Fabric QC for mills, knitters and exporters
Fabric quality control software for mills, knitters and exporters
Fabric quality control software records every check made on a fabric roll before it is cut, judges it against the buyer's limits and keeps the evidence. Fabric Inspection Software does this on an Android tablet for Indian mills and exporters: 4-point defect inspection, shade, GSM, shrinkage and width on one roll record, with buyer reports and mill claims built in.
What does fabric quality control software do?
Fabric quality control (fabric QC) is the set of checks a mill, processor or garment exporter runs on fabric rolls before they go to cutting, so that defects, shade problems and shrinkage are caught while the fabric can still be returned or claimed. Software for fabric QC replaces the printed inspection sheet and the Excel file typed up later in the office.
Good fabric quality control software does four jobs. It captures each check at the frame, with photos. It calculates results the same way every time, for example the 4-point score per 100 square yards. It judges each roll against the limits of the buyer the fabric is for. And it follows up: reports to the buyer, claims to the supplying mill and a history that shows which mills keep failing.
Fabric Inspection Software is built around those four jobs for Indian floors. Inspectors use a ₹10,000 Android tablet, log by tap or by voice in Tamil, Hindi or English, and keep working when the network drops. QC heads and merchandisers see results in a browser.
Which fabric checks should the software control?
Visual defects are only one part of fabric QC. Buyer manuals list several physical checks per roll or per lot, each with its own tolerance. Fabric Inspection Software records them on the same roll record; the table says where a field is still planned.
| Check | What is measured | Common reference | How Fabric Inspection Software handles it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual defects | Holes, slubs, stains, barre, needle lines and other faults scored 1–4 points by length | ASTM D5430 4-point system | Points assigned, 4-per-yard cap applied, points per 100 sq yd computed live |
| Shade | Within the roll (side-centre-side), roll to roll, and against the approved swatch | Buyer shade band (A/B/C) and grey-scale rating | Shade group per roll; lot shade bands printed on the report |
| GSM | Mass per square metre from a GSM cutter sample | Buyer tolerance, often ±5 % | Recorded per roll, flagged when outside the buyer tolerance |
| Shrinkage | Dimensional change in warp and weft (length and width) after washing | Test method named in the buyer manual | Warp and weft % per roll or lot against the buyer limit |
| Width and length | Usable width at start, middle and end; actual length against the ticket | Buyer order sheet | Width and length on the roll record; start/middle/end widths and length shortage are planned |
| Skew and bow | Distortion of weft or courses across the width | Buyer tolerance in % | Planned as a field; note it in the roll remarks today |
Tolerances vary by buyer and fabric. Always use the figures in the buyer's own manual; Fabric Inspection Software stores them per buyer so inspectors never look them up.
How does fabric QC work in Fabric Inspection Software?
Sample the lot
Inspect at least 10 % of rolls per colour, width and construction, and 100 % when the last lot from that mill failed. PO pages show how many registered rolls have been inspected; an automatic under-sampling flag is planned.
Inspect for defects
Log each defect with 1–4 points by tap or voice. Points per 100 sq yd and PASS or FAIL against the buyer limit update after every entry.
Record physical tests
Enter shade group, GSM and shrinkage on the same roll as its width and length. GSM and shrinkage outside the buyer tolerance are marked as they are entered.
Grade and follow up
Grade First or Second quality, send the buyer report, print the roll QR label, and raise a debit note to the mill for failed rolls.
Each step is described in detail, with sample screens, on the how fabric inspection works page. To check a single roll by hand, use the free 4-point system calculator.
Who uses fabric quality control software?
- Garment exporters inspect incoming rolls from supplying mills before cutting, so a defect found in the garment is not their loss. They need buyer-specific limits and mill claims.
- Knitting, dyeing and processing units inspect their own output before dispatch, so the customer's inspection does not find what theirs missed. They need fast logging and clean reports.
- Buying houses oversee QC at several factories for overseas buyers. They need one dashboard across units and read-only reports they can forward.
How are supplying mills scored?
Every inspected roll carries its supplier mill. On the Exporter plan, Fabric Inspection Software turns that history into supplier-mill scorecards: rolls inspected, failure rate, average points per 100 sq yd and the claims raised against it, across all your units. A common rule in buyer manuals is to move a mill to 100 % inspection after a failed lot, and the scorecard shows at a glance which mills that applies to. Merchandisers use the scorecard when deciding which mill gets the next order, and QC heads use it in supplier meetings instead of arguing from memory.
What does it cost compared with other fabric QC tools?
Brand-side quality platforms such as Inspectorio and QIMAone sell on quotes, and generic forms tools such as GoCanvas charge per user in US dollars. Fabric Inspection Software publishes rupee prices: ₹4,999 a month for one factory with 5 inspectors, ₹14,999 a month for 3 units with 20 inspectors, buyer library, debit notes and mill scorecards. Every plan has unlimited rolls and no setup fee. See full fabric inspection software pricing or the side-by-side comparison with alternatives.
What does fabric QC software not do?
Fabric Inspection Software supports human inspectors; it does not detect defects automatically from camera images and has no AI defect detection, unlike vision systems such as Uster Fabriq Vision or Smartex, and it does not run laboratory tests. It records the results of the shade, GSM and shrinkage tests your lab or QC table already performs, and puts them next to the 4-point result where buyers expect to see them.
Read next: the 4-point fabric inspection system explained, what a buyer-ready fabric inspection report contains, and textile QC software for Indian units.
Fabric quality control questions
What is fabric quality control software?
Fabric quality control software records and judges every check made on a fabric roll before cutting: 4-point defect inspection, shade, GSM, shrinkage, width and length. Fabric Inspection Software does this on an Android tablet and turns the results into buyer reports, lot summaries and supplier-mill scorecards.
Is fabric quality control the same as fabric inspection?
Not quite. Fabric inspection usually means the 4-point visual check for defects. Fabric quality control is wider: it adds shade, GSM, shrinkage, width and length checks, sampling rules and supplier follow-up. Fabric Inspection Software records all of these on one roll record.
Which standards does fabric QC software need to follow?
Most export buyers specify the ASTM D5430 4-point system for visual defects and name their own test methods for shade, GSM and shrinkage in the buyer manual. Fabric Inspection Software applies the 4-point rules automatically and stores each buyer's own limits for the other tests.
Can fabric quality control software rank our supplying mills?
Yes. On the Exporter plan, Fabric Inspection Software builds supplier-mill scorecards from every inspected roll: failure rate, average points per 100 sq yd and claims raised against each mill. Merchandisers use them when choosing which mill gets the next order.
How much does fabric quality control software cost?
Enterprise QC platforms are usually quote-based. Fabric Inspection Software publishes its prices: ₹4,999 a month for one factory with 5 inspectors and ₹14,999 a month for 3 units with 20 inspectors, buyer library and mill debit notes. GST is extra; rolls are unlimited.
Inspect the first roll the same day
We load your defect master, buyer limits and report layout, then train your inspectors on the floor in Tirupur, Surat or Ludhiana, or over a video call. 14-day pilot, no card. Plans start at ₹4,999 a month with unlimited rolls, and every result follows the ASTM D5430 4-point rules and your buyer's own limit.