ESQUEL TRAININGCENTER4 i0 o* W' A+ U3 `* W* [7 r
7 E7 `! X* T9 G2 M6 b5 {5 u
Chapter I4 z8 p+ A; r  A9 T4 e1 [9 Y
Why, Where and When
% {8 X) {: o" v3 F# eFabrics Are Inspected. n: i' h8 I# A
There are two basic purposes for inspecting fabric for its quality level. A producer, z0 m! Z( u7 W1 l
doses it so that he will know he is delivering an acceptable product in conformance with a6 `' a* ?- p2 @
sales contract. There are several secondary reasons that a producer inspects fabric. He may
. |4 D2 _# E/ z" N: \& W3 L+ [3 Vsimply want to know the quality level of a given lot of fabric or of different lots.
5 i: E9 p) F. |. H$ d1 oIf he has orders for 500,000 yards of fabric, a portion of which will go to several
0 a( J$ @6 `7 t! c7 X; i2 kcustomers, he may wish to group the production into a number of quality levels. He knows; R7 Y9 b, I  p3 i0 @7 p
that any mill producing 500,000 yards will produce some very good quality fabric, some# c9 x0 Q% g8 |: S! P/ Y
good, some fair and some poor. He also knows that all of his customers are not equally6 a' `- C+ @7 Y6 l- k. y' |
demanding in their quality requirements. By sorting the production he can send a given
6 p# {! o4 h! J; g0 a  N; a. Y7 yquality level to the customer who will accept it. In this manner he is able to satisfy all of his  R* ^/ ]6 a" z7 S
customers without having to grade any (or at least a minimum amount) of fabric as6 ^3 N) z/ `$ Y% i; B: X( n+ E
“seconds”. It is not unknown for a producer to take back a delivery from one customer who1 E- a# A# T/ S- P1 o
complained about “poor quality” and reship it to another customer who was less exacting or- j4 L" n( M& \7 R
observant.+ `6 A" S8 u! S  _& z. z
Most producers don't want to produce “of quality” fabric. Many mills now go to great
" R+ H1 ~4 z& Ulengths to monitor the quality and efficiency of every loom. Fabric inspection is frequently) n0 v9 a2 {* o- j3 u+ P
used to identify weaving or yarn problems. Their cause is then identified and corrective4 f: t3 k; J2 u0 b0 u" R! O
action is taken.8 c  A% f0 o7 b! H6 K: S) m
The reason that a buyer inspects is usually to assure himself that he received the
0 J- l: D5 C/ y3 t8 Squality level he ordered and needs. Unfortunately, too few apparel manufacturers inspect- a  @. f1 O) l+ k- B9 z% R
fabric prior to laying it up. When problems are noted after spreading the fabric, both time% }! W  o0 e: G9 [  U/ t
and money have been lost. A buyer’s inspection need not be as precise or rigorous as a
4 o7 K+ {$ _/ |' K# s0 E; cFederal inspection for a Department of Defense purchase. The buyer should have some idea
* X2 g  O: H* Hwithin a few days after receiving a fabric whether it will be suitable or not. Most seller
5 A6 O- D" N% z: p/ X  l) Fcontracts specify that complaints about patent defects should be made within 90 days after# s: v- d6 `: G$ D* T. S+ V
passing title. A 10% check of the fabric will certainly give a buyer a good idea of what he
! S! v4 W* o) P' Lhas received. A new supplier should be more thoroughly checked (up to 25% of the delivery)7 P' ~6 |8 O" l2 ^: K6 i
and a supplier who has a proven record of good delivery might only receive a 1% to 3%0 Q" @7 H- D" j, @
check.. G5 |4 I" Q+ |! w9 J
Buyers will also use fabric inspection to judge the relative fabric quality they are
. ?: \" k9 P9 I, I8 j' Q# ureceiving from competing suppliers. Obviously if supplier “A” is delivering fabric with
4 U! Z: Y6 j6 c7 Y$ `" i: }significantly fewer defects than suppler “B”, then desirable.

There is a second and less reputable reason for a buyer to inspect fabric. He may have) m; {7 t5 s9 S& ]! Q
found that he has made a mistake about the color or style of a fabric he purchased. Since the
! C) ?0 O# [1 X8 m; \delivery was consistent with the contract, he tries to find another reason for rejecting the' K, c; J2 P; {( l" \$ a# R
fabric. He may then closely examine the fabric for patent defects in the hope that he will4 A; h5 ]/ E# f) s1 X
find a sufficient number of “seconds” to justify the return of the goods. This is never a
! q! C6 G) i& V8 qjustified ground for inspecting fabric and should never be done.
6 m9 p; _7 o, _& NObviously a seller should always have a fabric inspected by an independent; G% \) g' ~6 G5 @
experienced examiner if a customer makes a quality complaint. The Worth Street Rules
8 ~. |! {1 a+ S. t% Cspecify at least 3% of the delivered fabric from 10% of the bales should be examined. The
9 E* }5 C2 ^2 S  \' U+ ifabric for inspection must be selected by the independent examiner. The buyer or the seller3 N& K' _+ F3 o8 ]& t( P' C+ [
might want the other party to see only the worst or best fabric while the examiner must see a
; S; ~$ Y( C" V! B5 _representative sample if only a portion and not 100% of the fabric is inspected.
9 W  k. \% _/ H$ b. d' tThere is a story of a fabric house which sold to the over – the – counter trade. On one; e: }# x. m4 n' n  ^/ c
occasion, a store measured the fabric and found piece after piece was short by up to five' j/ u& ]+ y% G! h& [9 p; @
yards. The seller arrived at the store after hearing the complaint. He suggested that they take
7 M0 X( Q) a, Q* G/ S( T8 S9 xa piece from the shelf and measure it in his presence. He said, “Let’s take that yellow.”
) b9 P. Z2 T* fOddly that yellow was full yardage as were all of the yellows. All of the other colors were# K+ I3 H- z, ]/ ^4 G3 a& S
short. Even selecting a sample “randomly” can create a bias. It is obvious that the seller had6 @  S3 s$ p# ~5 l+ a: f6 H" J( M
arranged for some of the fabric to be full yardage so that he would know what to check is
( ]) G/ Q" I) K, Athere was a complaint.& @9 G; f8 p7 k
Even selecting a sample on what appears to be a sample basis can cause a bias. an% E  G  h9 F( f4 L2 t7 T, F
independent examiner may select fabric for inspection by randomly drawing a sample from7 a1 v; n2 X4 l' j* t
various locations where it is stored. If the fabric he is inspecting comes from more than one4 }% R& N  m# |+ ^9 _: g
lot or was produced over an extended period of time, the random selection by location could
9 F/ ^5 \( J2 `cause a bias. The inspector may use a packing list and select various pieces or bales from the
) M/ L5 N& A7 Hlist without seeing them. The Worth Street Rules suggests that samples should be selected
4 y6 y9 `) n: s& R* ffrom early, middle and late production. By selecting case numbers the later production, the
" c1 R9 K, ]$ N2 D6 A5 Q5 Iinspector would comply with the Rules. This is a method frequently used.
2 `& w' a* ?2 v9 e7 p# aAn alternative method would be to use a packing list but select the fabric on the basis
( w) X7 e$ q. @6 ]of random numbers. Each entry is assigned a sequential number. The numbers to be
0 [) ]: `$ P' b/ x. D# R  U& s' D# Einspected are then selected from a list of random numbers. There are several random number. W7 O7 y" \2 g) D( H) L
lists which can be found in textbooks on statistics such as:) `- ~1 j2 @. }' \
A million Random Digits – 1955, The Rand Co.
( E! s  S: M6 B% S/ HHandbook of Probability and Statistics – 1970, Burlington & Yates* t, c2 E: z0 ^* c0 G) m
Statistical Tables and Formulas – 1952, Wiley: c$ n7 n  [, H5 E- e! F
Statistical Tables for Biological and Scientific Studies 1963, fisher and Yates
/ W' r; F9 h* r. l- [1 DWhen a valid sampling plan has been used and the inspection results in the shipment being
% X0 p8 l1 c1 Frejected by the buyer, some firms will insist that any negotiations concerning the quality of& S; O' }  T3 Y9 u
the fabric must be confined to the results of that inspection. The Worth Street Rules state' \% w; w1 d5 P
that if a buyer rejects a delivery based upon quality, the seller must be given an opportunity
, B5 n% y0 [6 [" E1 uto inspect the delivered fabric – regardless of the validity of the original inspection.

And their bias
' j% A9 Y0 V1 f) |0 AThe oldest inspection system is known as the “10 point system.” Like all inspection9 ?* ^. g( E  t
systems it is designed to identify defects and to assign each defect a value based upon the7 ^. k$ A4 r, s+ w
seriousness of the defect. The 10 point system was published in 1955 by the Textile4 Z! T$ B0 Z* L. z3 _0 f2 @' r* G
Distributors Institute and the National Federation of Textiles. The standard may be used with. m( f2 e9 z6 ]: B
any griege or finished fabric but is most usually used with finished woven fabric. As stated! Z8 `: x$ A6 _# N: Z" g7 s+ V5 P
in the Standard.- n* S6 s  T% U# L
“These Standards explain the penalties to be assigned for imperfections of warp: e. \8 e* r3 |/ R8 C& i
defects and conditions, and filling defects and conditions.
8 M" B) ~: C; L% m" M) V“The grading is designed to apply to every imperfection according to size, regardless
8 q$ f2 h0 C! ^1 D& uof type…”3 W9 K3 a$ j+ R/ c4 W
This is the basis, defect size and frequency on which all inspections are designed. The% [; x# z. [7 p7 j& Z
cause of the defect is secondary in determining whether a fabric is a “first” or a “second.”6 }1 s" X0 L2 H$ p! c. l: L3 e9 q
The size of the imperfection is important because it determines the likelihood of the. L7 h( a; L: u: ~
imperfection appearing in a garment and causing the garment to be rejected. The frequency
0 x$ T* F0 S0 C/ {1 _4 mof imperfections is important because this will reflect the potential quantity of garments with
0 T5 l- N, S, G8 e6 Udefects.

The 10 point system assigns points based on four imperfection size categories.4 I2 E3 m& Z- _# C' I
up to 1 inch 1 point
% N" B- j, a% u/ [4 ~/ ~5 N1 to 5 inches 3 points
; m1 j: I4 H( d3 i5 to 10 inches 5 points9 u& D1 Y; i, N4 n% Y7 t1 S. ?* v
10 to 36 inches 10 points
, N+ [  I4 K( V/ X: UThe above is used for warp defects. The system is amended for filling defects by3 C0 {! p* D7 c9 A7 E9 N: Y. K
assigning 5 points for 5 inch to half width defects. Larger defects are assigned 10 points.3 c# a  J# Z: S" R0 f; y
In the 10 point system to yard of fabric is assigned more than 10 points, no matter how
5 d1 T0 W% q) @- Z' L) I9 Lbad or frequent the defects are. The total number of defect points recorded for a piece is
8 U$ x+ ?& \5 Xcompared against the number of yards in the inspected piece. If the number of penalty points
9 N+ \4 p9 `/ W8 [6 m3 \2 D$ adoes not exceed the number of linear yards in the piece, the fabric is considered a “first”. In& z, L7 }+ z5 v( }4 L9 \
the case of fabric which is over 50” finished width, and increase of not more than 10% in% s  ^7 L0 w0 ~9 ?. V% o) G
penalty points will be allowed in “first” quality./ A4 m# z  a8 q+ ~4 \$ y! z1 f0 h
The number of penalty points which are acceptable can be changed. It is generally. U' ?' \7 i2 C
agreed that fabric for printing may be considered a “first” even of it has as many as 50%8 ~/ Q/ S3 j" Q) d/ R
more penalty points. This is because printing will normally cover and hide many fabric' e3 K6 D: L! `% P* G7 \
imperfections. If a small pattern with a lot of open space were used, it would obviously not
- k1 x% l/ K( k! Ghide very much and the fabric should not be used for this type of printing. A “first for9 n, F: K7 F# J' a( y7 `; ?6 N
printing” may be satisfactory as a printed fabric, but if it is brushed or sanded the color may
' T5 K+ ?8 R/ w5 p+ w8 H8 |be satisfactory as a printed fabric, but if it is brushed or sanded the color may be removed
& p, G8 s8 T" Z/ {from slubs or nubs and the defects will become very evident. How a fabric is going to be( p7 \8 q: N* P/ o, b2 o0 ~, W
treated or used becomes very important in establishing an acceptable level of imperfections.

It is obvious that with a higher required level of perfection, there is a greater likelihood that
( U8 \( {( o- f, kthe cost of the fabric will be increased. An acceptance level should be established which is
1 J- Q  h* u6 e4 P/ M, Dconsistent with the user’s needs. If it is important to have a specific level of acceptance, it# R- B. X3 H  u! C
should be stipulated on the purchase and sales contracts.5 C7 c  Y, o: ^7 q5 u) O! l: O; `
In 1959, the National Association of Shirt Pajama Sportswear Manufacturers along
& @& F" w  h5 gwith The American Society for Quality Control (ASQC) proposed a “4 point standard” for) x! I2 {. u3 k, c
determining fabric quality. This system is similar to the 10 point system in awarding penalty- }. ]. z2 s& U0 [/ C
points but does so on a different basis.
6 U( T5 D. U5 _; e/ [, [1 _3 inches or less 1 point
  `  |' S% ]  I. T# k# ^& ~' `over 3 inches but not over 6 inches 2 point
6 }0 V1 d7 z; H% c6 A" x0 j) pover 6 inches but not over 9 inches 3 point
  S8 F5 k7 N' F5 f8 s9 Fover 9 inches 4 points
* Y) y% u7 ~' T$ g( ^: \) _Not more than four points shall be awarded to a single yard. The total points are
8 d) z3 \4 E3 xnormally figured on the basis of 100 square yards although a linear yard basis may be used.3 d' e3 c1 B7 n
As with the 10 point system, the acceptable level of quality can vary upon agreement of the
2 o" W& [1 [& O5 [( ^  Nbuyer and seller. Generally, not more than 40 penalty points per 100 square yards are0 J/ l# T0 {; L" ?% ]4 ~$ s
acceptable in a “first”. The publication describing this system also lists and describes defects, H4 |( E+ F3 r& p; ^! X; B+ r, ]
in three categories, Self Descriptive Defect (crease or wrinkle), Defined Defect (end out),- A% V8 J, g8 T1 u: a
and Exceptional Defects (bowed filling).0