When Bulk Fabric Arrives Wrong: Claims, Remedies and Tolerances

First, decide whether it is actually wrong

Woven fabric is made to a specification with tolerances, not to an exact figure. Weight, width and length all vary a little from roll to roll, and shade varies a little from batch to batch. So a measurement that differs from the nominal figure is not automatically a fault. The question is whether it falls outside the band you agreed. Our guide on GSM and how it is measured explains why a weight a few grams off nominal can be the specification working as written.

So the first step is not a phone call. It is a comparison: what does the order, the approved sample or the lab dip say, and what did you actually measure? If nothing in writing defines the tolerance, you can still raise the problem, but you are negotiating, not claiming.

The five usual problems, and how each is checked

The receiving checks themselves are covered step by step in how to inspect uniform fabric on delivery. This guide picks up once you have found something.

Documenting the problem

A claim is only as strong as its record. The mill was not there when you unrolled the cloth, so everything it needs to understand the problem must reach it in writing and in pictures.

• Stop cutting on the affected rolls and keep them intact, with their tickets attached
• Record roll numbers, lot or batch numbers and the invoice reference
• Write down what was measured, how, on how many rolls, and the readings, not just "underweight" or "off shade"
• Photograph defects next to a scale and note their position along the roll and from the selvedge
• For shade, photograph the cloth beside the approved standard under the agreed light. Photos only support a physical comparison, they do not replace it
• Keep a cut piece from each affected roll for the supplier or a third-party laboratory to check

For which faults start at the loom and which in dyeing and finishing, see woven fabric defects: causes and who fixes them. Knowing the likely origin makes the claim easier to route.

What a fair claim looks like

A fair claim is specific, proportionate and made once. It names the rolls affected, states the agreed specification and the measured result side by side, includes the evidence, and asks for a remedy that matches the size of the problem. It arrives before the cloth is cut, as one message and not a trickle of complaints over several weeks.

Being proportionate matters. One roll with a long fault is a claim about that roll. It is not a reason to reject a consignment whose other rolls pass. A shade difference between lots is a different claim from a shade difference inside a roll. Dye-lot consistency explains why the two have different causes and different fixes. Claims that separate what is out of specification from what is only not preferred get resolved faster, because the supplier can verify them.

The common remedies

The right remedy depends on the fault, whether it can be corrected, and whether your production date can absorb a delay. These are the options buyers and mills commonly settle on.

• Replacement: fresh rolls to the specification. The cleanest outcome, but it takes production time. For shade-critical programmes the replacement must match your approved standard and the lot you are already sewing
• Credit or allowance: you keep and use the fabric, and the supplier credits the affected metres or the cuttable loss. Sensible when the fault is in one place and can be cut around
• Re-processing: some faults that start in dyeing or finishing, such as certain shade or finish problems, can sometimes be corrected by the processing house. Loom faults such as broken ends or missing picks cannot be fixed in finishing
• Top-up for short length: the missing quantity supplied, ideally from the same lot so it matches
• Rejection of the lot: the fabric is returned or held for collection. Usually kept for problems that make the cloth unusable for its purpose, such as a widespread shade or weight failure

Whatever is agreed, put it in writing with the roll numbers, the metres and the date, so nobody can remember the settlement differently later.

Agreeing tolerances and claim windows in the PO

Almost every hard dispute traces back to a term that was never set. The test standards say how to measure. They do not say what result is acceptable. ASTM D5430, for example, defines how defects are scored but leaves the acceptance threshold to buyer and supplier. Those numbers belong in the purchase order.

• GSM: the nominal figure and a tolerance band, plus the test method
• Width: the usable width and the minimum acceptable
• Shade: the approved standard, the viewing light and how roll-to-roll and lot-to-lot variation will be judged
• Defects: the inspection system, the sample size and the points threshold per roll
• Quantity: the tolerance either side of the ordered metres and whether invoicing follows measured despatch
• Claim window: how long after delivery a claim can be raised, and that it must be raised before cutting
• Remedy: which remedies apply, and who pays freight on returns and replacements

Our guides on reading a fabric spec sheet and buying uniform fabric in bulk cover how these terms fit into a full order. Agreeing them up front protects both sides. The buyer knows what to reject, and the mill knows what it is being held to.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can I claim after the fabric has been cut?

You can raise it, but your position is much weaker. Once cut, the cloth cannot be returned or re-processed, and it is hard to show whether a fault came from the fabric or from handling. Inspect and claim before cutting.

Is a GSM slightly below nominal a valid claim?

Only if it falls outside the tolerance band you agreed. Woven fabric weight naturally varies within a band, so state the band and the test method in the order and measure against it.

What is the four-point system?

A way of scoring visual fabric defects by length, set out in ASTM D5430, so rolls can be graded and compared. The standard gives the scoring method. The pass threshold is a commercial figure you agree with the supplier.

Should I reject the whole lot if some rolls fail?

Usually not. A fair claim matches the problem: claim the rolls that fail and accept the rolls that pass, unless the fault is widespread enough to make the lot unusable for its purpose.

Who decides whether a fault can be re-processed?

The supplier and its processing house, after seeing the cloth or a cut piece. Dyeing and finishing faults can sometimes be corrected. Faults woven into the cloth cannot.