Garment shipments get rejected for a handful of repeat reasons: measurements outside tolerance, workmanship defects, shade or fabric differences, failed lab tests, and labelling or packing faults. Most are preventable by agreeing the standard in writing and inspecting before the goods leave.
The rest of this article sets out the five main causes and the control that stops each one. For the defects themselves, see the most common quality problems in Indian-made garments.
Measurement and sizing errors
Garments that are too small, too large or inconsistent between sizes are a leading reason for rejection. They come from unclear size charts, pattern errors and shrinkage that was not allowed for.
Fix this by approving a pre-production sample against a measurement chart with tolerances, and by checking a spread of sizes in final inspection. Test shrinkage on the fabric before cutting.
Workmanship defects
Skipped stitches, open seams, puckering, uneven hems, loose threads and misaligned patterns are the usual faults. They tend to rise when a factory is rushed at the end of a season.
Agree an acceptable quality limit in advance, inspect during production as well as at the end, and have an inspector check the line while it runs. Rework early costs less than a failed lot.
Fabric, shade and colour problems
Shade differences between panels of the same garment, or between lots, cause visible rejects. So do fabric faults that were missed at cutting, such as holes or stains.
Approve fabric lots before cutting, keep panels from one roll together, and compare against the approved lab dip or sample. Avoiding shade variation between production lots covers the controls.
Failed tests, labelling and packing faults
Garments can fail on chemical limits, colourfastness, flammability or physical tests. Wrong or missing care labels, fibre content or origin marks are rejected at customs or by retailers. Poor packing leads to creases, stains and damp.
Test the finished product against the destination market's rules, and check labels against the order. Our note on care labelling rules for garments in the US, UK and EU shows what each market expects.
What if a shipment is rejected anyway?
Your options depend on the contract and the payment terms. Read what happens if the goods fail inspection before you place the order, so that you know whether you can reject, claim, rework or renegotiate.
How do you set an acceptable standard?
Agree an acceptable quality limit for major, minor and critical defects, write down what counts as each, and say which inspection standard will be used. Without that, a rejection is a matter of opinion.
Define critical defects clearly. Broken needles, sharp objects, wrong labels and failed safety tests should stop a shipment whatever the sample size says. Also state what happens next: rework at the factory's cost, a re-inspection date, and who decides whether a partly failed lot can ship in part. Settling this before production avoids a dispute when the goods are already packed.
Next step
We audit factories, check samples, inspect during and after production and supervise loading. To lower the risk on your next order, book a free sourcing review.