Sample Approval Checklist: 10 Points Before Bulk Starts

A sample approval checklist works when ten points are signed off in writing, not when the sample looks right in a photo. Measure fabric weight against the 240–550 GSM range you specified, compare every measurement to the graded spec, and record who signed and when. Bulk starts 15–25 days after that signature and the deposit.

What are the ten points on a sample approval checklist?

Ten rows, ten signatures. Pass means the sample sits inside the figure in the third column, not close to it. Fill that column before the sample is made; a limit agreed afterwards is a negotiation, not a check.

Checkpoint	What you measure or compare	Pass rule
1. Fabric and GSM	Knit structure, fibre content, weight in GSM	Name, composition and GSM match the tech pack in writing
2. Shade against the approved lab dip	Sample panel under the same light as the signed dip	No visible difference; each colourway checked on its own
3. Measurements against the graded spec	Chest, body length, shoulder, sleeve, hem, neck opening, flat, per size	Every point inside your stated tolerance, measured flat and relaxed
4. Construction and stitch density	Seam type at side seam, shoulder, armhole, cuff and hem; stitch density per 3 cm	Seam types match the tech pack; density holds on every panel
5. Trims and label placement	Woven label, care label, drawcord, zip, thread shade, position of each	Position inside the figure on the tech pack; wording approved
6. Decoration placement and colour count	Print or embroidery position from a fixed point; colours used	Position and size match the placement sheet; colour count matches
7. Fit on the fit model or mannequin	Agreed size on the agreed body: shoulder, armhole, sleeve, hem	Fits the grading table without pulling; styling points hold
8. Hand feel after wash	Washed sample compared with the unwashed piece	No shrinkage beyond the allowance, no pilling or bleed
9. Packing and folding method	Fold, polybag, size sticker, hangtag, carton mark	Packing matches the packing list; one carton opened
10. Written sign-off record	Date, sample ID, size, colour, who signed, what was approved	Signed by both sides; one sealed sample each, before the deposit

Where does sample approval sit on the production timeline?

Two clocks matter, and they start on different triggers.

• The sample clock. 3–7 working days to first sample, counted from confirmation of the tech pack and the lab dip, not from your first message.
• The bulk clock. 15–25 days after sample approval and deposit. Neither trigger starts it alone: a signed sample with no deposit sits still, and a deposit without a signature moves the wrong goods faster.

Your review days sit between the two clocks. Our day-by-day production timeline splits the 15–25 days into cutting, sewing, finishing and inspection.

How do you check fabric and GSM without a lab?

Weigh a known area. Cut a square of the panel, weigh it on a scale that reads to a gram, and convert to grams per square metre. The result should land inside the range you specified, whether that is 180 gsm for a jersey tee or 400 gsm for a brushed fleece hoodie. Hoodie fabric in our range runs 240–550 GSM, and the gap between a 300 gsm loopback and a 320 gsm french terry is easy to feel and almost impossible to photograph.

Two more bands worth writing on the sheet: 240–500 gsm for a crewneck and 220–280 gsm for a legging. Put the band down as a number, not a word like medium.

Then read the sheet rather than the hand: fibre content, knit structure, shade reference. If your term and the factory’s term differ, fix the sheet first — fleece and french terry are different fabrics at the same weight.

How do you check measurements against the graded spec?

One person measures, with the garment flat and relaxed, using the same points and tape as the hoodie tech pack. Half of all measurement arguments are two people measuring different points, so write the method on the sheet.

Check the size you will sell most plus one size either side, so the grading is visible, not just the base size. A sample 1 cm out at one point is a note to the pattern maker; the same 1 cm out across every size is a grading error that goes back.

What do you look for in construction, stitch density and trims?

Turn the sample inside out. Check the seam type at side seam, shoulder, armhole, cuff and hem against the tech pack, because a coverstitch hem and a twin-needle hem look alike outside and are different garments inside. Stitch density is read per 3 cm on each seam and should be identical on both sleeves, not only on the one finished first. The cutting and sewing page shows which seam each panel gets.

Then the trims and where each one sits. Label placement is the detail buyers most often leave open, and the one that turns up in a different spot on every size. Put the position on the sheet in millimetres.

How do you check decoration and fit in one sitting?

Measure print and embroidery position from a fixed point — high point of shoulder, centre front, side seam — and write that reference into the placement sheet, because a few centimetres down from the neck is not a position. Count colours against the approved print standard, not the artwork on your screen.

For fit, use one body and one size agreed in advance; a sample worn on three people produces three verdicts. Then wash the piece to the stated method and repeat the measurement and hand feel checks, because shrinkage appears after the first wash.

What should the packing check and the sign-off record contain?

Packing belongs in the approval: the fold, polybag, size sticker, hangtag and carton mark repeat across the whole run. Open one packed carton and compare the folded piece with the packing list.

The sign-off record is one page: date, sample ID, style name, size, colourway, fabric and GSM, the ten checkpoints marked pass or fail, who signed for each side, and which physical sample the signature refers to. Photograph the signed page beside the sealed sample, or six weeks later nobody can prove which of two similar samples the bulk was matched against.

How is bulk checked against the sealed sample?

Production runs against the sealed sample, not against the drawing. Our quality standard is 100% inspection, accepted to AQL 2.5, so every piece is handled and the batch is judged by a sampling plan, not by impression. Sample and bulk come off the same line and the same 180+ staff across 18,000+ m² in Dongguan Humen and Hunan, at 150,000–200,000 pcs per month. The AQL 2.5 sampling plan and quality control pages set out what is measured.

Bulk that differs from the sealed sample is judged the same way: same rows, same points. Outside the limit, the answer is rework, replacement or rejection against the sealed piece. Minimum order is 100 pcs per style, per colour and 200 pcs for bonded and seam-sealed styles, so one rejected colourway is a real cost. See how a 100-piece order runs.

What goes wrong when fabric and GSM are not written down before sampling?

The sample arrives, it feels right, it is approved, and three weeks into bulk the fabric is lighter or a shade off — because the sheet said heavy cotton hoodie fabric and two people read it two ways. Point 1 has nothing to compare against.

So write fabric name, fibre composition, GSM and colour reference into the approval sheet before sampling starts, and treat a later change to any of those four as a new sample rather than a note. Whether the spec is drafted by you or by us changes who writes it, not who signs it; the split between OEM and ODM sits there, and both end on the same signed page. The sample charge is quoted in writing and credited against the bulk invoice once a single style reaches 300 pieces.

What do buyers ask most about sample approval?

How many copies of the sample sign-off are needed?

Two signed copies, one for each side, plus a photo of the signed page on the sample record. Both carry the same sample ID and date, so they can be matched later without a call. If a third party inspects the bulk, that party gets a copy of the sheet and the sealed sample reference.

If I change one detail, does the whole sample have to be remade?

Not always. A label position, a hangtag or a carton mark can be corrected by written addendum, because the garment itself does not change. A change to fabric, GSM, fit, pattern or print placement alters the piece, so it needs a new sample and a fresh sign-off: 3–7 working days for that sample, then 15–25 days of bulk.

Can anything change after the sample is approved?

Anything can change if both sides agree in writing before the bulk run starts, and the cost and schedule move with it. Fabric, colour and fit changes mean a new sample; trims and packing changes usually mean an addendum. What cannot happen is a change made on the floor and found at inspection.

Who measures the sample?

The factory measures and records every point, and you re-measure the same points on the same table before signing. Whoever measures, the method goes on the sheet: flat, relaxed, one tape, points as defined in the tech pack. Two sets of numbers taken the same way settle a disagreement in minutes.

Who keeps the sealed sample?

Both sides keep one, sealed and labelled with sample ID, date, size and colourway, and neither is opened except to compare against bulk. The factory copy is used at inspection; your copy is what you check when the cartons arrive. If the two copies ever differ, the bulk run stops until that is resolved.

What happens if bulk does not match the approved sample?

The comparison uses the same ten rows and the same measurement points, run against the sealed sample under 100% inspection, accepted to AQL 2.5. A batch outside the limits is reworked, replaced or rejected. The sign-off sheet makes that decision factual rather than personal, because it records the limit both sides agreed before production started.

The checklist turns a sample from an opinion into a specification both sides can point at. Fill the third column with your own limits, sign all ten rows, keep one sealed sample each, and the bulk run has a fixed reference instead of a memory. Send the signed checklist through the contact page and the reply comes back as a quotation, not a set of follow-up questions.