How samples are drawn

Short answer: Garments are taken at random from the whole batch, not from the top of the nearest box. The number checked follows a table that depends on how large the batch is.

Random means spread out

Boxes are opened from different pallets and different places in the stack. Otherwise you only see one part of the production and the rest stays untested. The inspector picks the boxes personally instead of taking the easiest ones, since the top boxes were not necessarily packed at the same time as the bottom ones.

The number comes from a table

A batch of a thousand garments is checked with a set number that is not a thousand. The table says how many, and the number grows with the batch size, but more slowly than the batch itself. That keeps the check both manageable and fair. See also CCDK.

Sizes and colours must be included

The sample must cover all sizes and colours, or faults found in only one variant are missed. A fault in one colour may come from a batch of yarn, and a fault in one size may come from a wrong pattern. So the sample is spread to include every variant. See also Moodies and Resteröds.

Why not just take the top ones

The top garments are the easiest to reach, but also the easiest to make look neat. Take only those, and a problem lower in the box can stay hidden. Randomness is therefore not a formality but the part of the method that makes the result credible to both buyer and factory.

Box and packing are checked too

Besides the garments, the inspector looks at how they are folded, packed and labelled. Is the right number in each bag? Does the barcode match the product? Such faults show only when the boxes are opened, and they can make a flawless garment hard to handle in the warehouse.

What happens when the sample shows faults

If more faults turn up than allowed, the sample can be widened or the whole batch rejected. The factory can then sort the garments, fix the faults and send the batch for a new check. The decision follows rules agreed in advance, so nothing has to be negotiated on the spot.

A sample is not a guarantee

A sample tells you about the batch as a whole, but it does not promise that every single garment is flawless. A single fault can still hide in the garments that were not opened. So samples are combined with checks during production and with a complaints arrangement that catches what slips through.

Independent checks bring calm

When an independent inspector picks the samples, there is no doubt that they are random. The factory has had no chance to put the neatest garments on top. That gives buyer and factory a shared starting point, because both can see how the numbers came about.

How to think about it as a customer

As a customer you never see the sample, but you notice the result. A batch that was checked properly brings fewer surprises with seams, measurements and labels. See it as a system that finds most faults without making the product dearer, and remember that you can always make a complaint if something is wrong.

Frequently asked questions

Why not check everything

Because it would take too long and make the product dearer without catching much more. A good sample gives a reliable picture of the batch at a far lower price.

Who decides the number

The table agreed between buyer and factory, often an international standard. The number depends on the size of the batch and on how strictly you want to check.