Pre-shipment inspection services for furniture in India
Know what's inside before it ships. AQL-sampled, standards-referenced, photographed, and reported within 24 hours. Appointed by you, not the factory.
Three moments a PSI saves the order
Book when production is at least 80% complete and goods are packed—5 to 7 days before your container date, so rework fits before the vessel.
Before releasing the balance payment
Your 70% balance is due against shipment. A PSI is the only independent evidence of what you're paying for.
First order with a new factory
The golden sample was perfect. Production of 240 pieces is a different question — sampling answers it.
After a problem shipment
Last container arrived cracked or short. A PSI on every order afterwards is cheaper than one more claim.
What a furniture PSI actually checks
Generic inspection firms run a generic checklist. This one exists because furniture from India fails in specific ways.
A pre-shipment inspection is an independent check of a finished furniture order, made at the factory once production is complete and the goods are packed, but before you release the balance payment. The inspector draws cartons at random, measures them against your specification, and reports photographed findings with a pass or fail result.
| Ref | Check | Method |
|---|---|---|
| C-01 | Quantity verification vs PO & packing list | Full carton tally, SKU-level |
| C-02 | Moisture content (solid wood) | Pin meter, multiple readings per sampled piece, range vs destination limit |
| C-03 | Dimensions vs approved spec | Calipers & tape on sampled pieces, tolerance per spec sheet |
| C-04 | Structural & joint integrity | Racking, load and wobble checks referencing EN 1728 |
| C-05 | Finish & colour vs golden sample | Side-by-side under daylight lamp, batch drift noted |
| C-06 | Workmanship defects | AQL 2.5 major / 4.0 minor, classified per our Defect Library |
| C-07 | Hardware kits & assembly guides | Kit-by-kit count vs BOM on sampled flat-packs |
| C-08 | Function & moving parts | Drawers, hinges, extensions, locks — cycle tested |
| C-09 | Packaging integrity | Carton spec, corner protection, drop test on sampled cartons referencing ISTA 3A |
| C-10 | Marks, labels & barcodes | Shipping marks, country-of-origin, client labels scanned |
Standards we inspect against
AQL 2.5 means the acceptance limit a furniture lot is judged against for major defects. The sample size and its accept and reject numbers come from ISO 2859-1 at General Inspection Level II, sized to your order quantity. Minor defects are judged at 4.0. Critical defects are zero-tolerance. Every term on a Qualis report is defined in the glossary.
Statistical sampling plan — default AQL 2.5 major / 4.0 minor, GII. Critical defects: zero tolerance.
Seating strength & durability references for structural checks on chairs and sofas.
Strength and stability references for tables.
Reference for our drop screen on parcel-shipped and flat-pack cartons. Full ISTA 3A certification is a laboratory test.
Match/cigarette fire-label verification on upholstered items bound for the UK.
Golden sample, spec sheet and tolerances — the contract is always the first standard.
Booking to decision in five steps
Book
Service, cluster, date, product spec. Fixed quote and confirmation within 24 hours.
Prepare
We agree the checklist, AQL and golden sample references with you before arrival.
Inspect
Random sampling from packed cartons. Live WhatsApp photo updates if you want them.
Report < 24h
Photographed findings, severity classes, standard references, pass/fail result.
Decide
Call with your inspector: release payment, demand rework, or hold the container.
What our inspectors actually find
Caught at PSI: 13.6% moisture on a US-bound order
Sampling flagged moisture well above the 11% limit set for the buyer's Arizona warehouse climate. The batch had skipped a kiln cycle to hit the vessel date. Shipment held, re-kilned, re-inspected 6 days later at 9.8% — and the buyer avoided a winter of cracking claims.
OUTCOME: REWORKED · RE-INSPECTED · CLEARED
PSI pricing, published
Flat fees, no man-day arithmetic, no hidden travel charges inside our clusters.
Standard PSI
- Up to 1×40ft container / 1 factory
- AQL 2.5 · ISO 2859-1 sampling
- Full C-01→C-10 checklist
- Photographed report < 24 hrs
- Decision call included
Protected Container
- Everything in Standard PSI
- + Container loading supervision
- Dunnage & stacking verification
- Seal number photographed
- Priority 12-hour reporting
Re-inspection
- After failed PSI & rework
- Failed points re-checked in full
- Within 48 hrs in Jodhpur/Jaipur
- Reduced fee for same order
Pre-shipment inspection FAQ
When should a pre-shipment inspection be booked?
When the order is at least 80% complete and packed or packable — ideally 5–7 days before your container date, so rework fits without delaying the vessel.
What AQL level do you use for furniture?
Default AQL 2.5 major / 4.0 minor under ISO 2859-1, General Inspection Level II. Retail chains often specify their own AQL, which we adopt. Critical defects are always zero-tolerance.
What happens if the inspection fails?
You get the photographed findings the same day and a decision call. Most buyers demand rework and re-inspect — within 48 hours in Jodhpur or Jaipur, at a reduced fee.
Do you check moisture content during PSI?
On every solid-wood order — multiple pin-meter readings per sampled piece, reported as a range against a limit set for your destination climate (typically 8–11% for North America and Northern Europe).
Can the factory refuse or influence the inspection?
We are appointed by you, not the factory. We select samples ourselves at random from packed cartons, photograph everything, and report only to you. Read our Independence Charter.
Is a pre-dispatch inspection the same as a pre-shipment inspection?
Yes. They are two names for the same check: finished, packed furniture is sampled at the factory before it leaves for the port. We book both as a pre-shipment inspection, with AQL 2.5 sampling per ISO 2859-1 and a photographed report within 24 hours.
What is a final random inspection (FRI)?
Another name for a pre-shipment inspection: the inspector draws a random AQL sample from finished, packed goods and checks it against your specification before shipment. We book it as a pre-shipment inspection, from $249.
A passed PSI can still be crushed at loading.
Add Container Loading Supervision and the same inspector witnesses count, condition, dunnage and seal — the Protected Container bundle covers the last 100 metres of risk.
Related on this site
Where a pre-shipment inspection sits in the rest of the picture.
Book a pre-shipment inspection
Confirmed within 24 hours. Same-day availability in Jodhpur and Jaipur. Report within 24 hours of inspection.
RESPONSE < 24 HRS · REPORT < 24 HRS