OEM & ODM stainless steel drinkware from our own factory in Zhejiang — MOQ 500 pcs, samples in 3–7 days.

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How this is checked

Quality Control

The Inspection Plan, And A Checklist You Can Print

Eight stages from incoming steel to a loaded container, what is measured at each one and what record it leaves — then the same thing as a list you can take onto the floor or hand to your own inspector.

Print This Checklist Send Us Your Own Checklist

The Plan

What Is Checked, How, And What It Leaves Behind

A check that leaves no record is a check nobody can audit. The fourth column is the one that matters at a factory audit, because it is the one the auditor asks to see.
StageWhat it coversWhat is measuredRecord kept
Incoming materialSteel coil and tube, lids, seals, coatings and inks.Mill certificate against the ordered grade; wall thickness gauge; visual for handling damage.Grade certificate filed per coil; gauge readings against the order.
Pre-treatment and cleaningDegreasing and surface preparation before coating.Bath concentration and temperature; visual water-break test on the treated surface.Line log per shift.
Forming and weldingTube cutting, forming and the seam or brazed joint.Dimensional check against the drawing; weld integrity; burr and edge inspection.Dimensional record per batch.
EvacuationThe vacuum in every body.Each body evacuated and measured individually — not sampled.Per-unit pass on the line; rejects recorded by cause.
Coating and decorationPowder or spray coat, print, laser or transfer.Film thickness; colour against the approved chip; adhesion cross-cut; print registration.Adhesion coupons per batch; first-off print against the approved proof.
AssemblyLid, gasket and accessory fitting.Thread engagement; gasket seating; leak test by fill and inversion; function of any moving part.Leak test sample per batch; assembly record per line.
PackingInner packing, master carton and marking.Carton count and dimensions; drop and vibration on the packed carton; barcode scan; label placement.Pack record per carton run; transit test report where the programme requires one.
Pre-shipmentThe finished, packed lot.AQL inspection against the agreed limit, plus a container loading check as cartons go in.Inspection report with lot size, sample size and defects found.

Sampling

What An AQL Of 2.5 Actually Means At Your Lot Size

An AQL is a statistical decision about a lot, not a promise that every unit is perfect. The table is the published single-sampling plan from ISO 2859-1 / ANSI Z1.4, general inspection level II, at AQL 2.5 — the level most retail programmes specify. Find your lot size, inspect the sample size, accept at or below the accept number.

Lot sizeSampleAcceptReject
91 – 1502012
151 – 2803223
281 – 5005034
501 – 1,2008056
1,201 – 3,20012578
3,201 – 10,0002001011
10,001 – 35,0003151415
35,001 – 150,0005002122

How It Is Agreed

What To Fix Before The Run

The AQL is agreed per order and written into the purchase order, because a different limit is the right answer for a different product. Four things to settle before the first carton is packed:

  • The AQL number. 2.5 is the common default; a programme with a visible retail listing sometimes asks for 1.5 on cosmetic defects.
  • Which defect is critical, major or minor. A leaking body is not the same class of defect as a scuff on a carton, and a plan that treats them alike rejects good lots and ships bad ones.
  • Who inspects. Our own QC, your nominated third party, or both — the schedule has to accommodate the inspection before the container is closed.
  • The limit sample. The approved sample is the definition of "correct" for the run. Without it, "minor" is an opinion.
See Who Audits Us Quality & Certifications

Printable

The Checklist

Print it, take it onto the line, or send it to your own inspector. It is deliberately a flat list rather than a scoring sheet — it is the set of things that have to be true, not a form to be filled in.

On arrival, before the run

  • Mill certificate on file and matching the ordered steel grade
  • Wall thickness measured on a sample from the coil, not from the certificate alone
  • Lids, gaskets and any accessory inspected for transit damage and moulding defects
  • Coating and ink deliveries checked against the approved colour reference

During the run

  • Bath concentration and temperature logged on the pre-treatment line
  • Every body evacuated and measured; rejects recorded with a cause
  • Dimensional check against the drawing at the agreed interval
  • Film thickness on a coated sample measured against the specification
  • Adhesion cross-cut coupon taken from each coating batch
  • First-off print approved against the signed proof before the run continues
  • Colour matched to the approved physical chip, under the agreed light
  • Laser or engraved mark checked for depth, not only for legibility

At assembly

  • Thread engagement checked by hand on a sample from each batch
  • Gasket seated and not twisted, confirmed on the same sample
  • Leak test by filling, closing and inverting, at the agreed frequency
  • Any moving part — a sliding straw lid, a handle — operated through its full range
  • Lid and body of the same order kept together and not mixed between colourways

Before it ships

  • AQL inspection completed against the limit agreed for this order
  • Carton count, dimensions and gross weight checked against the packing list
  • Drop and vibration test on the packed carton where the programme requires one
  • Barcode scanned, not eyeballed — a barcode that scans is the only one that works
  • Retail label placement and language panel checked against the buyer's artwork
  • Container loading checked as cartons go in, against the loading plan
  • Inspection report issued with lot size, sample size and defects found
  • Limit sample retained and stored against the order for the reorder

This is our own inspection plan, published so you can check it rather than take it on trust. If your compliance team uses a different checklist, send it and we will answer it directly — the technical enquiry route is the fastest way.

Enquiry

Send Us Your Inspection Requirements

Your own checklist, the AQL your programme uses, or the name of a third-party inspector — send any of the three and the plan is confirmed against it.

Send Us Your Inspection Requirements

Your own checklist, the AQL your programme uses, or the name of a third-party inspector — send any of the three and the plan is confirmed against it.

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