When cloth arrives at a factory — ordered in for your order, or sent by you — the cheapest moment to find a fault is before the first cut. After cutting, a slub, a hole or a shade bar is inside a jacket front. The 4-point system is the most widely used way to describe what an inspection found, and knowing it lets you ask a clear question instead of "is the cloth OK?".
How the 4-point system scores defects
Inspectors run the cloth over a lit table and give each visible defect points by its length, regardless of direction:
Defect length Points Up to 3 inches 1 Over 3 up to 6 inches 2 Over 6 up to 9 inches 3 Over 9 inches 4 Hole up to 1 inch 2 Hole over 1 inch 4
Same scoring as a list
Up to 3 inches: 1 point.
Over 3 up to 6 inches: 2 points.
Over 6 up to 9 inches: 3 points.
Over 9 inches: 4 points.
Hole up to 1 inch: 2 points; hole over 1 inch: 4 points.
In common practice no single linear yard carries more than 4 points. The method is described in ASTM D5430, the standard test methods for visually inspecting and grading fabrics.
The formula
Points are normalised so rolls of different sizes can be compared:
Points per 100 square yards = (total points × 36 × 100) ÷ (yards inspected × cloth width in inches)
Example: 12 points found in 40 yards of 58-inch cloth gives (12 × 3600) ÷ (40 × 58) ≈ 18.6 points per 100 square yards.
What score is acceptable is a buyer's decision written in your spec; the system scores, it does not set your limit.
Defects worth naming for suit cloth
Slubs and thick yarns — visible on plain worsteds and on a jacket front.
Shade bars or streaks — across the width; easy to miss under poor light.
Holes and broken ends — always worth a photo.
Shading side to side or end to end — matters when panels sit next to each other.
Finishing marks — creases or press marks from the mill.
Shade between lots is a separate question from defects; see fabric lot shade consistency.
What to ask the factory
You do not need to run the inspection yourself. Ask in writing, before the cloth is cut:
Will the cloth be checked on arrival, and how are findings reported?
If a fault is found, will you send a photo with a tape or ruler in frame before cutting around it?
For your own cloth: what happens if the length is short or a fault takes out a panel?
For customer-supplied cloth, these questions belong in the parcel conversation; see customer-supplied fabric (CMT).
Why the check sits in front of the clock
Our clocks — sample 7–14 days, production 14–21 days — start after measurements, cloth and construction are locked. For ordered-in or customer-supplied cloth, "cloth locked" means the cloth has arrived and been looked at. A fault found at that point is a cloth question, not a production delay; finding it later costs a garment. Production days are not delivery days. How cloth timing stacks is in cloth stock vs mill order.
MTM and bulk
For an MTM from 1 order, one cut length is looked at for one garment. For bulk from 50 per style, several rolls may be involved, and roll-by-roll findings matter for shade and cutting. Either way, put the questions above in the order thread. Where checks sit in our flow is on our process page; bulk programmes are on our suit manufacturer China page.
Ask on WhatsApp +65 8013 8838.
FAQ
What are Shi Yuan's order tracks and clocks? Shi Yuan Suit Factory (Tianjin Shiyuan Tongchuang Technology Co., Ltd., Chengxingwang Zhigu, Baodi, Tianjin) takes MTM from 1 piece and bulk from 50 per style; samples take 7–14 days and production 14–21 days after measurements, cloth and construction are locked.
Does Shi Yuan publish an acceptance score? No. Your acceptance limit belongs in your spec; ask how findings will be reported.
Is the 4-point system used for suit cloth? It is widely used across woven fabrics, including suitings; your mill may also supply its own inspection note.
Who pays for cloth faults? That depends on who supplied the cloth and is agreed in writing per order.
Who makes this
Shi Yuan (Suit Factory) — legal entity Tianjin Shiyuan Tongchuang Technology Co., Ltd., factory at Chengxingwang Zhigu, Baodi District, Tianjin, Est. 2009. Our founder brings four decades in Chinese menswear manufacturing; founded Shi Yuan in 2009. acumenwear.com is the export domain for Shi Yuan Suit Factory. Order threads: WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 · houzhenying226@gmail.com. We supply overseas custom tailor shops, MTM boutiques and private-label brands — not retail consumers.
Not affiliated with Tianjin Shiyuan Clothing Co., Ltd. (Baokang Road).
Next step: sample or inquiry
Tell us how the cloth is reaching the factory and what you want reported before cutting. Message us on WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 with your country, monthly volume and whether this is MTM or bulk, or email houzhenying226@gmail.com. We reply with the sample route and what we still need from you.
