Garment inspectors sort every fault they find into one of three classes: critical, major or minor. A critical defect is a safety or legal problem and is never accepted, a major defect is one that would stop the garment being sold at full price or would cause a return, and a minor defect is a cosmetic flaw that a customer would usually notice only on close inspection. The classification decides how each defect counts against the AQL and therefore whether a lot passes or fails.
The classes are not fixed by any law. They are agreed between buyer and inspector, and the same fault can be major on one product and minor on another. A slightly uneven hem is minor on a workwear trouser and may be major on a tailored dress.
Critical defects
- A broken needle or any sharp metal found in a garment, which is why needle detection records matter for childrenswear.
- A wrong or missing care label, fibre content label or country of origin label.
- A wrong or missing safety label, such as a flammability warning on sleepwear.
- Mould, insect damage or a strong chemical smell on the goods.
Major and minor defects
- Major: open seams, broken stitches or skipped stitches on a visible seam.
- Major: holes, cuts, stains or visible fabric faults on the body of the garment.
- Major: measurements outside the agreed tolerance at a key point such as chest or length.
- Major: shade variation between panels of the same garment, or between garment and trim.
- Major: a zip that does not run, a button that comes off, or a mismatched size label.
- Major: wrong colour, wrong print placement or a missing component such as a drawcord.
- Minor: untrimmed threads or loose threads that can be cleared with scissors.
- Minor: slightly uneven stitching that does not affect strength or appearance from a short distance.
- Minor: light creasing or pressing marks that a steam press would remove.
- Minor: small irregularities in print or embroidery that are within the sealed sample tolerance.
- Minor: a measurement at the edge of tolerance on a non-critical point.
How the classes affect the result
Under the usual garment settings, major defects are judged against AQL 2.5 and minor defects against AQL 4.0, each with its own accept number from the sampling tables. One critical defect fails the lot on its own, regardless of what else was found. A garment with several defects is counted once, at its most serious class.
Write a defect list into your inspection brief before production starts, with photographs of what you consider major and minor for this style. Factories argue less over results when the classification was agreed before the goods were made, and inspectors work faster when they are not guessing your tolerance.
How Creston & Co helps
We draft the defect classification with you, share it with the factory before cutting, and inspect against it inline and at final inspection. Where a fault is borderline we photograph it and let you decide rather than ruling on your behalf. If you would like a defect list reviewed for a new style, book a free 20-minute sourcing review.