AQL 2.5 for Apparel: What the Inspection Actually Checks

AQL 2.5 is a sampling plan, not a promise about every garment. A defined number of pieces is drawn from the finished lot, and the lot is accepted or rejected on how many defects that sample contains, judged against a sealed reference sample. Our standard is in-line checks at every stage, a final inspection before packing, and finished cartons randomly sampled to AQL 2.5 for major defects.

That sentence carries the whole structure of a garment inspection in it, and each clause answers a question buyers ask in a different order. What is sampled, what counts as a defect, what it is compared against, and what happens to the lot when the sample fails. The rest of this page takes the four in turn.

1. What AQL 2.5 means on an apparel order

AQL stands for acceptable quality level. On an apparel order it is used as a sampling plan: the lot size sets how many pieces are drawn for inspection, and the plan sets the number of defects in that sample at which the lot is accepted and the number at which it is rejected. AQL 2.5 is the level we work to, and the sample size and the accept and reject numbers both follow from the size of your lot rather than being fixed.

The consequence is worth stating plainly. AQL 2.5 describes a lot, not a garment: it tells you what the plan is designed to catch across the run, and it does not mean each individual piece was inspected. That distinction is the one to hold on to when an inspection clause is being drafted.

The level is also only as good as the reference it is measured against. Sampling to AQL 2.5 against a written description produces an argument; sampling against a physical garment that both sides signed produces a decision. That is why the sealed reference sample appears in every serious inspection clause.

2. Major and minor: how a defect gets classified

Every defect found in the sample is classified before it is counted, because the accept and reject numbers apply to major defects. A major defect is one that makes the garment unsaleable or unwearable as intended: a hole or a broken stitch run, a zip that will not close, a wrong or missing size label, a measurement outside the tolerance written into the spec, a stain on the face of the garment.

A minor defect is a deviation that does not stop the garment being sold or worn: a loose thread, a small variation in shade within a panel, a label set slightly off centre. Minor defects are recorded and reported separately, and in our inspection it is the major count that the AQL 2.5 decision rests on.

Two practical rules follow, and both belong in the order file rather than in a conversation. The classification has to be agreed before the run, so that the same fault is not called major by one inspector and minor by another. And the reference has to be physical, because a defect is a deviation from something, and the something is the sealed sample.

3. What the inspection actually checks

An inspection works through the same five families of check in the same order. The table gives what each one examines, what it is judged against, and where in the process it is caught.

Inspection checks by family, the reference each one is judged against, and the stage where it is caught

Check	What is examined	Judged against	Caught at
Appearance	Stains, shade variation, surface faults, loose threads	The sealed reference sample and the approved shade	Finishing, on every piece
Measurement	Chest, body length, sleeve length and hood, measured flat	The size spec and the tolerances written into it	Finishing, on a pull of each size
Stitching and construction	Seam type, stitch density, seam allowance, hood and pocket build, zip alignment	The sealed sample and the construction notes in the order file	In-line, at the operation
Trims and labelling	Main, care and size labels, hangtag, drawcord, eyelet, zip	The trims signed off at sampling	In-line and before packing
Packing	Folding method, polybag, size ratio per carton, carton marking	The packing instruction in the order file	Before dispatch

Only one of those five is a sampling check. The other four are checks that run at a specific point in the process, on a specific quantity, and they exist so that the final sample is a confirmation rather than a discovery.

4. Five points of checking, not one

Quality is checked at five points, not one. Incoming fabric is weighed against the spec and rejected outside ±5%, shade is checked roll by roll under D65, and the surface is examined before the roll is booked in. Cutting checks panel accuracy against the marker, plus the bundle and size tickets. In-line checks during sewing cover stitch density, seam allowance, and hood and pocket construction at the operation where each one happens.

Finishing is the fourth point, and the first that touches every garment: loose threads trimmed, body checked for stains panel by panel under light, pressed flat, and measured against the size spec on a pull of each size. Final inspection is the fifth, and it is the only point that samples a finished carton to AQL 2.5.

The order matters more than the count. A fault caught at finishing is a piece of labour. The same fault caught at final inspection is a rejected carton, and the same fault discovered by the buyer is a return. Checking early is not more thorough, it is cheaper and faster for both sides.

5. AQL 2.5 and the checks that run on every garment

Two different questions get answered by two different methods, and mixing them up is the most common misunderstanding in an inspection clause. The per-garment checks answer whether this piece is right: threads, stains, pressing and the measurement against the size spec. The sampling plan answers whether this lot is right, by drawing a sample from finished cartons and counting major defects against the sealed reference.

Neither replaces the other. A hundred per cent check cannot tell you what the lot looks like statistically, and sampling does not inspect every piece. Run together, they cover both, which is why our line carries in-line checks at every stage and a final inspection before packing, followed by AQL 2.5 sampling on the finished cartons. The full sequence is set out on our quality control page.

6. Writing inspection into the order before the run starts

Five things turn an inspection from an opinion into a clause. Name the standard, which is AQL 2.5. Name the reference, which is the sealed sample made after approval and held by the factory. Write the measurement tolerances into the size spec before cutting, because a tolerance agreed after the goods exist is a negotiation rather than a check. State when inspection happens, which is after bulk production and before packing and dispatch. And state the consequence, which in our orders is that a bulk garment deviating from the sealed sample outside the agreed tolerances is remade at our cost.

Two more lines are worth adding while the document is open. Name who inspects, and whether your own inspector or a third-party agency attends; both are welcome at final inspection, and the visit is easier to schedule when it is planned from the start. Add the packing instruction to the same document, since packing is checked against it and a packing spec written after the goods are made is a spec written too late.

If your programme needs laboratory evidence for a performance claim, raise it at quotation rather than at inspection. Third-party testing can be arranged, and the designated laboratory has to be in China, so the schedule is set by the lab rather than by the sewing line. Inspection and testing are separate services with separate timing, and we would rather say that at the start than at the end.

7. What AQL 2.5 does not tell you

It does not tell you whether the fit is right. Fit is settled by the size chart and the graded set, and no inspection clause can rescue a size chart that was never agreed. It does not tell you how the garment behaves after ten washes at home either; that is settled at sampling, when sample garments are washed and re-measured and the numbers are sent with the sample.

It does not cover the transit leg. Bulk runs 15–25 days after approval and that figure covers the factory, not the container. And it does not substitute for a reference. An inspection against a verbal description has nothing to measure against, which is why the sealed sample is the first item on the list rather than the last.

Frequently asked questions

What does AQL 2.5 actually mean on a garment order?

It is a sampling plan. The lot size sets how many finished pieces are drawn for inspection, and AQL 2.5 sets the number of major defects in that sample at which the lot is accepted and the number at which it is rejected. It describes the lot rather than each individual garment, and it is applied against a sealed reference sample.

What is the difference between a major and a minor defect?

A major defect makes the garment unsaleable or unwearable as intended: a hole, a zip that will not close, a wrong size label, a measurement outside the agreed tolerance, a stain on the face. A minor defect is a deviation the garment survives: a loose thread, small shade variation within a panel, a label slightly off centre. Minor defects are recorded separately, and the AQL 2.5 decision rests on the major count.

Is AQL 2.5 the same as inspecting every garment?

No, and the two work together. Every garment goes through the finishing checks: threads trimmed, stain check, pressing, and measurement against the size spec on a pull of each size. AQL 2.5 then samples finished cartons to judge the lot. One answers whether a piece is right, the other whether the run is right.

Why does the sealed sample matter at inspection?

Because a defect is a deviation from something, and the something has to be a physical garment both sides signed. After approval we make two samples: one goes to you, and one stays with us as the sealed reference. At inspection the bulk is judged against that sample rather than against a description, which settles in advance what matching the sample means.

Can I send my own inspector or a third-party agency?

Yes. Your own inspector or a third-party agency is welcome at final inspection, and it is easier to schedule when the visit is raised at quotation rather than in the last week of the run. If a laboratory test is also needed, the designated laboratory has to be in China, so book that separately from the inspection date.

Next step

Send your order with the inspection clause you intend to use, and we will confirm the standard, the reference sample, the tolerances and the attendance before the run is booked. The sequence from cutting to dispatch is on cutting and sewing, the checks at each stage are set out in our quality control walkthrough, and the schedule behind the dates is on how long bulk production takes. To see the floor and the finishing department yourself, book a factory visit, or send the clause to our enquiry desk.