The complaints casting buyers raise most often are hidden porosity found during machining, dimensions that drift over time, certificates that do not match the parts, rust or damage in transit, and late deliveries. Most of them can be traced to a missing line in the specification or a missing check before shipment.
Knowing the list in advance lets you build the controls into your first order instead of learning them one container at a time.
Quality complaints
- Porosity, blow holes or shrinkage revealed only when the part is machined or pressure tested, which wastes machining time.
- Dimensions that were right on samples but drift as patterns wear or the foundry changes the method.
- Surface finish poorer than the samples, with sand burn-on, rough fettling or grinding marks.
- Hardness out of range, making parts hard to machine or weak in service.
- Poor nodularity in SG iron, giving low elongation even when the chemistry looks right.
- Repair welding done without permission, sometimes hidden under paint.
Paperwork complaints
- Material test certificates that show the right grade but cannot be traced to the parts.
- Certificates that look copied from earlier batches, with identical results every time.
- Missing dimensional reports or test records that were promised in the order.
- Packing lists and markings that do not match what is in the boxes.
Delivery and packing complaints
- Late deliveries, often because the foundry gave a bigger customer priority or a melt slot was lost.
- Rust on machined faces after the sea voyage.
- Parts damaged by movement in the container or by weak boxes.
- Partial shipments sent without warning, leaving assembly lines short.
- Price revisions announced after the order is confirmed, without reference to an agreed index.
How to prevent them
Most of these problems come from the gap between a good sample and routine production. That gap is discussed in why quality drops after the first container. The defects themselves are explained in common casting defects.
The fixes are mostly simple. Write acceptance criteria for defects and repair welding into the order. Ask for heat numbers on parts and certificates. Agree a packing specification. Have production inspected before loading, and have some lots tested independently so the foundry's certificates are checked against an outside result.
Keep a written record of each complaint, with photos and measurements, and share it with the foundry quickly. A foundry that responds with a root cause and a corrective action is worth keeping. One that argues or goes quiet is telling you something about the next order.
Agree in the contract how rejected parts are handled: replaced free in the next shipment, credited, or reworked locally at the foundry's cost. Settling this before the first problem avoids a long argument when you are under pressure to keep production running.
Next step
We set the controls on the order, supervise production and loading, and follow up complaints with the foundry. To review your current casting supply, book a free sourcing review.