Global Quality Department

Valid for HM brand, H&M Home, COS, Monki, Weekday, Cheap Monday
17 July 2012

H&M QC Inspection Manual

Garments/Accessories
Footwear/Home

CONTENT

1. Purpose of Quality Control ............................................................................... 1

2. Preparation for Inspection ................................................................................ 2
2.1. GPQ Meeting ........................................................................................... 2
2.2. CoC Meeting ............................................................................................ 2
2.3. Hand Over Meeting................................................................................... 2
2.4. Pre Production Meeting ............................................................................. 2
3. QC Equipment for Inspection ............................................................................ 3
4. General for All Inspections ............................................................................... 3
5. Amount of Inspections Depends on Following ..................................................... 4
6. Production Samples and How to Pick Production Samples .................................... 4
7. Initial Inspection ............................................................................................. 4
8. Inline Inspection ............................................................................................. 5
9. Final inspection............................................................................................... 5
10. How to Choose Cartons ................................................................................ 6
11. How to choose pieces ................................................................................... 7
12. Definition of Defects .................................................................................... 8
12.1. Critical Defects ........................................................................................ 8
12.2. Major Defects .......................................................................................... 8
12.3. Minor Defects .......................................................................................... 8
12.4. Judgment of Defects ................................................................................. 8

1. PURPOSE OF QUALITY CONTROL

The purpose of quality control is to pinpoint the production operations which need special attention.
By working proactive, the defects will be found at an early stage of production. The problems will
be solved at once and the number of defective merchandise can be reduced and last but not least
be prevented.
In order to reach the best quality, the following inspections and meetings should be performed and
attended by either H&M QC's, the Supplier or both parties. (Depending on the Supplier’s GPQ level
= quality level.)

 GPQ Meeting (in PO)

 COC Meeting (in PO)
 Hand Over Meeting (in PO)
 Pre Production Meeting (in PO or factory)
 Initial Inspection (in factory)
 Inline Inspection (in factory)
 Final Inspection (in factory)

H&M QC Inspection Manual 1(9)

Global Quality Department
Valid for HM brand, H&M Home, COS, Monki, Weekday, Cheap Monday
17 July 2012
2. PREPARATION FOR INSPECTION

2.1. GPQ Meeting

Meeting with QC and H&M GPQ responsible must be held on a regular basis in PO.
Recommendation is at least one meeting per week.
QC will at the GPQ meeting in PO receive information from the H&M GPQ responsible regarding all
GPQ follow ups to be performed at her/his factories. QC will also give feed back from her/his
previous GPQ follow ups to the H&M GPQ responsible.
When QC does the GPQ Follow up inspection, QC must check the GPQ implementation in the entire
factory.
Check also Supplier’s records:
 Children Safety record (e.g. button test)
 Broken Needle record
 Needle Detector record
 Material/Fabric inspection record (e.g. 4-point system for fabric)
 Shrinkage test record
 Colour Continuity record
 Nickel test record
 Functional test record (e.g. sunglasses, shoes)
 Chemical test record (e.g. cosmetic-, accessory-, home products)
Give instantly all information from the GPQ follow up to the GPQ responsible in the factory.
When urgent issues arise in factory the QC must involve the H&M GPQ responsible immediately.

2.2. CoC Meeting

Meeting with QC and H&M CoC responsible must be held on a regular basis in PO. Recommendation
is one meeting every other week.
QC will at the CoC meeting receive information from the H&M CoC responsible regarding all CoC
inspections/follow ups to be performed at her/his factories. QC will also give feed back from her/his
previous CoC observations to the H&M CoC responsible.
When QC performs an inspection she/he must keep “her/his eyes and ears open” and check the
safety concerning the workers in the factory.
Also check that:
 Emergency exits are unblocked
 Emergency exits are unlocked
 Fire extinguishers are unblocked
 All workers have free passage to and from their workplace
 Toilets are clean
 First aid box are available in all units
Give Information, result to the H&M CoC responsible at the next QC meeting.
When urgent issues arise in factory the QC must involve the H&M CoC responsible immediately.

2.3. Hand Over Meeting

Meeting with Merchandiser/Technician must be held on a regular basis in PO, at least one per
week. QC will get significant information regarding the style, fabric, samples, changes etc. during
this meeting.
For the QC to be able to perform a proper inspection this Hand over meeting is very important.

2.4. Pre Production Meeting

Important:
 If no other instructions are given the QC/Sr. QC must attend Pre production meetings on all
special orders like Designer orders, TPP orders, Campaign orders etc.
 H&M personnel like Technician/Sr. Technician, Merchandiser should also attend the Pre
production meeting if possible and if no other instructions are given.
 The meeting must include discussions regarding e.g. difficulties, important parts, changes,
machinery, fabric, pattern etc.
 Records must always be kept from the meeting.
 Production can never start until the Pre Production Meeting is held.

To be able to do a good job during early inspections, it is important for the QC to be involved in the
order at least at Pre production stage.

H&M QC Inspection Manual 2(9)

Global Quality Department
Valid for HM brand, H&M Home, COS, Monki, Weekday, Cheap Monday
17 July 2012
3. QC EQUIPMENT FOR INSPECTION
 H&M QC Order’s File, in laptop or paper file
- Accessory Trim Card
- Children Safety Risk Assessment
- Colour Continuity Card
- Lab Test Report
- Standard Colour and Approved Lab Dip
- Swatch of Bulk Material with Correct Finishing
- Label Specification incl. PM tags and additional info reg. e.g. warning tags
- Correct Size and Care Label Sample
- Order Copy with Valid TOD’s
- Technical Package (including e.g. flat sketches)
- Pictures of Difficult Details
- Technical sketches/construction details (from beg. 2012) when needed
- Measurement List
- Measurement Report Sheets
- C/s comments and important comments from the sample handling
- Information Regarding Late Changes, e.g. Design, Measurement-, Colour Changes
- GPQ Follow up List
- Inspection Reports from Earlier Inspections
- QC Inspection Report Sheets
 Sealed Counter Sample
 Pre-production Meeting Record
 H&M QC Inspection Manual
 GPQ Manual
 Measurement Tape, Scissors
 Nickel Test Kit
 Stickers for Marking Defects
 How to Measure Compendium
 Tolerances Compendium
 H&M Minimum Manufacturing Requirements/Product Specification Manual
 Body Measurement Sheet
 Size Translation
 Fit Guideline
 Children’s Safety Manual
 Packing ABC per product type

4. GENERAL FOR ALL INSPECTIONS

 Work together with the Supplier’s quality personnel responsible for the H&M order.
 Check the previous H&M inspection reports from the same order.
 Find and solve problems instantly during the inspection.
 Compare the production to the sealed C/S.
 Follow the Minimum manufacturing requirements when inspecting the order.
 Measure the QC measurements (see the How to Measure manual).
 Measurements must follow the H&M +/- agreed tolerances.
 Check that trims, labels, price tag, hang tag etc. agree to the trim card and/or approved
C/S.
 Perform the Nickel tests within H&M standards and write reports.
 Perform the Button tests and write reports.
 Perform the Children’s safety tests and write reports. (on children’s order)
 Perform the Drop tests and write reports (on products where this is required).
 Perform the Functional tests and write reports (on products where this is required).
 Check some garments on dummy or live model. (preferably different sizes)
 Always use the H&M Initial-, Inline-, Final inspection report sheets when writing reports.
 Explain the comments, faults or rejections to quality responsible from factory.
 Make sure all involved workers in the factory
o get the message
o understand the explanation
o follow the information.
 Send back pictures or samples of faulty goods to PO when order is stopped.
 Check if the goods are packed according to H&M Packing requirements.
 Inform concerned workers in packing area instantly when problems occur (inform Packing
responsible in PO if needed).

H&M QC Inspection Manual 3(9)

Global Quality Department
Valid for HM brand, H&M Home, COS, Monki, Weekday, Cheap Monday
17 July 2012
 Make sure you have none colour deviation within one product/pair (on the entire order, colours
must be sorted out in “families” within approved standard, country wise).
 Smoking is totally prohibited near or in the same room as where H&M products exist.
 If requested send Inspection reports/information regarding result to Merchandiser in PO.

5. AMOUNT OF INSPECTIONS DEPENDS ON FOLLOWING

 Category of Supplier/factory, old/new, GPQ/CoC level, subcontractor etc.
 Distance to factory, what transportation to use, how long time does it take to get there etc.
 History of Supplier/factory, quality problems, overbooking problems, late deliveries etc.
 Number of orders, base-, repeat-, trail orders
 Number of pieces per order
 Number of styles
 Number of VIP orders
 Type of product/design

6. PRODUCTION SAMPLES AND HOW TO PICK PRODUCTION

SAMPLES
 Production samples must always be taken from the actual production line and always be
picked by the H&M QC.
 Production samples must have all labels, price tags etc. attached and merchandise must be
folded as for delivery.
 If one order is produced at different Subcontractors/units, bring/send back production
samples from all Subcontractors/units for tests and for reference.
 Retail packed production samples must have correct packing and correct information as for
delivery.
 The production sample must be approved at H&M PO before any delivery can take place.

7. INITIAL INSPECTION
(include “General for all inspections”)
The Initial inspection should be carried out after a production of approximately 150–600 pieces
covering all sizes and colours.
When H&M QC is doing Initial inspection, she/he will be able to find and solve problems in the very
beginning of the production.
 Start the Initial inspection by checking the production status and the Supplier’s/factory’s
inspection reports e.g. Trim inspection reports, Fabric/Material inspection reports.
 Check the production in all areas e.g. cutting-, stitching-, embroidery-, finishing-, pre assembling-,
casting-, soldering-, plating-, spray colour coating area.
 Do the GPQ follow up. Write a report and give feedback to the H&M GPQ responsible.
 Discuss your GPQ comments with Supplier’s/factory’s GPQ responsible.
 Take notes regarding CoC comments. Bring them back to the H&M CoC responsible.
 Compare carefully production to sealed C/S.
 Randomly the H&M QC must select the merchandise to inspect from production line.
 50-150 pieces covering all sizes and colours must be picked.
 On woven and knitted products: when needed cut the seams open, check against the paper
pattern and the Technical Package for comparison with the production.
 When garments, try some on dummy or live model if possible. (preferably different sizes)
 Mark the identified defects with stickers.
 Solve the problems together with factory personnel instantly.
 Do the follow up (to be sure the products are produced the exact right way).
 Discuss Major and Minor defects with the Production Manager, Quality Manager, Line QC’s.
 Check if goods are packed according to the Packing ABC per product type (if necessary
contact H&M Packing Responsible).
 Fill in the Initial Inspection Report and explain it to the responsible persons in the factory.
 If required inform/send the report/result to H&M Merchandiser/QA Manager.
 Pick Production samples from production.

Number of pieces to be measured

Initial inspection 3 pieces per size across all colours in the shipment
e.g. 6 sizes x 3 pieces across 4 colours=18 pieces
*only QC measurements (see How to Measure)
If any important QC measurement is out of the agreed tolerance, then a further 3 pieces of that
size/colour are to be measured for that specific measurement.
If one more piece is found outside the tolerance requirements, then the entire quantity for that
size/colour must be measured by the Supplier’s QC-team.

H&M QC Inspection Manual 4(9)

Global Quality Department
Valid for HM brand, H&M Home, COS, Monki, Weekday, Cheap Monday
17 July 2012
8. INLINE INSPECTION
(include “General for all inspections”)
The first Inline inspection should preferably be carried out immediately or very soon after the Initial
inspection. When to do Inline inspection depends on the quality of the products at previous
inspection.
If QC spends as much time as needed, doing early Inline inspections for each specific order, the
products will be produced in a correct way.
 Start the Inline inspection by checking the production status and the Supplier’s/factory’s
inspection reports e.g. Trim inspection reports, Fabric/Material inspection reports.
 Check the production in all areas e.g. cutting-, stitching-, embroidery-, finishing-, pre assembling-,
casting-, soldering-, plating-, spray colour coating area.
 Do the GPQ follow up. Write a report and give feedback to the H&M GPQ responsible.
 Discuss your GPQ comments with Supplier’s/factory’s GPQ responsible.
 Take notes regarding CoC comments. Bring them back to the H&M CoC responsible.
 Compare carefully production to sealed C/S.
 Randomly the H&M QC must select the merchandise to inspect from production line.
 50-150 pieces covering all sizes and colours must be picked.
 On woven and knitted products: when needed cut the seams open, check against the paper
pattern and the Technical Package for comparison with the production.
 When garments, try some products on dummy or live model if possible. ( Preferably different
sizes)
 Mark the identified defects with stickers.
 Solve the problems together with factory personnel instantly.
 Do the follow up (to be sure the products are produced the exact right way).
 Discuss Major and Minor defects with the Production Manager, Quality Manager, Line QC’s.
 Check if goods are packed according to Packing ABC per product type (if necessary contact
H&M Packing Responsible)and * Packing instructions. * Suppliers using electronic packing list
are responsible to control carton marking and correct content according to packing list.
 Fill in the Inline Inspection Report and explain it to the responsible persons in the factory.
 If required inform/send the report/result to H&M Merchandiser/QA Manager.
 Pick Production samples from production.

Number of pieces to be measured

Inline inspection 2 pieces per size across all colours in the shipment
e.g. 6 sizes x 2 pieces across 4 colours=12 pieces
*only QC measurements (see How to Measure)

If any important QC measurement is out of the agreed tolerance, then a further 3 pieces of that
size/colour are to be measured for that specific measurement.
If one more piece is found outside the tolerance requirements, then the entire quantity for that
size/colour must be measured by the Supplier’s QC-team.

9. FINAL INSPECTION
(include “General for all inspections”)
 Final inspection must take place when a minimum of 80% of the pieces are packed.
 Merchandise packed in retail packaging e.g. pantyhose, must be checked before they are
packed.
 Final inspections must be performed in a Quality Control room.
 The Quality Control room must have a big table where the controls will take place.
 The Quality Control room must be lit up by fluorescent tube Daylight = D65.
 In this room only concerned people from factory should be present during inspection.
 Smoking is totally prohibited in the Quality Control room.

H&M QC Inspection Manual 5(9)

Global Quality Department
Valid for HM brand, H&M Home, COS, Monki, Weekday, Cheap Monday
17 July 2012
10. HOW TO CHOOSE CARTONS

Total quantity/country Min. amount of cartons

< 2 000 1
> 2 000 < 5 000 2
> 5 000 < 10 000 3
> 10 000 < 15 000 4
> 15 000 < 25 000 5
> 25 000 <50 000 6
> 50 000 7
Example “How to choose cartons”.
TOD includes 4 countries,US 50% of the quantity, SE 30%, No 10%, DK 10%
Total quantity 100 000 pieces.
Following the AQL, 125 pieces must be picked.
Pick from the US portion 7 cartons(50 000 pcs.) 50% out of 125=63=9pcs/carton (9x7=63)
Pick from the SE portion 6 cartons(30 000 pcs.) 30% out of 125=38=6pcs/carton+2 (6x6=36+2=38)
Pick from the NO portion 4 cartons(10 000 pcs.) 10% out of 125=12=3pcs/carton (3x4=12)
Pick from the DK portion 4 cartons(10 000 pcs.) 10% out of 125=12=3pcs/carton (3x4=12)
Total 21 cartons
Start the inspection by checking the Factory’s QC Final Inspection reports, (to get an overview).
Compare the Factory’s QC Inspection reports with the Independent QC Inspection reports.

*Packing
Check that the goods are packed according to the Packing instructions and Packing ABC per
product type. (contact H&M Packing responsible if necessary)
Control that all packed cartons are stored order-by–order, country-by-country on pallets.
Check that the number of cartons correspond with the packing list.
Check that the quantity, colour and size of the items inside the cartons correspond with the carton
marking and with the packing list.
Check that the cartons have the correct size, quality and the carton marking placed according to
H&M instructions on the suggested sides.
Make sure H&M Online-/Home order cartons and poly bags are correctly marked. (For US cartons a
sticker must be attached as instruction shows).
Randomly check if a copy of the packing list is included in each destination’s carton number
1(except RU).
*Not needed for suppliers using electronic packing list, who are responsible to control above
mentioned points.
From season 5: Check that H&M Online-/ Home orders have a new barcode sticker attached on the
product poly bag and same sticker on outside of the carton for US. The sticker must be ordered
from the Price tag supplier (can be ordered from Sept.1. 2011).
The QC must select the cartons to be inspected.
Pick from each country a minimum of one carton.
Always check cartons containing SS/SC (solid size/solid colour) and the cartons containing ASST
(assortments).
Control that all suggested improvements in earlier QC inspection reports have been accomplished.
Pick more cartons than required and check the specific fault, if improvements not have been
accomplished.
QC must always pick up the merchandise from the cartons themselves.
Follow the AQL and pick the amount of pieces from the cartons.
Take the requested quantity to inspect from different levels in the cartons.
Make sure all colours and sizes are represented among the picked pieces to be controlled.

Number of Pieces to be measured

Final inspection 2 pieces per size across all colours in the shipment
e.g. 5 sizes x 2 pieces across 5 colours=10 pieces
*only QC measurements (see How to Measure)

If any important QC measurement is out off the agreed tolerance, then a further 3 pieces of that
size/colour are to be measured for that specific measurement.
If one more piece is found outside the tolerance requirements, then the entire quantity for that
size/colour must be measured by the Supplier’s QC-team.

H&M QC Inspection Manual 6(9)

Global Quality Department
Valid for HM brand, H&M Home, COS, Monki, Weekday, Cheap Monday
17 July 2012
11. HOW TO CHOOSE PIECES
Master table for normal inspection, double sampling, general inspection, level I
Total order quantity H&M AQL 2.5
Inspection Quantity Accept No. Reject No.
No. 1 - 13 0
281-500 F No. 2 - 13 1 2
No. 1 - 20 1
501-1 200 G No. 2 - 20 3 4
No. 1 - 32 1
1 201-3 200 H No. 2 - 32 4 5
No. 1 - 50 2
3 201-10 000 J No. 2 - 50 6 7
No. 1 – 80 3
10 001-35 000 K No. 2 - 80 8 9
No. 1 - 125 5
35 001-150 000 L No. 2 - 125 12 13
No. 1 - 200 7
150 001-500 000 M No. 2 - 200 18 19
No. 1 - 315 11
500 001 and Over N No. 2 - 315 26 27

Sample Quantity No. 1

Inspect the entire sample quantity

Defective pcs Action

 Accept No. Tot. order accepted, inspection finished
> Accept No. Continue with Sample Quantity 2

Sample Quantity No. 2

When rejected No. is reached, stop the inspection and reject the order

Tot. number of defective pcs Action

From Quantity No.1 + Quantity No. 2
 Accept No. Total order accepted
 Reject No. Total order rejected

When an order is rejected inform the result and the action taken to the H&M’s Merchandiser, PQM,
Sr. QC and to the responsible personnel at the Supplier/Factory/Unit.

H&M QC Inspection Manual 7(9)

Global Quality Department
Valid for HM brand, H&M Home, COS, Monki, Weekday, Cheap Monday
17 July 2012
12. DEFINITION OF DEFECTS
There are Critical, Major and Minor Defects

If a critical defect is found during inspection, the entire production must be rejected,
100% must be reinspected by the Supplier’s QC teams.

12.1. Critical Defects

 Goods that do not comply with H&M Safety Requirements for babies’ and children’s wear.
 Goods that do not comply with H&M Chemical Restrictions.
 Cartons found with Insects, strong odor, moist products or objects apart from packed H&M
goods.
 Printed information directly on the goods e.g. shoes, belts, tops, must be readable and in a
contrast colour.

Labels
All label errors are to be considered as critical defects. All labelling must be correct before
shipment.
Use the label specification to ensure that the product is labelled correctly.

Always on textile products:

 Care label with correct composition
 Care label with correct care instructions
 Correct o/n (first 5 or 6 numbers needed) on label and pricetag
 Correct size info on label and pricetag
 H&M Sweden address + certain other countries H&M address according to actual Summary
Labelling Rules and Regulations + www.hm.com
 COS orders: COS Sweden address + www.cosstores.com
 other brands address acc. to provided info
 Correct country of origin
 Warning tags for different products when needed – this information must be given clearly
by the merchandiser for each order.

Important! Many planning markets require additional labelling.

 Country specific info tags – must be clearly indicated by the merchandiser in the label
specification
Labelling information is updated very often. Pls always check latest info in Summary Labelling
Rules and Regulations on Buy & Prod/ Labelling/ Rules and Guidelines/ Rules & Regulations
Overview.

12.2. Major Defects

 When the defect is noticeable to the customer and visible when using the goods.
 When the defect does affect the quality of the goods.
 When the usefulness of the goods is affected.
 Loose and uncut threads and loose buttons.
 When the goods does not comply with H&M Quality Standards and Requirements.
 When the order is not packed according to the Packing Instructions and the Packing ABC
per product type.

12.3. Minor Defects

 When the defect is not noticeable to the customer and visible when using the goods.
 When the defect does not affect the quality of the goods.
 When the usefulness does not affect the goods, but the quality is not up to approved
standard.

12.4. Judgment of Defects

 A combination of 3 minor defects concentrated in the same critical area will be treated as
1 major defect, (e.g. upper front part if it is a garment).
 If 1 major defect is found together with minor defects on the same product, the whole
product should be counted as 1 major defect.
 If consistent minor defects occur, which affect the overall appearance of the products, stop
the process and contact the H&M PO for further information (PQM, Sr. QC, Merchandiser,
Technician).

H&M QC Inspection Manual 8(9)

Global Quality Department
Valid for HM brand, H&M Home, COS, Monki, Weekday, Cheap Monday
17 July 2012
13. INSPECTIONS FOR COS

 13.1 Inspection procedures

 It is the suppliers responsibility to inform COS Production team about the actual
production start date to be able to conduct inspections at an early stage of
production.
 A minimum of 2 approved inspections must be made for all COS orders by a COS
QC before shipment. The inspections are:

- Inline inspection
- Final inspection

13.2 AQL - Statistical quality control

 For Final inspection the COS QC must follow a minimum of:

- AQL 1,5 normal inspection, double sampling plan, level 2.

Total order quantity COS AQL 1.5

Inspection Quantity Accept No. Reject No.
91-150 F No. 1 - 13 0 1
No. 2 - 13 1 2
151-280 G No. 1 - 20 0 1
No. 2 - 20 1 2
281-500 H No. 1 – 32 0 1
No. 2 - 32 3 4
501-1200 J No. 1 – 50 1 2
No. 2 - 50 4 5
1201-3200 K No. 1 – 80 2 3
No. 2 - 80 6 7
3201-10000 L No. 1 – 125 3 4
No. 2 - 125 8 9
10001-35000 M No. 1 – 200 5 6
No. 2 - 200 12 13

Sample Quantity No. 1

Inspect the entire sample quantity.

Defective pcs Action

 Accept No. Tot. order accepted, inspection finished
> Accept No. Continue with Sample Quantity 2

Sample Quantity No. 2

When rejected No. is reached, stop the inspection and reject the order.

Tot. number of defective pcs Action

From Quantity No.1 + Quantity No. 2
 Accept No. Total order accepted
 Reject No. Total order rejected

When an order is rejected go back to the senior QC/Merchandiser for advice.

H&M QC Inspection Manual 9(9)