QA /2/011

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE Issue-01

Fabric Inspection Page 1 of 4

PURPOSE & SCOPE RESPONSIBILITIES

AKH Eco Apparels Ltd. has established and defined its
fabric inspection system to determine the quality and
acceptability of garments from a quality viewpoint. Fabric
inspection is an important aspect followed before garment
manufacturing to avoid rejects due to fabric quality and
❖ Manager (QA),
❖ General Manager (QA),
facing unexpected loss in manufacturing. Fabric inspection
❖ Merchandiser.
is done for fault/defect rate, fabric construction, end-to-
end or edge-to-edge shading, shrinkage, bowing, hand
feel, length/width, print defect, and appearance. Fabric
inspection ensures to minimization of the rejection of cut
panels or rejected garments due to fabric faults. Inspected
and approved fabric ensures not only finished garment
quality but also reduces rejects, improves efficiency, and
timely deliveries.

PROCEDURE
After fabric inventory of in-housed fabric, it should be kept in the “Waiting for Inspection” area until completing
the following inspection processes:
15.11.3.1 FABRIC INSPECTION FOR FABRIC DEFECT
BASE OF INSPECTION
Fabric Inspection should be done in a Four-Point system, a standard established under ASTM D5430 - 07(2011),
which is a standardized test method for visually inspecting fabric. AKH is adopting the Four-Point System as the
base of the Fabric inspection system because it has received the widest acceptance in fabric inspection due to
its practical, impartial, and worldwide recognition.
CIRCUMSTANCES FOR INSPECTION
❖ Fabric inspections must be carried out on inspection machines with adequate or appropriate lighting
(minimum 1000lux)
❖ Machine speed should be customized according to the visual comfort of the inspector but it must not
exceed 13 yards/min for solid and 10 yards/min for check/plaid/printed fabric.
❖ The fabric length measuring meter of the machine is to be calibrated every morning before starting the
inspection.
ASSESSMENT OF PENALTY POINTS
❖ A maximum of 04 penalty points can be assessed for any single defect and no linear yard can be assessed
for more than 04 points regardless of the number of defects within that piece.
❖ Defects in both the warp/weft directions will be assigned points under the following criteria:

DEFECT SIZE
POINTS
(INCH) (MILLIMETER)
UP TO 03 INCH UP TO 75 MM 01
> 03 INCH ≤ 06 INCH > 75 MM ≤ 150 MM 02
> 06 INCH ≤ 09 INCH > 150 MM ≤ 230 MM 03
> 09 INCH > 230 MM 04

❖ Any defect of a continuous nature shall be assigned four points for each yard in which it occurs.
❖ Severe defects are assigned a maximum of four points for each yard in which they occur.
❖ Regardless of size, the hole would be penalized four points.
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STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE Issue-01
Fabric Inspection Page 2 of 4

❖ Continuing conditions such as barre, side center side shading, roll-to-roll shading, narrow or irregular width,
creasing, and uneven finish shall be counted as four points for every yard within the roll that is found to
contain these conditions.
❖ The maximum penalty for anyone yard shall not be more than four points.
POINTS CALCULATION
Once the rolls are inspected, the Points per 100 square yards or 100 square meters must be calculated to
determine the acceptability of the roll and/or consignment. The formulas for the calculations are shown
below:

TOTAL PENALTY POINT 36

 100 = POINT PER 100 SQ YARD
TOTAL ROLL LENGTH (YDS) ACTUAL CUTTABLE WIDTH (INCH)

TOTAL PENALTY POINT 1000

 100 = POINT PER 100 SQ METER
TOTAL ROLL LENGTH (METER) ACTUAL CUTTABLE WIDTH (MM)

LEVEL OF ACCEPTANCE
❖ For an individual roll, up to 28 points per 100 square yards are acceptable and beyond this, roll(s) will be
rejected. For the total roll of sample size, up to 20 points per 100 square yards are acceptable and beyond
this, the inspection result will fail.
❖ For an individual roll, up to 32 points per 100 square meters are acceptable and beyond this, roll(s) will be
rejected. For a total roll of sample size, up to 24 points per 100 square meters are acceptable and beyond
this, the inspection result will fail.
❖ Any roll having a running or repeating defect through more than ten continuous yards shall be rejected
regardless of its point count.
❖ Any roll found to be contained defects, in any increment of one hundred yards, with an average of more
than one major defect per ten linear yards will be rejected.
❖ Any roll that exhibits a noticeable degree of looseness or tightness along either or both selvages, or ripples,
puckers, folds, or creases in the body of the fabric that would prevent the fabric from lying flat when being
spread conventionally, will be rejected.
❖ Rolls with side-to-side, side-center-side, or end-to-end shading, must be no less than a 4.0 Grey Scale rating
according to the AATCC Gray Scale or meet the client’s requirement.
❖ Apart from fabric manufacturing defects, the presence of a musty smell and/or visible mold is to be checked
carefully. If any musty smell and/or visible mold is found in any inspected roll, that individual roll should be
rejected regardless of its point count.

STEP OF INSPECTION
❖ For any consignment minimum of 10 rolls or 10% roll (whichever is higher) fabric is to be inspected. If the
consignment has less than 10 rolls, then all rolls have to be inspected.
❖ If only inspection is passed, all rolls of the consignment (except if any individual rejected roll) will be
transferred from the “Waiting for inspection” zone to the warehouse and kept in the designated zone.
Rejected individual roll (if any) is to be locked in a designated quarantined area with a red tag (Rejection
tag).
❖ If the first phase inspection is failed, the concerned merchandiser should be informed immediately by a
Non-conforming report and with the consent of the merchandiser, another 20 rolls or 20% roll (whichever
is higher) of that consignment is to be inspected. If the consignment has less than 30 rolls, then all rolls
have to be inspected in the second phase of the inspection.
❖ If the second phase of the inspection is passed, all rolls of the consignment (except if any individual rejected
roll) will be transferred from the “Waiting for inspection” zone to the warehouse and kept in the designated
zone. Rejected individual roll (if any) is to be locked in a designated quarantined area with a red tag
(Rejection tag).
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❖ If the second phase inspection is failed, the concerned merchandiser should be informed immediately by a
Non-conforming report and with the consent of the merchandiser, the rest of all rolls (100%) of that
consignment is to be inspected. If possible, the third phase inspection will be done jointly with the supplier.
❖ If the third phase of the inspection is passed, all rolls of the consignment (except if any individual rejected
roll) will be transferred from the “Waiting for inspection” zone to the warehouse and kept in the designated
zone. Rejected individual roll (if any) is to be locked in a designated quarantined area with a red tag
(Rejection tag).
❖ If the third phase inspection is failed, the concerned merchandiser should be informed immediately by a
Non-conforming report.
❖ After getting acceptance of defective fabric from the supplier end, all the fabric rolls of that consignment
should be moved from the “Waiting for inspection” zone to the “Nonconforming Goods” zone and kept
with a red tag (Rejection tag) until further decision.

SPECIAL ASSESSMENT
❖ During fabric inspection, the moisture level of the fabric should be checked and this moisture inspection
report should be available along with the fabric inspection report.
❖ The roll(s) whose moisture level is beyond the acceptable level, should be sent to the dry room (if only the
consignment is passed in fabric 04 point inspection) and kept until the moisture level is coming down within
the acceptable range before delivering to cutting.
❖ During fabric inspection, the Actual length and width of every roll are to be checked and recorded. If the
measured length and width are found less than the ticket-mentioned length and width, the total shortage
is to be informed to the concerned merchandiser by the non-conforming report.

15.11.3.2 SHRINKAGE TEST

❖ To do the shrinkage test, 50⨯50 cm fabric is to be taken from 100% fabric roll (for wash) or 10% fabric roll
covering each color (for non-wash) per consignment by using the template.
❖ To get shrinkage % accept/reject criteria of customer need to communicate with merchandiser, if no
requirement from customer; need to follow factory standard, which is (±06%). If after measure
shrinkage % is beyond acceptable limit the concerned merchandiser should be informed immediately
and the fabric is to be kept in a separate place in the inspection zone for decision.
❖ According to shrinkage percentage, all the rolls are to be grouped within the maximum 02% range.
❖ Depending on the shrinkage group, all the fabric rolls of that consignment should be segregated and kept
in the warehouse.
❖ According to the shrinkage test, the size set pattern should be adjusted for each shrinkage group.
❖ Size Set should be made with the fabric from each shrinkage group. To make a size set from any particular
shrinkage group, a Fabric roll should be taken which has a shrinkage percentage in the mid-range of that
shrinkage group range. For example, to select a fabric roll for a size set from a particular shrinkage group,
which range lies between Lengthwise (1% to 3%)-Widthwise (-4% to -2%), Roll should be selected which
shrinkage percentage is exactly or nearest (if exact is not available) to Lengthwise (2%)-Widthwise (-3%).
❖ Each Size Set garment should be sent to wash along with 50 X 50 cm fabric of the same roll, from which
that garment is made. A record must be maintained.
❖ If Size Set measurement(s) go out of tolerance, Pattern(s) should be adjusted accordingly and Size Set
should be made, washed, and tested again following the above-mentioned procedure.
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15.11.3.3 SHADE BAND

❖ 0606-inch fabric along with 1-inch sewing allowance all around (on actual 0808 inches) is to be taken
from each roll of that consignment.
❖ Panels are to be numbered according to roll number and length.
❖ Depending on the non-wash lab dip, these cut panels are to be segregated into different shade families like
shade a, shade b, shade c, and so on.
❖ Panels are to be overlocked around and attached to the same category to form a shade blanket in a tube
form. Each shade blanket should not consist of more than 30 panels.
❖ Four sets and three sets of blankets are made for wash and non-wash garments successively.
❖ For the wash garments, two sets of blankets are to be sent for washing, and for non-wash one set of blankets
is to be sent for iron.
❖ In the case of the wash garments, after returning the blanket from the wash, one washed blanket and one
no-wash blanket should be disintegrated into the panel.
❖ In the case of non-wash garments, after returning the blanket from iron, one ironed blanket and one non-
ironed blanket should be disintegrated into the panel.
❖ Depending on the approved lab dip, these cut panels are to be segregated into different shade families like
shade a, shade b, shade c, and so on.
❖ After making the shade family, an A4 size shade swatch (in the case of the wash garments, both washed and
non-washed) is to be sent to the buyer for approval.
❖ After getting approval for the shade, fabric rolls are segregated and kept in the warehouse based on the
shade group.
15.11.3.4 BOWING TEST
❖ The fabric should be taken randomly from 10% roll per consignment for the bowing and skewness test.
❖ For solid and print fabric or wherever any check/plaid/stripe/print matching criteria are not applicable, up
to 03% bowing and skewness is acceptable.
❖ If the bowing and/or skewness percentage goes beyond the acceptable range, respectable merchandisers
should be informed immediately and the fabric is to be kept in a separate place in the inspection zone for
decision.
❖ Fabric having a bowing and skewness percentage within the tolerance is to be sent to the warehouse.
❖ Layering is to be maintained according to the bowing/ skewness test record.

RELATED DOCUMENT SIGNATURE

❖ Fabric Inspection Report (QA/3/003)
❖ Shrinkage Report (QA/3/005)
❖ Fabric Shade Band Chart (QA/3/006) ---------------------- ----------------------
❖ Bowing Test Report (QA/3/008) Prepared By Approved By
❖ Non-Conforming Report (QA/3/004)
Manager (QMS) Head of QA &
Technical.
 C-TEX MACHINE FLOW CHART

Based on cutting plan receive fabric rolls

কাট িং পরিকল্পনাি রিরিতে ফেরিক ফিাল সিংগ্রহ করুন।

Remove poly bag from fabric roll

েযারিক ফিাল ফেতক পরল ব্যাগ অপসািণ করুন।

Keep your roll on two back rollers of C-Tex Machine

(Synthetic Fabric should be loaded with C-Tex bar)
েযারিক ফিালট C-Tex ফেরিতনি রপছতনি ফিালাি দুট ি উপতি
িাখুন (রসনতেট ক েযারিতকি ফেতে C-Tex ব্াি ব্যাব্হাি কিা উরিৎ)

Machine Setup

Length Counter Edge Control Smoothing bar

Place paper/ plastic tube or roll in good condition

কাগজ / প্লারিতকি ট উব্ ব্া ফিাল িাতলা অব্স্থায় িাখুন।
 Check the fabric width by measuring
manually
েযারিতকি প্রস্থ েযানুয়ারল ফেতপ ফিক কতি রনন।

Measurement if
ok then
Enter roll information into the software পরিমাপ যরি সঠিক
ফিাতলি েেয সে ওয়যাতি প্রদান করুন। পাওয়া যায়, তািপি।

Start the Relaxation

রিলাক্সতজিন শুরু করুন।

Finish the Relaxation

রিলাক্সতজিন ফিষ করুন।

Lift up two smoothing bars

স্মুরদিং ব্াি দু'ট উপতি উঠান।

Enter comments in system

(Variant information update as comments)
ফকান কতেন্টস োকতল রলখুন।

Poly pack the finish roll, attach C-Tex pass sticker

পরল রদতয় ফিাল পযাতক করুন, C-Tex এি রিকাি লাগান।
Quarantine Area
Fabric & Trims Warehouse and Light Box
Fabric Relaxation Rack & Label (Date & Time)