How to approve a sample from a Chinese factory

Short answer. Treat the sample as a test the factory has to pass. Check it line by line against your written specification, measure it, photograph it, use it the way a customer would and check every label. Approve in writing, with the measurements, the allowed differences and photos attached. Then have identical approved samples signed and sealed: one stays at the factory and one with you. That is your golden sample, and the bulk order is checked against it.

This page is general information and not legal advice.

Why the sample matters more than the quote

Approving the sample is commonly the go-ahead for mass production. A mistake you miss now is copied into every unit, and fixing it later costs money and weeks.

A first sample is rarely perfect, and one or two rounds of changes are common. Never approve "close enough".

Before the sample arrives

Write down what "right" looks like, so you judge against a list and not a feeling.

• Your specification: materials, colours with reference codes, sizes, logo position and size, packaging.
• The key measurements, each with an allowed difference. For a T-shirt: chest width, body length, sleeve length. For a cap: crown height, brim length, head size. For a gadget: outer size, weight, cable length.
• What you will test: washing, wearing, charging, whatever a real customer will do.

The checklist when it arrives

Measure. Lay the item flat, measure each point twice and write the result next to your target. Note every difference, however small.

Photograph. Daylight, a plain background, a ruler in the frame. Front, back, inside, seams, logos, labels and packaging. Film anything that moves, folds or switches on. These photos become part of your approval.

Compare colour. Hold the sample next to your physical colour reference in daylight. Screens are not reliable for colour.

Use it. Wear it, wash it as the care label says, charge the device fully. Sourcing guides commonly add simple stress tests such as a drop or a scratch. A sample that only looks right has passed half the test.

Check the packaging. Does it protect the item, and is your artwork correct?

Check the labels required in the European Union (EU).

• Clothing and other textiles sold in the EU must show their fibre composition on a label or marking that is durable, easily legible, visible and accessible (Textile Labelling Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011, Article 14).
• Under the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), which applies since 13 December 2024, a consumer product needs a type, batch or serial number, the manufacturer's name, postal address and electronic address, and safety information in the language of the country where it is sold. See the GPSR guide.
• Electronics also need CE marking and its paperwork. See CE marking for small electronics.

Agree the tolerances in writing

No two pieces from a production line are identical, so agree how different they may be. Write an allowed difference next to every key measurement, for example "body length 72 centimetres, 1 centimetre either way" (these figures are only an example of the format). Ask the factory what it can hold and decide whether that is good enough for your product.

Some things are hard to put in numbers, such as a small mark on a hidden seam. Inspection specialists suggest photographing what is acceptable and what is not, and attaching those photos to the approval. Do this before the bulk order is paid.

The golden sample

The golden sample is the approved sample that becomes the standard for the whole run. Common practice:

• Approve two or three identical samples at the same time.
• Sign, date and seal each one so nobody can swap it.
• One stays with the factory as its reference on the production floor. One stays with you. If an inspector checks the bulk goods, one goes to the inspector.
• Get the factory to confirm in writing that its copy is the agreed benchmark.

At inspection, finished units are put next to the golden sample. Inspectors commonly pick units at random using an acceptance quality limit, the largest average share of faulty items you will accept. The method comes from a standard of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), numbered ISO 2859-1. Without a golden sample and written tolerances, there is little to judge against.

How to write the approval

One email or one page, sent to the factory and kept in your files:

1. "Sample approved for bulk production", with the quote or order number and the date.
2. The measurement table: target, allowed difference, what the sample measured.
3. Anything still to change, listed one by one. "Approved with changes" must name every change.
4. Photos of the sample, plus photos of acceptable and unacceptable finishes.
5. The golden sample arrangement: how many, and who keeps which.

Ask the factory to confirm in writing, not with a thumbs up in a chat.

Further reading

Read how to read a China quote to see what the sample fee and lead time on your quote mean, and minimum order quantities for custom apparel before you plan the bulk run. Samples and bulk orders run through Source.