Guides / Choosing a Factory
Inspecting Furniture in Vietnam Before the Container Seals
August 31, 2026
An inspection report that says “pass” is worth exactly as much as the standard it was checked against. Most disputes after delivery trace back to a checklist that never named the thing that went wrong.
This is what to check on wood furniture, when, and why the container loading step matters more than buyers expect.
Set the standard before you inspect
An inspector checks against a document. If you do not supply one, they check against their own generic furniture checklist, which will not mention your colour limits or your carton drop requirement.
The inspection pack should contain the approved sample photographs, the specification with construction and grade, the finish colour limit samples, the packing and labelling specification, the AQL levels you have agreed, and any test report references.
Agree the AQL levels in the purchase contract. A common arrangement on furniture is a tight limit on critical defects, a moderate limit on major defects and a looser one on minor defects. The exact numbers matter less than having agreed them in advance, because an AQL argued after a failed inspection is a negotiation, not a standard.
What to check on a wood product
Dimensions. Against the drawing, with a tolerance stated. Check assembled dimensions and flat pack part dimensions separately.
Moisture content. With a meter, on several pieces, on an unseen face. This is the check most generic inspectors skip unless you ask, and it is the one that predicts failures after delivery. See the moisture content guide.
Finish. Sheen, colour against both limit samples, coverage on undersides and backs, and feel by hand across the grain. Look for dust inclusion, runs, orange peel and thin coverage on edges.
Joints and glue lines. Under raking light. Open or starved joints in the sample will be worse in production.
Hardware. Correct material, correct count, correctly fitted. On outdoor furniture confirm stainless where it was specified, including the pivot pins and not just the visible screws.
Assembly. Take a flat pack unit and assemble it with the supplied instructions and tools. This catches missing hardware, misaligned pilot holes and instructions that do not match the product, which are the three most common ecommerce complaints.
Function. Drawers, doors, folding mechanisms and extension tables, operated repeatedly rather than once.
Packing. Carton construction, inner protection, corner protection, moisture barrier or desiccant, and labelling including any required compliance statements. The CARB and TSCA guide covers what has to appear on the label for US panel products.
Drop test. If your product goes to ecommerce, a carton drop test on a packed unit is worth the time. Courier handling is not pallet handling.
Why loading supervision is separate
An inspection report describes goods in a warehouse. Loading supervision describes what happened between the warehouse and the sealed container.
Damage in that window is common and invisible afterwards. Cartons stacked too high crush. Heavy items loaded on top of light ones. A container floor that is wet. A container with a hole in the roof. Furniture loaded loose so it shifts during the voyage.
A supervisor at loading checks the container itself before anything goes in, confirms the carton count, watches the stacking pattern, and photographs the sealed doors with the seal number visible. That last photograph settles a surprising number of later arguments.
Moisture is the quiet risk here. A container crossing the Pacific goes through daily heating and cooling cycles, and any moisture inside condenses on the roof and rains back onto the cargo. Desiccant bags and a dry container at loading prevent a whole class of mould claims on wood products.
Who does the inspection
Third party laboratories and inspection companies. All the major names operate in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong. Standard service, predictable reports, a day of work.
Your own agent in country. Better if you have one, because they know your product and they can return without a new booking.
The factory’s own QC. Useful, not sufficient on a first order. A factory inspecting itself is reporting on its own performance.
You, in person. The best option for a first production run if the volume justifies the trip.
For a first order with a new factory, use a third party and book the loading supervision as well. After three clean orders you can reduce to spot inspection, but keep the loading supervision because it protects against a different risk.
What happens when it fails
Write this into the contract before you need it.
Who pays for the re-inspection. Usually the factory after a failure, which creates the right incentive.
What the remedy is: rework, sort and ship the good pieces, discount, or reject. Name the options rather than leaving it open.
How the schedule moves. A failed inspection at 80 percent packed can mean one to three weeks of rework plus a new vessel booking. The lead time guide covers how to protect a date that cannot slip.
And hold enough of the balance payment that the remedy is worth the factory’s while. The payment terms guide covers how to structure that without being unreasonable.
The short version
Give the inspector a real standard. Book at 80 percent packed. Check moisture and assembly, not just appearance. Supervise the loading separately. And decide the failure remedy in advance, while both sides are still reasonable.
Frequently asked questions
When should the inspection happen?
At around 80 percent packed. Earlier and there is not enough finished stock to judge. Later and the factory is already loading, so a problem means unloading a container. Book the inspector for the 80 percent point and write it into the contract.
What does AQL mean on an inspection report?
Acceptable Quality Limit. It defines how many pieces get pulled from the lot and how many defects of each severity are allowed before the lot fails. It is a sampling rule, not a guarantee, and the levels have to be agreed before the inspection rather than argued afterwards.
Is a third party inspector worth the cost?
For a first order, yes. A day of inspection costs a few hundred dollars against a container worth tens of thousands. Once a factory has run several clean orders you can move to spot checks, but keep loading supervision.
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