![\"fabric](\"https:\/\/fursone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/hyperrealistic-product-photography-a-quality-control-inspect-showcase.webp\")
<\/p>\nFabric inspection before cutting is where quality problems get cheap. A defect found on the inspection table costs a meter of fabric; the same defect found after garment production costs a garment, and found by your customer it costs the account. The 4-Point System is the grading method most mills and buyers use to turn a visual fabric inspection into a number both sides can argue about objectively. This guide explains how the system works, how to read the score, and where buyers get it wrong.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The system grades defects by size, using a simple table: defects up to 3 inches score 1 point, over 3 to 6 inches score 2, over 6 to 9 inches score 3, and over 9 inches score 4. Holes and other critical defects score 4 points regardless of size. Width and length direction both count, and continuous defects like a running shade line are scored every yard they persist. The math that matters is points per 100 square yards: total defect points divided by the fabric yardage, normalized to a 100-square-yard basis. A roll that grades 40 points per 100 square yards is a reject in most apparel programs; premium programs often tighten the threshold to 20 to 25. The system’s virtue is that a number replaces an argument: two inspectors, one buyer and one mill, can land on the same grade for the same roll, which is why the method pairs naturally with the AQL sampling approach we describe in AQL sampling for fabric rolls<\/a>.<\/p>\n Two rolls can carry the same point score and still perform completely differently, because the system counts points, not consequences. A 4-point hole placed mid-width destroys a garment front; a 4-point slub near the selvage cuts out with waste to spare. Buyers should therefore attach placement rules to the score: defects in the usable width center carry heavier commercial weight than selvage defects. Second, the score says nothing about hand feel, shade continuity between rolls, or width consistency, all of which fail garments without ever scoring a single point. That is why our inspection guidance treats the 4-Point grade as one line in a fuller checklist, the one we lay out in fabric quality benchmarks<\/a>, and why grading letters like the A, B, C fabric grades we explained in what the grade means<\/a> still exist alongside point scores: grades summarize overall acceptability, points localize defects.<\/p>\n Three practices make the system work in practice. First, inspect before payment terms release, not after: the power to reject or claim a discount exists only while money is still moving. Second, agree the threshold in writing at order time \u2014 points per 100 square yards, placement rules, and who inspects \u2014 because negotiating the standard after defects appear is a losing position. Third, use inspection data across orders: a mill whose average point score trends upward across three shipments is telling you something no single roll score will. For buyers who want an objective reference for the grading method itself, the point-grading convention aligns with published inspection standards such as ASTM test methods for knitted fabric properties<\/a>, which specifiers cite when they need measurable acceptance criteria. Buyers who want third-party confirmation can route the inspection through SGS or similar bodies, whose fabric inspection services follow this same point-grading convention. With 300-plus looms and a quality workflow that includes roll-by-roll grading before dispatch, our production model treats the 4-Point audit as an internal gate before the buyer ever sees the fabric, and the same discipline applies whether you are buying stock from our 100-meter-ready inventory or a 300-metre custom run of Chanel-style tweed<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 4-Point System turns fabric inspection from opinion into arithmetic: size the defect, sum the points, normalize per 100 square yards, and compare against a threshold you agreed before the order. Pair the score with placement rules and the wider quality checklist, inspect while payment is still in your control, and track the trend across shipments. Fabric graded that way never surprises the cutting table.<\/p>\nWhat the score does not tell you<\/h2>\n
![\"fabric](\"https:\/\/fursone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/hyperrealistic-product-photography-multiple-rolls-of-chanels-closeup.webp\")
<\/p>\nRunning inspection so it actually protects you<\/h2>\n
Video: craftsmanship behind quality fabric<\/h2>\n
▶ Watch: craftsmanship in tweed<\/span><\/div>\n