Professional Third-Party Footwear Product Inspection

For footwear product inspections, we generally adopt the AQL standard (Acceptable Quality Limits) to define the degree of product defects and acceptable ranges.

Professional Third-Party Footwear Product Inspection Company
Key Inspection Points for Inspectors at Footwear Product Inspection Sites

Critical Defect: Any defect in the finished shoe that compromises the shoe's functionality, affects wearing safety, or detracts from its appearance is considered a critical defect.

Major Defect: Defects that also affect the finished product, characterized by a significant reduction in the shoe's functionality. Although repairable or adjustable, such products must not be shipped as first-grade items and should be downgraded to B-grade. These are considered major defects.

Minor Defect: Defects that do not affect the functionality of the finished shoe, require no further processing, and can be shipped after minor adjustments. These are considered minor defects.

Minor Defect: Defects that do not affect the functionality of the finished shoe, require no further processing, and can be shipped after minor adjustments. These are considered minor defects.

No Defect: Refers to nearly perfect product quality, where both appearance and physical testing meet national standards. This is considered a no-defect product.

Category A Non-Conforming Items:
Presence of broken needles or sharp objects inside the shoe.
2. Damage to the upper or lining.
3. Visible rust or looseness in metal components.
4. Yellowing, discoloration, or cracking of molded parts.
5. Severe wrinkling or discomfort in the toe lining or front padding.
6. Heel counter too soft, leading to heel slippage.
7. Severe wrinkling of the heel lining, causing friction.
8. Hot-cut parts detaching, or high-frequency printing fading or peeling.
9. Strap buckles without backstitching or detached strap buckles.
10. Abnormal toe spring, causing severe deformation.
11. Yellowing of upper materials or light-colored outsoles.
12. Mold growth on shoes.
13. Separation between the midsole and outsole.
14. Frosting or contamination on rubber parts or rubber outsoles.
15. Fading of inner boxes or colored packaging paper.



Category C Non-Conforming Items
More than five untrimmed threads on the upper.
2. Heel height difference between left and right shoes reaching or exceeding 3mm.
3. More than five instances of uneven stitching margins.
4. Positional deviation of 3-5mm between corresponding components of left and right shoes.
5. Trademark position difference of more than 3mm between left and right shoes.
6. Deviation of over 10mm in the starting position of mesh differentiation between left and right shoes.
7. Heel lining too short and not secured by the top lining.
8. Detached shoelace tips or frayed shoelaces.
9. Separation of adhesive reaching or exceeding 3mm in length and 3mm in width.
10. Adhesive overflow reaching or exceeding 3mm in width.
11. Yellowing of adhesive lines.
12. More than five positioning lines or points not cleaned properly.
13. One instance of contamination or water stain on the outsole wall exceeding 3mm*3mm.
14. High-frequency printing not sufficiently clear or prominent.
15. One instance of adhesive stain on the upper, area less than 3mm*3mm.
16. 1-3 instances of repeated stitches, skipped stitches, or uneven stitches on the upper; repeated stitches: 2-5 stitches, skipped stitches: 1-2 stitches.
17. Insufficient embroidery stitches resulting in inadequate density.
18. Slight color difference between left and right shoe components, or 1-3 instances of minor color variation.
19. 1-3 instances of slight wrinkling on the upper.
20. Slight difference in fur length between left and right shoes.
21. Minor burrs on a few components.
22. Uneven thickness of leather between left and right shoes.
23. Insufficient fullness of the outer collar.
24. Heel lining curling.
25. Uneven or slightly wrinkled lining.
26. Use of pen to alter the tongue size label.
27. Insufficient clarity in top lining printing.
28. Mismatch between top lining size and shoe size.
29. One detached or misplaced label on left or right shoe.
30. Detached size label inside the shoe.
31. Blurred or unclear printing on labels.
32. Incorrect text on labels.
33. Mismatch between shoebox size and shoe size.





Specific sampling inspection operations are conducted according to the AQL standard, with the sample size determined based on the order quantity. The AQL standard categorizes product appearance issues into A. Critical Defects, B. Major Defects, and C. Minor Defects. The following are the sampling inspection ratios and acceptance criteria specified by the AQL standard: AQL for Category A non-conforming items = 0.065%, Category B = 1.0%, Category C = 4.0%.





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