AQL Inspection Explained: Sampling, Levels, and Accept/Reject

No one checks every garment in a 10,000-piece order. Instead, buyers pull a statistically chosen sample and judge the whole shipment from it. The rule that governs how many to pull and how many faults are tolerable is the AQL - the single most important number in a garment quality agreement. Understanding it lets a brand set a defensible bar and read an inspection report without being bluffed.

What AQL actually means

AQL = Acceptable Quality Limit. It is the maximum percent defective that will still be accepted over the long run. It is not a target to aim for - it is the worst quality the buyer agrees to tolerate before rejecting a lot.

Defects are first sorted by severity, and each class usually gets its own AQL:

• Critical - unsafe or unlawful (e.g. a broken needle in the garment). Normally AQL 0 - zero tolerated.
• Major - a fault a customer would likely reject or return (broken seam, wrong measurement, holes). Common apparel limit: AQL 2.5.
• Minor - a small cosmetic flaw unlikely to affect a sale (a slight untrimmed thread). Common limit: AQL 4.0.

A lower AQL is stricter. "2.5 / 4.0" is the everyday apparel default; premium or safety-sensitive product tightens it.