https://www.tendlyn.com/tags/aql/Recent content in AQL on TendlynHugoen-USWed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.tendlyn.com/tendlyn-university/aql-sampling-explained/Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.tendlyn.com/tendlyn-university/aql-sampling-explained/<p><strong>Acceptable Quality Limit (AQL)</strong> is the statistical backbone of most pre-shipment inspections. It balances cost and coverage—so you are not paying to inspect every unit on a 10,000-piece order.</p> <h2 id="how-aql-works-in-plain-language">How AQL works in plain language<a class="td-heading-self-link" href="#how-aql-works-in-plain-language" aria-label="Heading self-link"></a></h2> <p>Inspectors pull a <strong>random sample</strong> based on order size and inspect against your defect criteria. If defects exceed the agreed limit, the batch fails—full stop.</p> <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Inspection level</th> <th>Best for</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>General II (default)</td> <td>Most consumer D2C SKUs</td> </tr> <tr> <td>General III</td> <td>Higher-risk electronics or safety items</td> </tr> <tr> <td>100% inspection</td> <td>Low volume, high ticket, or new factory relationship</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <h2 id="setting-your-defect-matrix">Setting your defect matrix<a class="td-heading-self-link" href="#setting-your-defect-matrix" aria-label="Heading self-link"></a></h2> <p>Work with your QC partner to define:</p>