The 4-point fabric inspection system, explained
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Every roll of fabric that leaves a mill carries a quality claim, and buyers need a way to check that claim without unrolling every metre by hand. The textile trade's answer is the 4-point inspection system — a standardized way to score fabric defects that lets a mill, an inspector, and a buyer all agree on what "acceptable quality" means, in numbers instead of opinions.
How the scoring works
An inspector runs the fabric over a lit inspection table at normal viewing distance and scores every defect found, based on its length:
- 1 point — defect up to 3 inches (7.6 cm)
- 2 points — defect over 3 up to 6 inches (15.2 cm)
- 3 points — defect over 6 up to 9 inches (22.9 cm)
- 4 points — defect over 9 inches, or any hole
No single defect can score more than 4 points, however long it runs, and both sides of the fabric are inspected. Points from every defect on a roll are added up, then converted to a rate per 100 square metres — points per hundred square metres (PPHSM) — so a wide, long roll isn't unfairly penalized against a narrow, short one just for having more surface area.
What counts as a defect
Typical scoring items include broken or missing yarns, slubs and knots, oil or dye stains, needle lines, misweaves, holes, and shade bands. Cosmetic marks that wash or press out are usually excluded — the system scores what will actually affect the finished garment, not every mark visible under inspection light.
The pass/fail threshold
| PPHSM | Typical grading |
|---|---|
| 0 – 20 | First quality — no restriction on end use |
| 21 – 40 | Marginal — usable for most garments, cutters should route around marked defects |
| Above 40 | Off-quality / seconds — typically rejected or heavily discounted |
A widely used cutoff for apparel-grade fabric is 28 points per 100 sq m or lower, though the right threshold depends on the garment: a lining fabric can tolerate a higher score than a face fabric for a tailored jacket, where every visible defect has to be cut around or becomes a visible flaw in the finished piece.
Why this matters when you order
Agreeing on a PPHSM ceiling before production starts — not after the fabric arrives — is what turns "quality" from a dispute into a specification. On every roll we inspect before shipment, we record the point score and flag the location of any 3- or 4-point defects with marker tape, so your cutting room knows exactly where to route around them rather than discovering a flaw mid-cut.