a right
evaluation of the garment during visual inspection in the apparel industry. Location
of defects zone of garments is not only helpful for the garments factory inspection, but it
also helpful for a consumer who will try to purchase any types of ready-made garments on
the basis of visual inspection.
Defect Zone Classification of Garments during Visual Inspection:
In order to conduct inspection, garments are divided into a number of zones. A garment is
divided into 3 zones. They are:
 Zone-I : Most noticeable
 Zone- II : Average noticeable
 Zone- III : Least noticeable
3 defects zone of garments are also known as like Zone- A, Zone-B and Zone-C. At the front
sleeves and upper front is considered as zone ‘A’ and lower front considered as zone ‘B’. On
the back of the garment, under arms and back bottom is considered as zone ‘C’.
Evidently, Zone-I is the most important part of a garments, Zone-II is the next most
important area and zone-III is the least important zone.
For instance, a seam puckering or shading in Zone –I makes a garment totally reject while
the same defect in Zone-II impairs functional quality to a lesser extent and in Zone-III to the
least extent. In the 3rd case, the garment is nearly perfect and sale-able.

34
Quality Control
Subject: Zone Identification
Zone location in different garments:
For the help of visual inspection of garments inspector, buyer, and consumer Zone
classification and their location is shown in the following figure
Shirt:
Fig: Location of defects zone for Men’s shirt front and back views
Pant:

Quality control and inspection in apparel manufacturing

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