Pre-Shipment Inspection Checklist

Free QC tool · no signup Pre-Shipment Inspection Checklist 51 checks in the order you actually walk the factory: preparation, production, cartons, appearance, function, labels and sampling. Tick them on your phone or print the page — nothing is gated, nothing is emailed to you to unlock. 51 items Print / save as PDF Works offline: open it once and bookmark it before you leave for the factory. Nothing ticked yet. Hide completed items Reset checklist Print / save as PDF 1. Before you travel 0/6 Most failed inspections are decided before anyone reaches the factory: wrong PO revision, unapproved sample, no agreed defect definitions. Confirm the order number, PO revision and the approved sample reference in writing. Ask the factory for the production status (finished, packing, or still on the line). Confirm the visit date, the address and the person who will open the workshop for you. Take the approved sample, the spec sheet and the packaging artwork with you. Agree the AQL level, sample size and defect definitions before the visit. Pack the tools: this checklist, camera, tape measure, scales, flashlight. 2. Factory and production verification 0/7 Before you inspect the product, confirm you are standing in the right factory and looking at your order — not a sample line or another customer's stock. Check the factory name, address and business licence match the company you ordered from. Verify the goods on the floor are yours: model, specification, colour, logo, size. Confirm production is finished, not partially reworked, substituted or short. Ask how many units are produced against the ordered quantity, and where the balance is. Check your lot is separated from other customers' stock and clearly marked. Request the production and in-line inspection records, if the factory keeps them. Photograph the workshop, the line and the packed stock as evidence. 3. Quantity, cartons and packing 0/8 Damage and short-shipment claims are won or lost on carton evidence. This is the section buyers skip and regret. Count the export cartons against the packing list. Verify carton marks: shipping marks, PO number, size, colour, quantity per carton. Check the board grade, taping, strapping and print quality. Drop-test or compression-check a carton at the standard height for its weight. Check inner packing: separators, foam, bags, desiccant where needed. Measure master carton dimensions and gross weight against the specification. Confirm the pallet or crate standard if the goods ship palletised. Check that cartons are not crushed, wet, re-taped or previously opened. 4. Product appearance and workmanship 0/8 Appearance defects are the ones your customer sees first, and the ones that are hardest to argue about after the container has sailed. Compare workmanship against the approved sample, side by side. Verify colour against the approved colour standard (light box if available). Check the finish: scratches, dents, paint runs, weld spatter, glue marks. Verify the fit and alignment of assembled parts. Check edges, burrs and sharp points — a safety issue, not a cosmetic one. Verify material and thickness against the specification. Check printed content: logo position, size, spelling, language. Confirm no mixed sizes, colours or models inside the same carton. 5. Dimensions, function and safety 0/8 This is where a shipment stops being "looks fine" and starts being measurable. Measure, test, and record the numbers. Measure the key product dimensions against the specification. Weigh one unit and one full carton. Run a functional test on the sampled units: on/off, movement, load, fit. For electrical goods: check voltage, plug type, cable, earthing and insulation. Check the rated values on the label match the product and the specification. Test the assembly, spare parts and accessories fit. Confirm the packaging protects the product in the drop test. Verify the safety features your market requires (guards, warnings, interlocks). 6. Labels, manuals and compliance 0/7 A perfect product with a wrong label is a rejected shipment at the border, and a customer complaint in the marketplace. Verify label content: model, ratings, batch or lot, country of origin. Check the certification marks are present and correct for your market. Confirm the manual language, content and warnings suit the destination market. Scan the barcode/EAN and confirm it matches the product and the carton. Verify the importer or distributor details your market requires. Check the packaging artwork matches the approved version. Confirm the certificates on file cover this exact model and production batch. 7. Sampling, testing and the result 0/7 Sampling turns 51 tick-boxes into a defensible accept or reject decision — and a written action the factory cannot dispute later. Take the AQL sample size for the lot quantity (ISO 2859-1 table). Inspect the sampled units against your critical / major / minor definitions. Record every defect with a photo and the unit number. Calculate the accept or reject result for the sample. Agree the corrective action with the factory on the spot, in writing. Confirm what will be reworked, re-inspected or rejected outright. Complete the report and send it with photos before you leave the site. Your ticks are saved in this browser only. Free quote Get a pre-shipment inspection quote Your figures are ready to send — reply within 12 hours with a factory price and a freight estimate. No obligation. Your numbers Get my quote Get factory prices on WhatsApp Want the editable Excel version? The checklist above is free and complete. The Excel version is for teams and inspectors: fillable rows, a defect log, a photo index and a signed result block. Enter your details and it downloads automatically. ✓ Thanks! The Excel checklist is downloading now. Send the product, order quantity and factory address. Our QC team in Guangzhou attends the inspection, works this checklist, applies AQL sampling and sends you the report with photos before the goods are loaded. Book an inspection on WhatsApp Get a free QC quote Or ask our QC team on WhatsApp How to use it Three steps on the factory floor 01 Open it before you travel Read the preparation section the day before and settle the AQL level, sample size and defect definitions with the factory in writing. 02 Tick as you work Work section by section on your phone. Ticks are saved in the browser, so you can close the page and come back. 03 Turn ticks into evidence Where an item fails, photograph it and record the unit number — then write it into the inspection report with the AQL result. Checklist FAQ Questions buyers ask before their first inspection Is this checklist free, and do I have to give my email? The checklist on this page is free and complete, with no signup and no email gate — use it online, print it or save it as a PDF. The only thing behind a form is the editable Excel version, which is useful for teams running several inspections. What is the difference between this checklist and an inspection report? The checklist is what you are going to check, in the order you check it — preparation, on-site verification and sampling. The inspection report is the record of what you found: defects, photos, measurements and the final PASS/FAIL against AQL. Use them together: the checklist drives the visit, the report is what you send your customer or supplier. Which AQL level should I use? For most consumer goods, AQL 2.5 for major defects and 4.0 for minor defects is the common starting point; higher-value or safety-related products are often inspected at 1.5 and 2.5. Critical defects are normally zero tolerance. Sample sizes for your lot quantity come from the AQL table (ISO 2859-1). Do I have to check every carton? No. You count all the cartons and inspect a sample of units per the AQL sample size. Carton quality is also inspected on a sample — marks, gross weight, board grade, drop test — unless the risk in your product is packaging-driven, in which case inspect more cartons, not fewer. Can I use this if I cannot be in China? Yes — this is the exact sequence our own QC team works through on site, including the evidence photos and the AQL result. Send us the product and order quantity and we run it for you, with a written report and photos before the container is loaded. The QC set The four tools that cover an inspection This checklist is what you check. The AQL table tells you how many units to sample. The report template is where you record the result. The RFQ template is what prevents the defect in the first place. AQL Sampling Table How many units to inspect for your lot size, at AQL 1.5 / 2.5 / 4.0 — with the accept and reject numbers. Inspection Report Template The fill-in report: checkpoints, defect log, photo index and a signed PASS/FAIL result. RFQ Template Prevent the defect before production: one inquiry file every supplier answers the same way. QC Inspection Service Cannot be at the factory? Our team works this checklist on site and sends the report with photos. China–Europe Shipping Calculator What the freight will cost door-to-door: DDP/DAP rates by postcode zone, weight band and surcharges, from a rate card dated 9 September 2026. The QC set: items Why is this checklist free? Because our inspectors use it on every pre-shipment inspection. You get all 51 checks in the order they are actually worked through, plus a progress bar, a print view and the same file our own team starts from. No signup, no email wall, no watermark. Source and date: published by the QC team at Sourcing Agent China, Guangzhou; last updated September 2026. Built from real pre-shipment inspections across electronics, furniture, hardware and building products. Next step Want someone on the ground to run it? Send the product, order quantity and factory address. Our QC team in Guangzhou attends the inspection, works this checklist, applies AQL sampling and sends you the report with photos before the goods are loaded. Book an inspection on WhatsApp Get a free QC quote