Quality Audit Requirements

1 In-Process Audit

 

In-process audits are performed to monitor the quality of the product through the various stages of production. If any problems with construction, measurement, workmanship, accessories or packing are found during the audits, these will be brought immediately to the attention of the garment manufacturer. If necessary, the  Head of Production, Planning and/or LO Country Manager, could also be involved to resolve quality issues and revise deliveries or modes of transportation.

 

 

Timing

 

In order to schedule in-process audits during bulk production, the Production Department must be kept informed of the production status of each supplier. The approximate date of completion of the bulk production can be referred to in the Work-In-Process report 03200/08, prepared by the garment manufacturer and forwarded to the Production Department. However, for a more accurate timetable, the Quality Field Technician must follow up with the relevant garment manufacturer, to schedule the in-process audit activity. Weekly meetings should be held between Quality and Production to review timetables. If the garment manufacturer notifies the Planning or Production Departments about changes in production schedules, this information must be forwarded to the Quality team.

 

Verification of Wash Testing

 

The purpose of Wash Testing is to verify that the finished product conforms to  performance standards and specifications.

 

Once completed garments start to come of the production line, the garment manufacturer must conduct their own wash test or submit them to the responsible LO for testing. If the product fails, the garment manufacturer must conduct further wash tests. If it is determined that the material is not appropriate for the end use, or it is not compatible with the other materials used in the garment, options will be discussed with the LO Country Manager, Head of Production and the Product Manager. If necessary, the regional Apparel Quality or Fabric Quality managers will need to be involved.

 

Information about wash tests is forwarded to the Quality Field Technician, who will keep it in the product file. The Quality Field Technician needs to verify that each product has passed the wash test, and record this in the Apparel Inspection Report .

2 Final Audit

 

A Final Audit is performed to assure that product shipped to the destination warehouse or retailer is of first quality. The audit consists of an accuracy audit, a full-size measurement check, a quality inspection, and a verification of product performance. Purchase orders (PO) are audited by an  Quality Field Technician or an approved supplier Final Auditor. Mil Standards 105E will be used to determine whether a PO can be shipped. However, the  expectation is zero defects in first quality products.

 

2.1 Timing

 

Each week, the garment manufacturer is responsible for updating the Work-In-Progress Report 03200/08, and submitting it to the Planning and Production Departments at the responsible LO. This report will be forwarded to the Quality Field Technicians and the Production Manager, who will use the projected final audit dates, to help them plan their audit schedules.

 

2.2 Equipment

 

·         Sealed Counter or Size-set sample

·         Article Description

·         Measurement Specification Sheet

·          Defect Classification List  03200/03

·          Inspection Method 03200/05

·          How to Measure Method 03200/04

·         Apparel Inspection Report 03200/06

·         Labelling and Packaging Apparel Manual

·         AATCC Puckering Standard

·          Colour Standards

·         Accessories Component card

·         Defective stickers / coloured tape         

·         Copy of Purchase Order (given by garment manufacturer)

·         Packing List (given by garment manufacturer)

·         Final Inspection Report, performed by garment manufacturer

·         Inspection table, with adequate lighting (D65)

·         Tape measure

·         Pen

 

 

2.3 Procedures

 

In order to pass the final audit, the product must comply with the packing requirements, pass the quality audit, meet the measurement specification and pass garment wash testing. Shipments are generally style-related, not order-related, which means, if there are several POs. of the same style (i.e. same or different customer, same or different colour), the final audits could be combined, to make the process more efficient. (i.e. one Apparel Inspection Report to be completed). The following steps AQL Procedure 03000/02 need to be followed during the audit:

2.3.1 Packing Verification

 

·         For each PO (or combined POs) to be audited, the Final Auditor/Quality Field Technician needs to count the total number of cartons offered and compare the finding with the packing list provided.

·         The Final Auditor/Quality Field Technician determines the total quantity of products offered for final audit, by adding the quantities from each packing list. The number of cartons to be selected is then calculated, based on the sampling plan (refer to Packing Audit Sampling Plan).

·         If POs are combined, the selected cartons should represent all articles and sizes available within the population.

·         The Final Auditor/Quality Field Technician either selects the cartons from the storage location personally or writes the numbers of the cartons on the packing list, for the factory helper to find. The numbers of the cartons will be recorded on the Apparel Inspection Report.

·         The packing accuracy verification can either be conducted at the carton storage location or in an inspection room, however the Final Auditor/Quality Field Technician needs to be present when the cartons are opened. Depending upon the location of packing audit, the factory helper will bring either cartons or products to the inspection room.

·         The Final Auditor/Quality Field Technician will check that the cartons used are to specification. This includes checking and recording the dimensions and make-up (staples or glue) of the carton, and verifying that the position and wording of the main and side markings are correct.

·         After each carton is opened, the Auditor will count the quantity and check the size, style and colour of all products contained inside. The information, written on the Outer Carton Label (OCL), will also be checked versus the contents of the cartons selected for audit.

·         The type of packaging, including wording on the polybag, and the method of packing the garments, in the carton, will also be checked.

·         Products will be randomly sampled from each carton (as per calculation) for the Quality Audit.

·         After the Packing Audit, the auditor will write appropriate comments in the Apparel Inspection Report, indicating any discrepancies between the audit samples and the packing requirements. Any quality defects, observed during the accuracy audit will also be noted.

·         A decision about accepting or rejecting the load for packing accuracy should be made based on the following sampling plan, which is based on AQL  0.15 Normal. If the number of accuracy errors found during the packing is in the acceptance range, only the cartons with the errors need to be repacked. If the number of errors are in the reject range the whole shipment needs to be re-screened.

However our expectation is always zero tolerance.

 

Packing (Based on AQL 0.15 Normal, source: MIL Standard 105E)

 

LOAD SIZE		SAMPLE SIZE	ACCEPT	REJECT
1   -      500		200	0	1
501   -    1200		315	1	2
1201   -    3200		500	2	3
3201   -  10000		800	3	4
10001   -  35000		1250	5	6

 

To determine the number of cartons to be selected, first identify the declared quantity the garment manufacturer is planning to ship. From this quantity, the number of garments to be sampled for the packing check can be determined. Divide the sampling size chosen by the number of pieces per carton and the rounded-up result will give you how many cartons we need to select (at random) for the packing accuracy check.

 

e.g.:     Shipped quantity = 5000 Garments. Sample size = 800 Garments. Packed = 60 Garments / carton

            800/60 = 13.33 Cartons = 13 Cartons to be checked.

2.3.2 Garment Inspection

 

·         The garment inspection will include a full body measurement check for each size and an inspection to check for material defects, appearance, decoration, construction, workmanship, labelling (care, size and main labels), and finishing defects.

·         For any inspection, it is very important, that a suitable place (table) and a sufficient light source (preferably D65) are available.

·         Follow the  inspection method, in order to eliminate the possibility of overlooking an area of the garment.

 

Quality (Based on AQL1.5 Normal, Level I; source: MIL Standard 105E)

 

LOAD SIZE		SAMPLE SIZE	ACCEPT	REJECT
1   -      280		8	0	1
281   -    1200		32	1	2
1201   -    3200		50	2	3
3201   -  10000		80	3	4
10001   -  35000		125	5	6

 

To determine the number of cartons to be selected, follow the packing formula.

 

e.g.:     Shipped quantity = 5000 Garments. Sample size = 800 Garments. Packed = 60 Garments / Carton

            800:60 = 13.33 Cartons = 13 Cartons to be selected

 

To determine how many pieces need to be sampled from each carton for the Quality check, first determine the sample size for the Quality check, based on the load size. Then, divide this sample size by the number of cartons selected, for the Packing Audit.

 

e.g.:     Shipped quantity = 5000 Garments. Sample size = 80 Garments (and 13 cartons selected).

80/13 =  6.15 garments per carton to be checked (so select 6 units each from 12 of the cartons and 8 garments from the 13th carton)

            Non conforming garments:        3 accepted;

4 rejected

 

 

Measurement Check

 

For each size, record the full body measurements of at least 3 garments. The result of the measurement check will be recorded on the Measurement Specification Sheet, highlighting any garments that are considered to be out-of-tolerance. During the quality check, a random check of the critical measurements such as body length, sleeve length and chest (for tops), waist and inseam (for bottoms) should also be made. Garments out-of-tolerance are counted as defects.

 

Requirements :

 

·         Measure according to the  How to Measure Method 03200/04

·         Refer to the Measurement Specification Sheet in Article Description

·         Tolerances are mentioned on the Measurement Specification Sheet (in Article Description)

·         For recording the measurements, use the additional size specification in the Article Description.

·         Circle all measurements that are out of tolerance (in red colour)

 The defective garments will be set aside for a follow-up review with factory management.

 

Each defect will be recorded in the Apparel Inspection report 03200/06, either by name or by Defect Classification List 03200/03 number, and the totals, tallied by defect group (fabric, workmanship, cleanliness, cleanliness, decoration, finishing, measurement, packing). The total numbers of defects found are written in the appropriate boxes provided on the form. The total number of defects (only one defect is counted per garment), compared with the accept/reject numbers for the chosen sampling plan, determine whether the load is accepted or rejected.

 

A representative for the garment manufacturer must sign the Apparel Inspection Report to indicate their acknowledgement of and agreement with the audit result.

 

Whenever a lot is rejected, and the garments can be repaired, the factory must rescreen the shipment, and offer for a re-inspection. A new Apparel Inspection Report must be completed.

In the event that the shipment cannot be repaired, the LO needs to decide how to settle the issue.  This could be by discount or by destroying the garments, but each case will be treated on an exception basis.

 

 

Related Documents:

 

Code	Document	Responsibility	Level	Page
03000/02	AQL Procedure	Apparel Quality	2	03.05
03200/03	Defect Classification List for Garments	Apparel Quality	2	03.06
03200/03	Defect Classification List for Socks	Apparel Quality	2	03.07
03200/04	How to measure Method	Product Creation Team	2 (manual)	03.08
03200/05	Inspection Method	Apparel Quality	2	03.09
03200/06	Apparel Inspection Report	Apparel Quality	2	03.10
03200/08	Work in Progress Report	Production	2	03.12
	Article Description (from RMS)	Development	2
	Labelling and Packaging Apparel Manual	Labelling and Packaging	2

 

 

Fabric Physical Quality Inspection Procedure

This document prescribes the general inspection procedures to be used by fabric suppliers and garment makers regarding fabrics for  AG.  It provides the guidelines visually inspecting and grading fabrics for fabric defects. This procedure does not prescribe the color matching procedures or lab testing procedures for physical fabric properties.  Please refer to  AG Color Manual for color management and the Lab Testing manual for the testing of physical properties.

 

 AG does not generally purchase fabrics.  The garment factory is generally responsible for the purchase and payment for all fabrics and other materials required in connection with a garment purchase order from  AG.  Material suppliers are expected to provide first quality goods, on-time, right-first-time (RFT).

 

Responsibility for Fabric Inspection – Fabric suppliers for  AG are expected to ensure fabrics meet/exceed the quality requirements prescribed in this document.  Fabrics should be inspected and inspection records should be kept in accordance with the “4 point” inspection system prescribed herein.  Please refer to ASTM D 3990 – 93 for terminology relating to fabric defects and ASTM D 5430 – 93 the guidance in the standard test method for visually inspecting and grading fabrics.

 

The material supplier and garment maker should agree on any requirements for marking defects identified by the fabric supplier.  Whether they are not marked, marked with stickers, barbs on the selvage, or any other method is to be decided and agreed to by both parties.  Depending on the fabric, marking defects can create additional defects or exacerbate existing ones so the marking of defects should be decided by both parties. 

 

All fabrics should be inspected within 7 (seven) days of receipt at garment factory to allow for timely resolution of quality issues.  The garment maker should immediately notify the LO or other representative of any material issues that may result in a quality problem or negatively impact on-time delivery.

 

Inspection Equipment Requirements – Both parties should have an inspection machine providing a flat surface/viewing area and a variable speed drive and yardage/meter counter.  It should also contain and undercarriage light as well as overhead light to inspect faults on the surface of the fabric.  The inspection frame should be clean and free of any sharp edges or other condition that could damage fabric.

 

Inspection Speed – The fabric should be inspected at a speed which is compatible with the inspector’s ability and the type of fabric being audited.  The speed should not exceed 25 (twenty-five) yards per minute. 

 

Inspection Lighting – Examination and grading is to be performed with overhead direct lighting to determine faults on the surface of the fabric.  The overhead direct lighting should be mounted parallel to the viewing surface.  The frame should be tilted so that the fabric passes at an angle of 45 – 60 degrees to the horizontal.  Overhead CWF lighting is recommended and should provide an illumination level of a minimum of 100 foot candles (1075 lux) on the surface of the fabric.

 

The back-light should be used on an exception basis for specific fabric types or faults.  In no case should fabric be rejected for faults only visible with the backlight if: 1) the fault is not visible in garment form as would normally be worn and 2) the fault will not cause the fabric or garment to fail in its use.

 

Inspection Sample Size – Fabric mills should perform 100% inspection of all fabrics during the put-up grading each roll for defects.  Garment makers should inspect a minimum of 10% of each fabric shipment received.  Tightened and loosened inspection should be employed by T1 as appropriate so any problem fabrics receive an inspection of greater than 10% and those better performing fabrics receive less inspection.    

 

Roll Size – Minimum and maximum roll size and the acceptable number of joins will be agreed to by fabric supplier and garment maker before the beginning of each season.  Fabric supplier and garment maker should also agree whether fabric edges are to be trimmed. 

 

Inspection Method – the face side of the fabric should always be inspected.  Fabric mill and garment maker should check for side-center-side shading, shading from roll to roll and shading from beginning to end of roll.  A proper light box (in accordance with  AG Color Manual should be near the vincinity of the inspection frame to ensure proper color evaluation during inspection.  Defects not visible on the face of the fabric are not counted unless there has been a decision/agreement to do so between fabric supplier and garment maker or unless directed to do so by  AG.  Defects outside the cuttable width, on the selvage, should not be counted.

 

Cuttable width should be measured at the beginning, middle, and end of each roll.  If the goods are narrow as compared to the  AG material specifications, the garment maker and fabric supplier must agree to have the goods replaced or provide a discount to the garment maker.  Fabric supplier must provide additional goods, if needed, in a manner to not adversely impact on-time garment delivery (cost for any expedited transportation costs of fabric to be borne by fabric supplier). 

 

The viewing distance should be between 2 (two) and 4 (four) feet in order to have proper vision of the full width of fabric.  Fabric should be properly rolled and stored after inspection to prevent damage or soiling.

 

 

 

Defect Classification – When defects/faults are identified, they must be assigned a number of points depending on the severity of the defect. 

 

·         Defects between 0 and 3” in length/width ( 0 to 8 cm) -              1 (one) point

·         Defects between 3.1” and 6” in length/width (8.1 to 15 cm) -     2 (two) points

·         Defects between 6.1” and 9” in length/width (15.1 to 23 cm) -   3 (three) points

·         Defects greater than 9” in length or the full width (23 cm) -        4 (four) points

 

A maximum of four points can be assigned to one linear yard, regardless of the number and the size of the defects in the given yard.  For a defect running continuously along the length of the fabric, four points should be assigned for each linear yard. 

 

Acceptability of Roll/Shipment – Fabric shipments exceeding the following point totals are considered to be second quality and not acceptable. 

 

·         Warp knits – average of 20 points per 100 linear yards

·         Synthetic/synthetic blends weft knits – average of 20 points per 100 linear yards

·         Synthetic wovens – average of 20 points per 100 linear yards

·         Twills, cottons, linens – average of 25 points per 100 linear yards

 

No individual roll should be considered first quality if the point total exceeds 30 points per 100 linear yards.

 

If a shipment or partial shipment is considered to not be first quality, the garment maker and fabric supplier should agree on corrective action that least impacts garment quality and on-time delivery.  The shipment may be rejected, returned and replaced in some cases.  In other cases, the best course of action to protect the garment delivery date may be for fabric supplier to discount the original shipment and provide additional goods to make up poor cutting utilization.  This should be a rare occurrence, but in all cases the focus must be to provide first quality garment to AG on/before the promised ship date.

AQL Procedure

Note that the sampling sizes based on the load size are different between the Packing and Quality Audits. The following explains how to sample garments for each Audit.

 

Packing Audit  (Based on AQL 0.15 Normal, source: MIL Standard 105E)

 

LOAD SIZE		SAMPLE SIZE	ACCEPT	REJECT
1   -      500		200	0	1
501   -    1200		315	1	2
1201   -    3200		500	2	3
3201   -  10000		800	3	4
10001   -  35000		1250	5	6

 

To determine the number of cartons to be selected, first identify the declared quantity the garment manufacturer is planning to ship. From this quantity, the number of garments to be sampled for the packing check can be determined. Divide the sampling size chosen by the number of pieces per carton and the rounded-up result will give you how many cartons we need to select (at random) for the packing accuracy check.

 

e.g.:     Shipped quantity = 5000 Garments. Sample size = 800 Garments. Packed = 60 Garments / carton

            800:60 = 13.33 Cartons = 13 Cartons to be checked.

 

A decision about accepting or rejecting the load for packing accuracy should be made based on the  sampling plan, which is based on AQL  0.15 Normal. If the number of accuracy errors found during the packing is in the acceptance range, only the cartons with the errors need to be repacked. If the number of errors are in the reject range the whole shipment needs to be re-screened.

However our expectation is always zero tolerance.

 

 

 

Quality Audit ( Based on AQL 1.5 Normal , Level I , MIL Standard 105 E )

 

To determine the number of cartons to be selected, follow the packing formula above.

e.g.:     Shipped quantity = 5000 Garments. Sample size = 800 Garments. Packed = 60 Garments / Carton

            800:60 = 13.33 Cartons = 13 Cartons to be checked.

 

 

To determine how many pieces need to be sampled from each carton for the Quality check, first determine the sample size for the Quality check, based on the load size. Then, divide this sample size by the number of cartons selected, for the Packing Audit.

 

LOAD SIZE		SAMPLE SIZE	ACCEPT	REJECT
1   -      280		8	0	1
281   -    1200		32	1	2
1201   -    3200		50	2	3
3201   -  10000		80	3	4
10001   -  35000		125	5	6

 

 

e.g.:     Shipped quantity = 5000 Garments. Sample size = 80 Garments (and 13 cartons selected).

80/13 =  6.15 garments per carton to be checked (so sample 6 garments each from 12 of the cartons and 8 garments from the 13^th carton).

            Non conforming garments:        3 accepted

4 rejected

FABRIC QUALITY AND INSPECTION STANDARD

This document specifies the recommended fabric inspection procedures to be used by garment makers and fabric suppliers.  If you have any questions, please contact the local Material Quality/FAD office or the Garment Quality team in your respective area. 

PART 1: DEFECT GRADING STANDARDS

 

A. INTRODUCTION

 

The following defect grading standards and specifications are to be used and adhered to as closely as possible, when grading all fabrics consigned to vendors producing apparel . It is realized that there will be occasions when the conditions are not adequately covered by these instructions. In such cases, the fabric should be held and the relevant LO Quality Manager contacted, for further advice.

 

 marketing apparel products, which use woven and knit fabrications. These include woven synthetic and synthetic blends; 100% cotton, CVC, CVS and synthetic warp and circular knits. It is recognized that some fabrications have fewer defects than others due to the nature of the yarn, the behavior of the fiber and the type of spinning or the type of weave/loom/knitting machine used.  For the purpose of grading, fabrics have been grouped into two classifications as follows, although the majority of the current  fabrics will be found in group 1, listed below.

 

The performance of our material suppliers will be reviewed from time to time but the goal of our suppliers should always be to ship materials and products that are defect-free.

 

B. FABRIC GROUP CLASSIFICATION

 

All fabrics shipped to  apparel suppliers should meet the following criteria based on the 4 point system. Note that the expected standard is the maximum points allowed per individual roll and the maximum average per shipment. Our expectation is that the quality of the fabrics shipped, should be better than this.

 

 

 

	Group 1	Group 2
	All 100% synthetic and synthetic blends	Twills and sateens Cotton & cotton blends
	(Ring/Ring), (Ring/OE)	(Ring/Ring), (Ring/OE), (OE/OE)
	All knitted fabrics Warp and circular knits	Square weaves Linen, cotton & linen/cotton blends
		(Ring/Ring), (Ring/OE), (OE/OE)
Expected Standard
Individual roll (maximum allowed)	15 points per 100 linear yards.	25 points per 100 linear yards.
Shipment (average) (maximum allowed)	12 points per 100 linear yards.	20 points per 100 linear yards.

C. FABRIC STANDARDS CLASSIFICATION

 

1.  INSPECTION SYSTEM  -  “ 4 - POINT “ SYSTEM

 

The Four-point system will be used to determine the lot acceptance of fabrics . This numeric grading system is endorsed by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), The American Apparel Manufacturers Association (AAMA) and the European Clothing Manufacturing Association (ECMA).

 

A) Demerit points shall be assigned as follows (Defects in any direction):

          

1 point    - Defects of size exceeding 0 inches but not exceeding 3 inches (7.5cm)

2 points  - Defects of size exceeding 3 inches (7.5cm) but not exceeding 6 inches (15cm)

3 points  - Defects of size exceeding 6 inches (15cm) but not exceeding 9 inches (22.5cm)

4 points  - Defects of size exceeding 9 inches (22.5cm)

B) No yard shall be penalized more than 4 points.

 

C) All holes regardless of size, shall be penalized 4 points. There must be two or more yarns broken at the same place, for the defect to be considered a hole.

 

D) No piece shall be accepted as first quality where the usable width (which is the width between the insides of the selvages or between the stenter pinholes) is less than the minimum usable width stated on the purchase agreement. Unless otherwise stated, the fabric width specified on the material specification sheet is for minimum fabric width, measured inside the selvages.

 

E) No piece shall be accepted as first quality that exhibits a noticeable degree of shading from side-to-side or side-to-center.

 

F) No piece shall be accepted as first quality exhibiting a noticeable degree of shading end-to-end, when checked by laying panels, cut from the beginning of the roll, across the opposite end.

 

G) Fabric bowing or bias should be within the following tolerances. 

 

i) Yarn-dyed in checker pattern: No piece shall be accepted as first quality exhibiting more than 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) of bow or bias on 60 inch (152cm) goods.

 

ii) Printed in checker or stripe pattern: No piece shall be accepted as first quality exhibiting more than 1.2 inches (3cm) of bow or bias on 60 inch (152cm) goods.

 

iii) Single jersey knitted fabrics within 5%. Note that fabric should be within 5% skew after washing.

 

H) No piece shall be accepted as first quality exhibiting a noticeable degree of looseness (waviness) or tightness along either or both selvages, nor ripple or puckers within the body of the fabric, which would prevent the fabric from lying flat when spreading in a conventional manner.

 

J) Any defect found to repeat and or run in a continuous manner will constitute a running defect.

 

i) Any piece having a running or repeating defect through more than three (3) continuous yards shall be rejected regardless of the point count.

 

ii) More than one occurrence, in excess of three (3) yards, in an audit can cause the dyelot to be rejected.

 FABRIC STANDARDS CLASSIFICATION CONT . . .

 

 

K) If the total number of second quality yardage is 20% of the total inspection quantity, the dyelot fails inspection pending  instructions, as to the disposition of the shipment. The following types of defects are included:

 

a)     Bowed or bias in excess of stated tolerances.

b)    Dye streaks or unevenness.               

c)     High point count.

d)    Hand-feel too stiff or soft compared with standard.

e)     Loose, wavy or tight selvages.

f)     Narrow width.

g)    Shading side-to-side or side-to-center.

h)     Shaded end-to-end.

i)      Any combination of the above.

 

Note that for defects such as bowing or bias, incorrect hand-feel, narrow width, and side-to-side/side-to-center/end-to-end shading no penalty points shall be assigned. However, the entire roll shall be graded as second quality and should be rejected.

 

At the discretion  or their appointed garment supplier, the fabric supplier may be required to re-evaluate the entire shipment, remove and/or re-evaluate defective rolls, and re-offer the shipment for re-inspection.

 

L) Individual pieces and dyelots shall be rejected if their point levels exceed those of the classified groups, listed below, based on 100 linear yards:

 

 

Fabric Classification	Individual roll (max. points per 100 lin yds)	Shipment (max. points per 100 lin.yds)
Group 1	15 points	12 points
Group 2	25 points	20 points

 

 

M) If the actual fabric length of a piece is significantly more or less than the length recorded on the piece   

    ticket, penalty points will not be assigned for the roll length variation. However, the discrepancy will be  

    recorded on the fabric inspection report.

 

N) All bulk dye lots should be consistent with the color standard and approved lab dip.  Please refer to the color manual for detailed information.

 

O) If there is more than one dye lot for any color, in a fabric shipment, the mill is responsible for ensuring that

    the color consistency between dye lots is within an acceptable range, compared with the first bulk approved 

    colour swatch and  color standard.

 

P) For denim, a certain amount of skew is required to be added to the fabric in the finishing process. Please check with the respective LO Quality Manager to determine how to measure the fabric skew.

 

Q) All rolls of fabrics should be within +/-5% of the given weight specification, measured according to Determination of Fabric Weight g/m² ISO3801/ASTM3776 method.  (Refer to section 4.19 Apparel Materials Test Procedures & Requirements Manual).  

 FABRIC STANDARDS CLASSIFICATION CONT . . .

 

 

2.  SAMPLING SIZE

 

The ability to sample sufficient rolls of fabric will depend on the type of facilities and equipment that the fabric and apparel suppliers have available. However, it is recommended that the following sampling procedures be used:

   

 

By Material Supplier

 

A) Any Shipment lot   - 100% inspection

 

 

By Apparel Supplier

  

   A) Shipment of 1,000 yards or less   - 100% inspection

   B) Shipment of 1,001 yards or more  - 10% inspection (minimum 1000 yards)

 

 

3.  DEFECT CLASSIFICATION

 

Please refer to ASTM D3990-99 Standard Terminology Relating to Fabric Defects for an explanation of different types of defects found in knit and woven fabrics.

 

 

4. IN-COMING INSPECTION BY APPAREL SUPPLER

 

With the introduction of Lean practices at all  suppliers, it is important that a Right-First-Time approach is indoctrinated at each level of the production process. The expectation of the apparel supplier is that all materials reaching them have zero or minimal defects. Unfortunately, material manufacturers are currently not achieving such a level of excellence, so the apparel supplier still needs to inspect and replace defective parts before submitting cut panels to the sewing line.

 

All in-coming materials to the apparel supplier must be inspected, unless they have sufficient confidence in the ability of their material suppliers to mark or tag defects or to produce quality fabrications. It is also recommended that apparel suppliers set up a process of panel inspection to replace any defective parts, before the cut panels are sent to the sewing section.

PART 2: FABRIC INSPECTION PROCEDURES 

 

 

A. INTRODUCTION

 

This section is written to provide a general guideline on the fabric inspection procedure, so that fabric mills and garment suppliers can conduct the inspection process in a similar way.

 

In our quest for the continuous improvement of garment quality, we believe that the inspection of the piece goods and the subsequent improvement of fabric quality are important steps in the continuous improvement process.

 

It is recognized that there are several piece goods inspection systems, but in order for our garment suppliers to communicate any problems to our fabric suppliers, it is important that a common procedure be used. For this reason,  has chosen to use the 4-point system, as the common system.

 

This procedure will allow our suppliers to evaluate the conformity of production fabric and/or approval samples against  minimum requirements, through the visual inspection of fabric rolls, randomly selected from a shipment lot.

 

 

 

B. INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR FABRIC INSPECTION.
 

·         ASTM D3990-99 Standard Terminology Relating to Fabric Defects

·         Approved first bulk fabric swatch(es) for each color and  color standard

·         Color continuity card (showing previous dye lots, refer to Appendix 2 for example of form)

·         Packing list from mill

·         Blank inspection report form

 fabric inspection procedures.

 

 

 

C. INSPECTION METHODS

 

 

   USING A FABRIC INSPECTION MACHINE

      

·         All fabrics are to be inspected on an inspection machine. The inspection machine should have a variable speed motor and a mechanical counter for measuring roll lengths. During the inspection, the inspector must stand at an appropriate distance from the machine to ensure the best viewing position to observe both fabric color shading and mill defects.

 

·         The frame should be tilted so that the fabric passes at an angle of between 45 and 60 degrees to the horizontal. The frame is to be illuminated with a minimum of two F96 CWF (Cool white fluorescent) bulbs, positioned parallel to each other and perpendicular to the direction the fabric is moving.

 

·         The fabric should be inspected at a speed that is compatible with the inspector’s ability and the type of fabric being audited. The appropriate inspection speed should be determined by the inspector, but should never exceed twenty-five (25) yards per minute.

 

·         All material suppliers are required to provide a suitable and safe area for conducting fabric inspection. This area should be separate from the fabric finishing department and equipment. The mill should also provide appropriate personnel to load and unload the inspection machine, whenever  QC or appointed garment suppliers are conducting an inspection.      

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

June 2003, Version 02                                                          Document: 03100/02                                                                     Page 6 of 8

 

D. FABRIC INSPECTION PROCEDURES-INSPECTION

 

 

This procedure is for a fabric inspection conducted by the apparel supplier or a third party at the mill. The apparel supplier for incoming shipments can also use most of the steps.  A physical inspection will generally cover the following procedures.

 

a)     Record the inspected roll details (piece length/piece number/dye lot number) on the inspection form.

b)    At the beginning and end of each roll, a 6-inch wide full width sample should be cut, as a color reference and used to assess side-to-side, side-to-center, end-to-end and roll-to-roll shading.

c)     Check the fabric weight (refer to section 4.19 Apparel Materials Test Procedures & Requirements Manual).

d)    The fabric width should be checked a minimum of three times during the inspection of a roll (at the beginning, middle and end). The definition of cuttable fabric width is the measurement excluding the fabric selvages or the fabric outside the tenter pin marks, the unprinted, uncoated or otherwise untreated surface portion of the fabric.

e)     Record the fabric length (by mechanical counter).

f)     During inspection, the location of the defects should either be flagged, with a plastic barb at the selvage, or marked with a defect sticker.  Whether to flag defects and how to flag defects should be discussed and agreed upon between material supplier and garment maker.  For example, some delicate fabrics should not have defects tagged with barbs as it can cause more damage to fabric in shipping and handling.

g)    Record the point count and type of weaving or finishing defects on the inspection form.

h)     Calculate the total penalty points per 100 linear yards, by individual roll.

i)      Calculate the average penalty points per 100 linear yards for the entire shipment.

j)      Complete the inspection report and determine acceptance/rejection of the shipment or whether it is necessary to hold.

k)     Review the results and any defective samples with the supplier.

l)      If the supplier agrees the result, they need to confirm by signing the inspection report.

m)   If the shipment is rejected or placed on hold, some defective samples should be immediately brought back to the office, to review with appropriate parties.

n)     Bulk sample swatches from each dye lot should be attached to a color continuity card (appendix 2).

 

 

 

 

 

 

PART  3  :  COLOUR EVALUATION

 

A. INTRODUCTION

 

Achieving the correct color and achieving consistency of color between dye lots are key to the success especially for any teamsport and coordinated products

 

In order to evaluate color consistently between the different material and apparel suppliers’ procedures for color/shade approval by visual viewing and by spectrophotometer, and for maintaining color continuity cards, need to be in place.

 

All suppliers need to be certified for color approval. This involves a third party, Datcolor, performing a Color Accreditation, which includes assessment of a supplier’s equipment, practices and employees that work with color. 

 

Color procedures and information regarding the color accreditation process can be obtained from the Regional Materials/FAD team or the LO Quality team.

 

 

 

 

 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

June 2003, Version 02                                                          Document: 03100/02                                                                     Page 7 of 8

APPENDIX 1: EXAMPLE OF A COLOUR/SHADE CONTINUITY CARD

 

Continuity Card		Fabric Supplier:
Article:		Shade:
Lab-Test Rep. No.:		Approved Bulk Fabric Swatch                                                 Delta reading against lab dip                E:                    L :                      C:                 H:
Bulk Approval No.:
Lab Dip   Delta Reading against colour book            E:        L:       C:       H:
Batch No.:	Received:		Bulk Sample
			Delta reading against lab dip                        E:               L:            C:                H:
			Delta reading against lab dip                              E:               L:            C:                H:
			Delta reading against lab dip                              E:               L:            C:                H:
			Delta reading against lab dip                               E:               L:            C:                H:
			Delta reading against lab dip                               E:               L:            C:                H:
			Delta reading against lab dip                             E:               L:            C:                H:

 

Symbol Guide

SYMBOL GUIDE

Washing
	Max Temperature 60C/140F - Bedlinen, towels, and some underwear
	Max Temperature 60C/140F, gentle cycle - Bedlinen, towels and some underwear
	Max Temperature 50C/122F, gentle cycle - Polyester, cotton/polyester, polyester/cotton
	Max Temperature 40C/104F - Cotton
	Temperature 40C/104F, gentle cycle - Acrylics, acetate, nylon, tri-acetate, cotton/acrylic, poly/viscose
	Max Temperature 40C/104F, gentlest cycle - Wool and wool mixtures
	Max Temperature 30C/86Fm gentle cycle
	Hand wash
	Do not wash
	A short line under any of the above indicates reduce cycle, moisture, and/or heat
Drying
	Tumble Dry
	Do not Tumble Dry
	Drip Dry
	Hand dry after removing excess water
	Dry flat after removing excess water
Ironing
	Hot 220C/392F - Cotton, linen, viscose
	Warm 150C/302F - Polyester mixes
	Cool 110C/230F - Acrylic, nylon, acetate, tri-acetate
	Do not iron
Bleaching
	Chlorine bleach may be used
	Do not use chlorine bleach
Dry Cleaning
	Dry cleaning
	Dry clean in any solvent
	Use fluorocarbon or petroleum solvent only
	Do not dry clean
	In all cases, if an X is through the symbol it means DO NOT USE

Care Symbol instruction

Washing
	Washable.
	Careful washing. Follow water temperature recommendation, do not expose to strong machine treatment, slow wringing out.
	Delicate washing. Maximum water, minimum machine treatment, fast rinsing.
	Non-washable.
	Wash in cold water (below 30 С).
	Wash in warm water (below 40 С).
	Wash in hot water (50 С and more).
	Hand wash only. Do not rub, do not wring out. Maximum temperature 40 С.
	Do not wring out.
Drying and wringing out
	Dryable.
	Do not dry (is used together with “Non-washable”).
	Machine drying.
	Do not use machine drying.
	Dry with low temperature.
	Dry with medium temperature.
	Dry with high temperature.
	Careful drying and wringing out.
	Delicate drying and wringing out.
	Vertical drying.
	Do not wring out.
	Horizontal drying.
	Dry in shadow.
Bleach and dry-cleaning
	Dry-cleaning.
	Dry-cleaning is not permitted.
	Cleaning with any solvent.
	Cleaning with hydrocarbon, chloric ethylene.
	The same, but careful cleaning.
	Cleaning with hydrocarbon and treflotrechlormethane.
	The same, but careful cleaning.
	Bleach.
	Do not bleach.
	Bleach with chlorine.
	Bleach without chlorine.
Ironing
	Ironing is allowed.
	Do not iron.
	Iron with high temperature (below 200 С).
	Iron with medium temperature (below 150 С).
	Iron with low temperature (below 110 С).
	Do not strip.

Fabrics

Acetate: Acetate was one of the first manufactured fabrics.  It is soft and has a crisp feel.  Looks lovely when draped and has the appearance of silk.  Acetate resists strain very poorly and can easily tear if not backed with a durable fabric.

Batiste: Batiste is a lightweight, soft, semi-sheer fabric, usually made of cotton or cotton blends.  It belongs to the lawn family and is made of tightly twisted, combed yards and mercerized finish.  It can be printed or embroidered.  

Broadcloth: Broadcloth is a plain weave tightly woven fabric, characterized by a slight ridge effect in one direction, usually the filling. The most common broadcloth is made from cotton.  Has a smooth finish, medium to high quality thread count.

Brocade: Brocade is a heavy, exquisite jacquard type fabric with an all-over raised pattern woven into the fabric.  It often has a quite elaborate design pattern and is often reversible.  Often has colored threads making a design against a satin background.  This makes the pattern design stand out.  The pattern in brocade fabrics are fairly loose, while in damask fabrics the threads are bound into the material.  The most affordable brocades are made out of synthetic blends or cotton fabrics, silk brocades are historically accurate but more expensive.

Calico: Calico is a tightly-woven cotton fabric with an all-over print, usually a small floral pattern on a contrasting background color.

Cashmere: Cashmere is a luxury fiber obtained from the soft fleecy undergrowth of the Kashmir goat.  Fabric has a soft and silky finish, very light weight.  Available in different weights, doesn’t stand up to wear as well as wool.  

Chiffon: Chiffon is a tightly woven lightweight, extremely sheer, airy, and soft fabric.  Made from nylon or silk, chiffon is a very strong fabric.

Corduroy : Corduroy is usually made of cotton, utilizing a cut-pile weave construction. Extra sets of filling yarns are woven into the fabric to form ridges of yarn on the surface. Has narrow medium and wide wales.  Most corduroy is washable and wears very well.

Cotton: Cotton is a natural fiber that grows in the seed pod of the cotton plant. Available in a wide range of qualities, ranging from low thread count to very high thread count.  Cotton is a strong fabric and can be easily washed.

Coutil: Coutil is a historically accurate cotton fabric that has been designed specifically for corsets.  It has a noticeable marked herringbone pattern and is very tightly woven to prevent the fabric from stretching and to prevent corset bones from poking through.  

Crepe-back Satin: Crepe-back Satin fabric has highly twisted yarns that are used in the filling direction.  It is a soft fabric which is reversible.

Crinoline: Crinoline is a lightweight, loosely woven, stiffened fabric.  It is smooth, stiff, and has excellent strength, works very well for bridal petticoats.

Damask: Damask is a glossy jacquard fabric, usually made from linen, cotton, rayon or silk. The patterns are flat and reversible. Damask is one of the oldest and most popular cloths to be found today. Very elaborate designs are possible.  Sheds dirt.  Launders well and holds a high luster - particularly in linen. - Price range varies a great deal. 

Dupioni: Dupioni is made from the silk yarns of the cocoon of two silk worms that have nested together.  The fabric is very irregular and shows many slubs.  Often confused with raw silk (silk noil), both fabrics have slubs, however dupioni has far less slubs than raw silk.  Dupioni wears very well and is a great alternative to more expensive silks.

Jacquard: Jacquard fabrics woven fabrics manufactured by using the Jacquard loom.  Brocade and damask are types of jacquard woven fabrics.

Lawn: Lawn is a lightweight, fine cloth made using combed linen or cotton yarns. The fabric has a crease-resistant, crisp finish.

Linen: A fabric made from linen fibers obtained from inside the woody stem of the flax plant. Linen fibers are much stronger and more lustrous than cotton. Linen fabrics are very cool and absorbent, but wrinkle very easily, unless blended with manufactured fibers. Linen is one of the oldest textile fibers.

Moiré: Moiré is a corded fabric, usually made from silk or one of the manufactured fibers, which has a distinctive water-marked wavy pattern on the face of the fabric.

Muslin: Muslin is a medium weight, plain weave, low count cotton fabric. In its unfinished form, it is commonly used in fashion design to make trial garments for preliminary fit.

Organdy: Organdy is a stiffened, sheer, lightweight fabric.  Made with tightly twisted yarns.  Crispness is due to a finish with starch and calendaring which washes out.

Organza: Organza is a thin stiff transparent silk or synthetic dress fabric.  It is a fine, sheer, lightweight, and crisp fabric. It has a very wiry feel. It crushes or musses fairly easily, but it is easily pressed.

Polyester: Polyester is a manufactured fiber that wasn’t seen before the early 1950s.  It is an extremely resilient fiber that is smooth, crisp and particularly springy. Its shape is determined by heat and it is insensitive to moisture. It is lightweight, strong and resistant to creasing, shrinking, stretching, mildew and abrasion.

Raw Silk: Raw silk is also known as Silk Noil. This is a slightly nubby fabric with random flecks. It has a somewhat rough texture and a gentle drape.

Rayon: Rayon is a manufactured fiber made from viscose. Its drapability and dye ability are excellent and it is fairly soft. Rayon does have a tendency to shrink but does not melt in high temperatures.

Sateen: Sateen is a cotton fabric woven like satin and has a glossy surface. Lustrous and smooth with the sheen in a filling direction.

Satin: Satin has a noticeable lustrous fabric surface and a dull back. The luster is produced by running it between hot cylinders. Made in many colors, weights, varieties, qualities, and degrees of stiffness. Available in silk as and synthetic blends.

Silk: Silk is obtained from cocoons of certain species of caterpillars. It is soft and has a brilliant sheen. It is one of the finest textiles and is very strong and absorbent.  Silk is one of the oldest known textile fibers and, according to Chinese tradition, was used as long ago as the 27th century BC.  While silk is expensive, it is almost always 100% historically accurate.

Taffeta: Taffeta is a lustrous silk or rayon fabric of plain weave.  It is made in plain colors, fancy prints, watered designs, and changeable effects.  It is smooth with a sheen on its surface. The textures vary considerably. They have a crispness and stiffness. Taffeta in silk will not wear, as long as other high quality silks, since weighting is given the fabric to make it stiff.

Tapestry: Tapestry is a heavy jacquard fabric usually multicolored. Warps and filling very tightly woven. The designs vary from traditional to contemporary.  Available in cotton, synthetic blends or silk.

Twill Weave: Twill is made from cotton or silk and has a basic diagonal weave.  Works great for corsets (cheaper than coutil) and for interlining bodices.

Velvet: Velvet is a closely woven fabric of silk, cotton, etc., with a thick short pile on one side.  Comes in many types, qualities, and weights. Good velvet wears fairly well and is inexpensive. The cheaper cloths give little service and look well only a few times before beginning to deteriorate. Better velvet may be crush resistant, water resistant, and drapes well. Has to be handled with care, and pressed on a velvet board. Cut all one way.  Velvet has the tendency to add weight to the figure.  Rayon velvet is the most inexpensive and has a ‘plush’ appearance.  Overtime rayon velvet will develop shiny spots on worn areas.  Cotton velvet is much more historically accurate than rayon velvet.  Cotton velvet is close but not the same as velveteen and is often confused.  Silk velvet is the most historically accurate velvet and is also the most expensive.

Wool: Wool is made from the hair of various animals such as sheep, llamas, camels and goats. It is very resilient and resistant to wrinkling. It is renewed by moisture and well known for its warmth.