A metal hardgoods inspection checks finish, fit, function and material on a random sample drawn to ANSI/ASQ Z1.4. Here is what our inspectors look for on kitchenware, drinkware, hardware, castings and sheet-metal parts.
Kitchenware and drinkware, hardware and fittings, tools, fasteners, brackets, castings and sheet-metal parts.
Each defect in the sample is photographed and counted in its class. Your AQL plan sets how many are allowed; for critical defects the answer is none.
Likely to injure the user or breaks a mandatory rule of the destination market. One critical defect in the sample means the lot is not accepted.
Likely to cause a failure, reduce usability or make the product unsaleable, so a customer would return it.
A departure from the specification that does not affect use and is unlikely on its own to cause a return.
Your specification and approved sample decide the final class. Where a buyer defines zones (for example, zone A for the most visible surfaces), a defect in zone A is usually classed higher than the same defect in a hidden area.
Handheld analyser confirms the grade, for example 304 against 201 stainless steel.
Gauge reading in µm on plated or painted surfaces against the specification.
Paint or powder coat cut and taped to ISO 2409 or ASTM D3359.
Go/no-go gauges on tapped holes and threaded parts.
Containers filled with water, closed and inverted for the time in your specification.
Lids, hinges and locks cycled; parts assembled with their mating parts.
| Point | How we measure |
|---|---|
| Overall length, width, height | Calipers or tape against the drawing |
| Diameter | Outer and inner, at the points on the drawing |
| Wall or sheet thickness | Micrometer or ultrasonic gauge |
| Hole size and position | Pin gauges and calipers |
| Flatness or straightness | Feeler gauge on a surface plate, where specified |
| Weight | Scale, in grams |
Unit: mm unless stated. We measure at least five units per size or version against your specification and tolerances, and report every reading.
We check marks and documents against your specification. Your compliance team or test lab confirms which rules apply to your exact product.
We inspect in good light against the golden sample, run the XRF and gauge checks on units drawn from different cartons, and photograph every defect next to a scale rule. Leak and function tests run on a separate set of units.
Suggested planLevel II with AQL 0 / 2.5 / 4.0 is typical. Engineering parts often add a separate plan for critical dimensions.
Anything else, ask us directly. A principal replies, not a bot.
anirudh@sourcesquid.coWith a handheld XRF analyser, which reads the chromium, nickel and manganese content in seconds. A magnet is only a rough screen: some stainless grades are magnetic and cold-worked 304 can be slightly magnetic too.
One that could injure the user or breaks a legal requirement: a sharp edge or burr on a handled surface, the wrong alloy on a food-contact item, or a crack in a load-bearing weld or casting. AQL 0 applies, so one critical defect means the lot is not accepted.
Yes. We measure coating thickness with a gauge and run a cross-hatch adhesion test to ISO 2409 or ASTM D3359 on painted and powder-coated parts. Salt spray testing is done in a lab.
Tell us the product, the factory and the date. We confirm the inspector and the fixed price the same working day.