Furniture inspection checklist
A furniture inspection checks quantity, moisture, dimensions, joints, finish against the golden sample, workmanship, hardware, function, packaging and labels, then counts the defects against your AQL. This checklist covers every stage of an order from India, in 51 checks, as a free printable PDF.
Free PDF, no sign-up
The PDF carries the same checks as this page. Limits and tolerances are left blank: they come from your purchase order.
Use it with your purchase order
- Fill in the order details before production: AQL, inspection level, moisture limit, golden sample and carton spec.
- Get the sample size and accept and reject numbers for your lot from the AQL calculator.
- Share the standard with the factory, so it knows what will be checked.
- Work through the stages in order. At pre-shipment, record critical, major and minor defects per check and compare the totals with the accept and reject numbers.
- Release the balance payment only against a passed report.
- For product-specific checks, see the inspection guides by product: beds, chairs, tables, wardrobes and more.
Before you book
Put the standard in writing before production starts, so the inspection measures what you actually bought.
| Code | Check | How it is checked | What to record |
|---|---|---|---|
| B-01 | Purchase order, specification and packing list | Send all three to the inspector before the visit | PO number |
| B-02 | Golden sample references | Agree the approved sample, or its photographs, that finish and workmanship are judged against | Golden sample reference |
| B-03 | AQL and inspection level in the PO | Write the AQL for major and minor defects and the inspection level into the purchase order. Default: AQL 2.5 major, 4.0 minor, General Level II | AQL major / minor, level |
| B-04 | Moisture limit for solid wood | Write the moisture limit for your destination into the PO; the inspector measures against it | Moisture limit (%) |
| B-05 | Lots in a mixed order | Decide whether each SKU is inspected as its own lot or the order as one, and put the choice in the checklist | One lot / per SKU |
| B-06 | Inspection date | Book when production is at least 80% complete and packed, ideally 5 to 7 days before the container date, so rework fits before the vessel | Inspection date |
Supplier verification
Establish who you are buying from before money moves. How Qualis does it.
| Code | Check | How it is checked | What to record |
|---|---|---|---|
| V-01 | Legal identity | Company registration, proprietorship/LLP/Pvt Ltd status, registered directors | Registered name |
| V-02 | Export licence (IEC) | Importer-Exporter Code validity and name match | IEC number |
| V-03 | GST registration | Active status, address match to premises, filing consistency | GSTIN |
| V-04 | Premises visit | Unannounced physical visit: factory vs trading office, photographed | Address visited |
| V-05 | Manufacturer vs trader | Machinery consistent with product, raw material stock, work in progress | — |
| V-06 | Real capacity | Workforce present, shift pattern, output vs claimed monthly capacity | Claimed monthly capacity |
| V-07 | Subcontracting exposure | Which processes leave the building: carving, finishing, upholstery | — |
| V-08 | Export history | Past shipments, destination markets, container volumes, references | — |
| V-09 | Bank account match | Account name vs legal entity vs quote: the wire-fraud check | Account name on quote |
| V-10 | Working conditions snapshot | Basic safety and workforce observations, photographed | — |
Factory audit
Optional for a single order; worth it before a repeat programme. How Qualis does it.
| Code | Check | How it is checked | What to record |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-01 | Profile and legitimacy | Ownership, history, export record, documents recap (builds on verification) | — |
| A-02 | Production process | Machining, joinery, assembly and finishing flow: bottlenecks and risk points mapped | — |
| A-03 | Material control | Timber sourcing, kiln capacity and cycle records, moisture management, storage | — |
| A-04 | Quality control system | In-process checkpoints, final QC, defect recording, golden-sample handling, calibration | — |
| A-05 | Real capacity | Workforce, shifts, machine hours vs claimed monthly output: the over-promise check | — |
| A-06 | Subcontracting map | Which processes leave the building, to whom, and how that work is controlled | — |
| A-07 | Workforce and safety | Working conditions, safety equipment, basic social-compliance observations | — |
| A-08 | Compliance readiness | Ability to meet destination requirements: fire labels, formaldehyde documents, timber legality paperwork | Destination market |
Pre-shipment inspection
The inspector draws the AQL sample at random from packed cartons and checks every sampled piece against these points. How Qualis does it.
| Code | Check | How it is checked | What to record |
|---|---|---|---|
| C-01 | Quantity verification vs PO and packing list | Full carton tally, SKU-level | PO quantity |
| C-02 | Moisture content (solid wood) | Pin meter, multiple readings per sampled piece, range vs destination limit | Moisture limit (%) |
| C-03 | Dimensions vs approved spec | Calipers and tape on sampled pieces, tolerance per spec sheet | Tolerance per spec |
| C-04 | Structural and joint integrity | Racking, load and wobble checks referencing EN 1728 | — |
| C-05 | Finish and colour vs golden sample | Side-by-side under daylight lamp, batch drift noted | Golden sample reference |
| C-06 | Workmanship defects | AQL 2.5 major / 4.0 minor by default, classified as critical, major or minor | — |
| C-07 | Hardware kits and assembly guides | Kit-by-kit count vs BOM on sampled flat-packs | BOM reference |
| C-08 | Function and moving parts | Drawers, hinges, extensions, locks: cycle tested | — |
| C-09 | Packaging integrity | Carton spec, corner protection, drop test on sampled cartons referencing ISTA 3A | Carton spec |
| C-10 | Marks, labels and barcodes | Shipping marks, country of origin, client labels scanned | Label list |
Container loading
What happens at the container door: count, condition, dunnage and seal. How Qualis does it.
| Code | Check | How it is checked | What to record |
|---|---|---|---|
| L-01 | Container exterior and structure | Dents, holes, door alignment, locking bars, CSC plate | Container number |
| L-02 | Light test and watertightness | Doors closed from inside: any daylight is a rejection | — |
| L-03 | Floor condition | Dry, clean, nail-free; moisture wicking risk for wood cartons | — |
| L-04 | Odour and contamination | Previous-cargo smell check: raw wood absorbs everything | — |
| L-05 | Carton tally vs packing list | Every carton counted in, SKU-level, running tally sheet | Cartons on packing list |
| L-06 | Carton condition at loading | Damaged or rain-exposed cartons pulled before they enter | — |
| L-07 | Stacking and weight distribution | Heavy below light, tier limits, no void columns | — |
| L-08 | Dunnage and bracing | Airbags, corner boards, lashing where specified: photographed in place | Dunnage spec |
| L-09 | Desiccant placement | Count and position per spec for humidity control | Desiccant spec |
| L-10 | Weather hold authority | Loading paused during rain, no exceptions during monsoon | — |
| L-11 | Load plan as executed | Photo sequence door-to-back, matched to the plan | — |
| L-12 | Seal application | Seal applied in the inspector's presence, number photographed close-up | Seal number |
Decision
The counts decide the lot, and you decide what happens next. How Qualis does it.
| Code | Check | How it is checked | What to record |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-01 | Major defects vs accept and reject numbers | Pass at the accept number or fewer; reject at the reject number or more | Major accept / reject |
| D-02 | Minor defects vs accept and reject numbers | Both the major and the minor test have to pass | Minor accept / reject |
| D-03 | Critical defects | Any critical defect fails the lot on its own, whatever the other counts | — |
| D-04 | Your decision | Release the balance payment, demand rework, or hold the container | Decision |
| D-05 | Re-inspection after rework | A re-inspection re-checks the failed points in full | Re-inspection date |
Checklist questions
What should a furniture inspection checklist include?
Quantity against the purchase order, moisture content for solid wood, dimensions against the spec, structure and joints, finish and colour against the golden sample, workmanship defects, hardware kits, function of moving parts, packaging, and marks and labels. Before the order it should cover supplier verification, and on stuffing day the container, carton tally, stacking, dunnage and seal.
How many pieces should be checked?
It depends on the lot size, inspection level and AQL. At General Inspection Level II, a 600-piece order draws 80 pieces and a 2,000-piece order draws 125. The free AQL calculator gives the sample size and the accept and reject numbers for any order.
What moisture limit should I write into the checklist?
The one in your purchase order. The right limit depends on the wood and on the climate the furniture will live in, so the checklist leaves it for you to fill in, and the inspector measures against it with a pin meter.
Can I give the checklist to my factory?
Yes. Sharing the standard before production is the cheapest way to avoid a failed inspection. The inspection still has to be independent: the inspector draws the sample at random from packed cartons, not from pieces the factory sets aside.
Does the checklist replace an inspection?
No. It records what should be checked. An inspection adds the random sample, measured readings, photographs of every finding and a decision you can rely on before you release the balance payment.
Want an inspector to work through it for you?
We draw the sample at random, photograph every finding and send the report within 24 hours. A pre-shipment inspection starts at $249.
Book a pre-shipment inspection See a sample report