Inline inspection in garment production: checks and a report format

Inline inspection is a quality check made while garments are still being sewn, so that a fault is caught on the first bundles instead of in the finished lot. The term covers two different checks. Inside the factory, roving quality checkers visit each operator on the sewing line and check that operator’s work; in one common method the checker takes seven garments and marks the operator red if even one is faulty. From outside, the buyer, a buying house or an inspection company sends an inspector for a during-production inspection, often called DUPRO, once part of the order is made: QIMA does it when at least 20% of the order is complete and draws its sample by ANSI/ASQ Z1.4. Neither replaces the final AQL inspection, which judges the finished, packed lot. This guide compares the three checks, lists what an inline check covers, and gives a report format you can copy. We read every source on 29 October 2026.

Inline check, during-production inspection, final inspection: what is the difference?

The words are used loosely. Some suppliers call a during-production visit an inline inspection, and QIMA sells both and adds in-line results to its during-production report when it has run them. Ask any factory or inspector which of the three they mean, and write the checks you want, with their timing, into the order confirmation.

How does a roving inline check work on a sewing line?

A sewing line splits a garment into operations, one or a few per operator. A roving quality checker visits each operator in the line in turn and checks that operator’s own work, so a fault is traced to the person and the machine that made it. Two methods are widely described in the trade:

• The 7.0 system. The checker picks seven garments from the work the operator has done and checks all seven. If one of the seven is faulty, the checker marks red on the operator’s quality performance sheet, may put a red flag on the workstation, and keeps following up until the operator’s work is satisfactory, as Online Clothing Study describes it.
• The traffic light system. Each operator gets a colour after each check: green for very few or no defects, yellow for moderate defects, red for a high defect rate. After a red, production may be stopped for a time, corrective action is immediate and the operator may be retrained or given technical help, according to a 2026 article by Prasanta Sarkar, a textile engineer.

Neither source sets one rule for how often the checker comes round or how many defects make a yellow, and factories set their own. What matters to a buyer is that the checks happen and leave a record. Ask the factory three questions: does a roving checker cover every operation of your style, are the operator sheets kept and can you see them, and what happens on the line after a red.

What does a during-production inspection check?

A during-production inspection is a visit by someone who works for the buyer, not for the line. The inspection companies we read describe much the same scope:

• Production status. Quantities of semi-finished, finished and packed goods counted, and the completion date checked against the schedule (QIMA; HQTS lists production status and timeline verification).
• The product against the specification. Artwork, including spelling, fonts, dimensions, positioning and general design, in QIMA’s list; physical requirements and dimensions, packaging and labelling in HQTS’s. For clothing that means measuring pieces in each size against your chart and tolerances, and checking construction, colour, print or embroidery position, and every label.
• Packing. Export carton dimensions and weights (QIMA), and packaging and labelling (HQTS), so that a carton or barcode problem is found before every carton is packed.
• Product-specific checks and tests, which both companies list: for clothing, for example, a zip or snap pulled, a seam stretched, or a wash test on a printed panel.

QIMA draws its sample following ANSI/ASQ Z1.4, the American counterpart of ISO 2859-1, and its report gives the findings, photos of any defects and an overall pass or fail. Remember what the sample is drawn from: the part of the order that exists on the day. A during-production result tells you how production started, not how the lot will end, which is why the final inspection still follows. Our garment inspection checklist lists the checks for every stage, from the sealed sample to container loading.

An inline inspection report format you can copy

An inline report should fit on one or two pages and be written on the day. It has three parts: a header that ties it to one order and one reference, a list of findings with an action for each, and a short measurement sheet. Copy the layout below into a spreadsheet or your own form.

End the report with an overall status in one line: carry on, carry on with the actions above, or stop and correct. Add the date of the next check, and the names of the factory’s representative and the inspector. Class each finding with the same defect list you will use at the final inspection, as in our garment defects list, and measure against the tolerances written in your tech pack, as our measurement tolerance guide explains. For the final inspection, our free final inspection report template does the same job in Excel, with the AQL sample and accept and reject numbers.

What should happen when an inline check fails?

1. Fix the cause, not only the piece. A wavy neck is a tension, a feed or an operator problem; a measurement drift starts in the pattern, the marker or the cutting. Write the cause next to the finding.
2. Go back to the last good check. Every piece sewn since the last good check may carry the same fault. Check those bundles, and repair or reject what fails.
3. Re-check on a date. A finding without a re-check date tends to stay open. The next round, or the next morning, should show the fix working.
4. Tell the buyer when the specification is affected. A fault in colour, measurements, artwork or labels can change what you receive. You should hear about it from the inline report, not from the final inspection.
5. Carry the finding to the final inspection. The final inspector should know what was found inline and check that it was fixed across the lot.

How we run inline checks on our orders

We check quality on the line and run an AQL final inspection on every order, and you receive the report. Our inline checks look at the first bundles and again at around a fifth of production, when a fault can still be put right on most of the order, against the sealed sample and the measurement chart you approved. The inspections agreed for your order, and who receives each report, are written into the order confirmation, and independent inspectors are welcome at any stage. Knitwear and caps are made in our own factory, so you deal directly with the manufacturer; other products are made in an audited partner factory, named to you before production.

Our quality control page sets out every check. Or send us your tech pack: we reply within one working day, and our own orders start at 500 pieces per style and colour.