A pre-shipment inspection (PSI) measures finished goods against an approved sample and a written specification, after production is complete and before the goods are packed for shipment. It is the last moment a defect can still be corrected inside China, at the factory’s cost. After loading, a defect stops being a remedy and becomes a description of a problem.
The standard comes first
An inspection is only as good as its reference. Before production starts, the approved sample and its written specification are recorded: material, dimensions, colour reference, every function the product must perform, packaging, markings. That record turns “it looks different” from an argument into a measurement.
One more check belongs to this stage: confirming that production actually started on your recorded specification. A common failure is production running on a similar but different specification while everyone assumes otherwise. A problem caught there costs a phone call. The same problem caught at the port costs a shipment.
When it happens, and what it samples
The inspection happens once the full quantity is produced and still accessible in the factory – before packing is complete and long before loading. Booked too early, it samples an incomplete run. Booked after loading, it measures goods nobody can fix.
Sampling follows the internationally recognised ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 standard (the same mathematics as ISO 2859-1): the inspector draws a statistically defined sample from the lot and classifies what they find as critical, major or minor defects. Common starting points are AQL 2.5 for major defects and 4.0 for minor defects, with critical defects at zero tolerance. These are starting points, not laws: the appropriate level depends on the product and on what a defect costs you, so the sampling plan and the accept/reject thresholds are agreed per order and written into the inspection brief. We will not quote a universal standard here that we would then have to change for your actual order.
| Stage | What is agreed | Why it exists |
|---|---|---|
| Before production | Approved sample and written spec recorded | Turns quality into a measurement |
| Production start | Confirmation production runs on the recorded spec | A problem here costs a phone call |
| After production | Inspection against the sealed standard | Last fix inside China, at the factory’s cost |
| Report | Findings and photographs, before any release | You decide with evidence |
| Shipment | Balance released against documents | Leverage stays with the buyer until evidence exists |
Who carries it out, and what it costs
Depending on the order and on what you require, the inspection is carried out either by our own follow-up team or by an independent third-party inspection company. Where a third party is used, their fee passes through at cost without a markup, and if you have your own preferred inspection firm, we work with them. Industry write-ups put third-party man-day rates in the low hundreds of US dollars – figures around USD 250-400 per man-day are widely cited, and a re-inspection costs about the same as the first visit.
What the report covers
The report is written to be read by a buyer, not by an inspector. Six blocks, every time:
- Quantity and packing. Actual quantity against the order, carton count, units per carton, carton dimensions and gross weight.
- Workmanship. Finish and construction measured against the approved sample – the exact reference, not a general impression.
- Specification. Dimensions, weight and material against the recorded specification, with the measurement method stated.
- Function. Where the product has a mechanism, seal, hinge or closure, it is operated rather than merely looked at.
- Markings. Carton marks, shipping marks, labels and barcodes against what your destination requires.
- Photographic evidence. The goods, the defects where any are found, the packing and the sealed cartons, so you are looking at the goods rather than reading about them.
When the inspection fails
Shipment does not proceed. The findings go back to the factory with the agreed standard attached, and the resolution options – rework, replacement, price adjustment, or rejection – are put to you with our recommendation stated plainly. The decision is yours, because you own the commercial consequence.
The honest limits: nobody guarantees perfect goods, and manufacturing has variance. What a PSI guarantees is a process – the standard written before production, the goods measured against it before shipment, and the result seen before the container leaves. And if a problem surfaces after delivery, where the deviation is from the recorded standard, the inspection evidence and the factory conversation are on file, which is what makes a claim arguable rather than a matter of opinion.
The full inspection sequence, including what happens at each stage, is described on our quality control page. The step this article feeds is the release of the balance against documents – the mechanics are on the payment security page, and the checks that come before an order exists at all are in the supplier verification checklist.