FIBC Pre-Shipment Inspection: How to Check Bulk Bags From China

The short answer

You do not have to fly to China for every order. Choose one of three levels, based on the risk of this order:

1. Remote: documents plus shipment photos and video.
2. Third-party: an inspector you name checks samples from the packed lot.
3. On site: you or your agent visit or audit the factory.

Whichever you pick, it only works if you agreed what "correct" means before production.

Before production: lock the reference

An inspector can only compare bags with a reference. Fix these four before cutting starts:

• Signed drawing or spec: dimensions, fabric, loops, liner, spouts, SWL and safety factor.
• Approved sample: kept by both sides and identified, so nobody argues later over which one counts.
• Test report for that spec: see how to verify the test report.
• Defect classes in the PO: what counts as critical, major and minor, and what happens on failure.

Three ways to check an order

Remote: documents plus shipment photos and video

The lowest-cost check, and it works best for repeat specs from a supplier you already know. Its weakness is that the supplier chooses what you see, so specify the evidence in advance. The photo and video list below shows what to ask for.

Third-party pre-shipment inspection

You name the inspector and it reports to you. SGS, BV and Intertek are examples, not a fixed list. Book it for when production is finished and at least 80% of the goods are packed, and give the inspector a written brief:

• your signed drawing and PO;
• the sampling plan and defect classes;
• the checklist below, plus any witnessed test you want;
• who receives the report, and that you release the goods only after you have read it.

Source: NBN QC, "Pre-shipment inspection practical guide" (nbnqc.com).

Factory audit or visit

This costs the most time, and it shows you what paperwork cannot: the materials, the sewing lines and how the QC is run. Use it for a new supplier, a new spec, or a large or UN order.

Which level for which order

A UN test report covers only the bag specification that was tested.

FIBC pre-shipment inspection checklist

Draw samples from across the lot, not just the top of the stack. Compare each one with your signed drawing:

• Dimensions: body width, depth and height; spout diameter and length; loop height.
• Fabric: weight (g/m²) and check coating and liner against the PO.
• Seams and loops: stitching, open seams, and how the loops are attached.
• Liner: present, the right type and attachment, undamaged.
• Labels: SWL, safety factor on the label, class and standard.
• Cleanliness: no dirt, odour or loose thread, above all for food-contact bags.
• Electrostatic type, if your order specifies one.
• Packing: bale or pallet condition, counts and marks.
• Witnessed top-lift on random bags, if you agreed one.

Fabric weight alone cannot prove structural performance, and a visual check cannot establish lifting capacity. Those are what the test report is for. UWON publishes a longer 30-point checklist if you want more detail.

Source: UWON Packaging, "FIBC pre-shipment inspection" (uwonpackaging.com).

AQL sampling for bulk bags, briefly

AQL sampling tells the inspector how many bags to pull and how many defects are acceptable. The usual standards are ISO 2859-1 and ANSI/ASQ Z1.4. A common published example is:

These are examples to agree with your inspector, not rules. Some reports write the critical limit as "AQL 0", but the standard's tables have no such value, so write it in your PO as a separate rule: one critical defect in the sample rejects the lot, and state the sample size. Passing AQL does not mean every bag is free of defects: it is a sample, and it does not replace safety testing of the design.

Source: NBN QC (nbnqc.com); Epic Sourcing, "What is AQL?" (epicsourcing.co); defect examples from UWON Packaging (uwonpackaging.com).

What a useful photo/video report shows

Good evidence ties the bags to your lot. Ask for all of this before loading finishes:

• lot labels or batch numbers, in the same frame as the bags;
• a tape measure on the body, spouts and loops;
• a close-up of the label showing SWL and safety factor;
• the liner in place inside an opened bag;
• a random bag pulled from the middle of a bale, not the top;
• bale counts against the packing list;
• the container empty, part loaded, fully loaded, doors closed, and the seal number.

Ask for video as one continuous take, not short clips: a continuous take is harder to stage.

Planning a factory visit or audit

Follow the material from store to loading bay:

1. Raw material store: fabric rolls, webbing and thread. How are they checked and traced?
2. Looms and coating: how is fabric weight or coating controlled?
3. Sewing lines: are the loops sewn to the drawing? What happens to rejects?
4. QC room: if there is a test rig, when was it last calibrated?
5. Finished-goods packing: how is a lot identified and kept separate?
6. Loading bay: how are containers checked before loading?

Questions worth asking: Can I see the records for a recent order? Who can stop a line? What was the last defect found, and what changed afterwards?

Look at semi-finished materials as well as finished bags. Fabric rolls, webbing and cut panels waiting on the line show whether the materials match your spec before they disappear inside a sewn bag. Compare a roll label or material record with the fabric on your drawing.

Take your signed drawing and approved sample with you, and photograph what you check. Before you leave, agree in writing any changes the visit has led to, so the spec the inspector uses later is the same one you agreed on site.

If defects are found

1. Hold the balance and stop the affected lot from shipping.
2. Agree the fix: sort, rework or replace.
3. Re-inspect the corrected goods if the defect was critical or widespread.
4. Record it against the lot, with photos, and ask for a corrective action plan.
5. Agree in writing before anything ships.

The time to settle this is before production, not on the day of a failed report. If the PO already says what counts as a critical defect and who pays for a second inspection, the conversation is about fixing the lot rather than about what was agreed.

Source: NBN QC (nbnqc.com); UWON Packaging (uwonpackaging.com).

How inspection works with BULKFORTE

We supply FIBCs through contracted manufacturing partners in China. Production, inspection and loading take place at their facilities, and buyers are welcome to audit any factory on site.

Our QC team checks raw material, the bags on the line and finished bags at the partner facility, and we supervise container loading there. Shipment photos and video are available on request.

You can name any third-party inspector or accredited lab, and we arrange access or testing. SGS, BV and Intertek are examples, not a fixed list.

Our partner factory has passed SGS factory audits and holds UN dangerous-goods FIBC test reports (Zhengzhou Customs, CNAS-accredited). Copies available on request; other third-party tests (e.g. ISO 21898 top-lift) can be arranged through accredited labs. A UN test report covers only the bag specification that was tested.

Our team brings 20+ years making FIBCs, and we reply within 12 hours (GMT+8).

FAQ

Send your PO or spec

Send your PO or spec, and we will propose an inspection plan that fits the order. Get a quote.