Quality Control
AQL sampling explained for D2C brand owners
When statistical inspection beats 100% checks—and how to set accept/reject limits that protect your reviews.
Acceptable Quality Limit (AQL) 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.
How AQL works in plain language
Inspectors pull a random sample based on order size and inspect against your defect criteria. If defects exceed the agreed limit, the batch fails—full stop.
| Inspection level | Best for |
|---|---|
| General II (default) | Most consumer D2C SKUs |
| General III | Higher-risk electronics or safety items |
| 100% inspection | Low volume, high ticket, or new factory relationship |
Setting your defect matrix
Work with your QC partner to define:
- Critical defects — safety, wrong SKU, zero tolerance
- Major defects — functional failure, wrong colorway batch
- Minor defects — cosmetic issues with acceptable limits
When to tighten the plan
New factory relationships, holiday peak seasons, and marketplace compliance audits (Amazon, high-volume D2C brands) are all reasons to temporarily raise inspection rigor.
