The success of any apparel production run is decided long before scissors touch the first roll. Incoming fabric inspection is the first line of defense against defects whose cost multiplies the later they are caught. A flawed meter found at goods-in costs only the price of the cloth; the same meter discovered at the sewing line wastes cutting, time, and labor on top of it. That is why professional buyers rely on structured inspection procedures rather than casual visual checks.
The Four-Point System Standard
The Four-Point System is the most widely adopted method for grading woven fabric quality. Cloth is run over a backlit inspection table at a controlled speed, and each defect is scored by length: flaws up to 7.5 cm earn one point, up to 15 cm earn two, up to 23 cm earn three, and anything longer earns four. Any hole, regardless of size, takes the full four points. Points are totaled per 100 square meters, and a threshold of 40 points per 100 square meters is commonly written into contracts as the line between acceptance and rejection.
The Most Common Defects
An inspector must know what to look for. Some defects recur far more than others in incoming goods, and recognizing them in advance makes inspection both faster and more accurate.
- Skew and bow in the weft, which distort the cut and break pattern alignment.
- Shade variation side-to-center or roll-to-roll, glaringly visible in the finished garment.
- Slubs, knots, and holes caused by loom faults.
- Oil stains and misregistered prints on printed fabrics.
- Dimensional instability that produces unexpected shrinkage after washing.
From Sample to Decision
Rarely is 100% of a shipment inspected; instead a representative sample is drawn using a statistical plan such as AQL sampling under ISO 2859. What matters most is that inspection is documented: a record of every roll with its number, weight, usable width, and defect-point count. That paper trail turns a rejection from personal opinion into a defensible claim against the supplier. Equally important is verifying the actual cuttable width, which is often narrower than the declared width because of uneven selvedges.
Building a disciplined inspection process is not bureaucratic overhead but an investment that protects both margin and brand reputation. Through the Tkanex marketplace, buyers can reach verified suppliers with clear specifications and orderable samples, making these procedures easier to apply and far more transparent from the very first order.