1.0 AQL Chart for the Fashion Industry: Acceptable Quality Levels
Find how many garments to inspect, and how many defective pieces you can accept or must reject, at AQL 1.0. Based on the ISO 2859-1 / ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 single sampling plan for normal inspection.
Find your AQL 1.0 sampling plan
Two steps: find the code letter for your lot size, then read the sample size and accept/reject numbers.
| Lot or batch size | Special inspection levels | General inspection levels | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S-1 | S-2 | S-3 | S-4 | I | II | III | |
| 2 to 8 | A | A | A | A | A | A | B |
| 9 to 15 | A | A | A | A | A | B | C |
| 16 to 25 | A | A | B | B | B | C | D |
| 26 to 50 | A | B | B | C | C | D | E |
| 51 to 90 | B | B | C | C | C | E | F |
| 91 to 150 | B | B | C | D | D | F | G |
| 151 to 280 | B | C | D | E | E | G | H |
| 281 to 500 | B | C | D | E | F | H | J |
| 501 to 1,200 | C | C | E | F | G | J | K |
| 1,201 to 3,200 | C | D | E | G | H | K | L |
| 3,201 to 10,000 | C | D | F | G | J | L | M |
| 10,001 to 35,000 | C | D | F | H | K | M | N |
| 35,001 to 150,000 | D | E | G | J | L | N | P |
| 150,001 to 500,000 | D | E | G | J | M | P | Q |
| 500,001 and over | D | E | H | K | N | Q | R |
General inspection level II (highlighted) is the usual starting point. Level III is stricter and Level I less strict. Special levels are for situations where testing is destructive or very costly.
| Code letter | Sample size in table | Inspect (pieces) | Accept (up to) | Reject (at) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2 | ↓ 13 | 0 | 1 |
| B | 3 | ↓ 13 | 0 | 1 |
| C | 5 | ↓ 13 | 0 | 1 |
| D | 8 | ↓ 13 | 0 | 1 |
| E | 13 | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| F | 20 | ↑ 13 | 0 | 1 |
| G | 32 | ↑ 13 | 0 | 1 |
| H | 50 | 50 | 1 | 2 |
| J | 80 | 80 | 2 | 3 |
| K | 125 | 125 | 3 | 4 |
| L | 200 | 200 | 5 | 6 |
| M | 315 | 315 | 7 | 8 |
| N | 500 | 500 | 10 | 11 |
| P | 800 | 800 | 14 | 15 |
| Q | 1250 | 1250 | 21 | 22 |
| R | 2000 | ↑ 1250 | 21 | 22 |
Accept = the most defective units you can find in the sample and still pass the lot. Reject = the number at which the lot fails.
Example
An order is 10,500 units and you use General inspection level II. The code letter chart puts this lot size under M. The AQL chart says to inspect 315 garments. You can have 7 defective units or fewer in the 315 and still pass; at 8 or more the lot is rejected.
What counts as a defect
Counting is based on defective units (defective garments), not on the number of individual defects. A shirt with three different defects is registered as one defective garment. Many inspectors file each defective piece under its most serious defect class (critical, major or minor), so confirm the method with your customer or supplier before you begin.
Quick answers for AQL 1.0
| Lot size | Pieces to inspect: Accept / Reject | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Level I | Level II | Level III | |
| 2 to 8 | 13: 0 / 1 | 13: 0 / 1 | 13: 0 / 1 |
| 9 to 15 | 13: 0 / 1 | 13: 0 / 1 | 13: 0 / 1 |
| 16 to 25 | 13: 0 / 1 | 13: 0 / 1 | 13: 0 / 1 |
| 26 to 50 | 13: 0 / 1 | 13: 0 / 1 | 13: 0 / 1 |
| 51 to 90 | 13: 0 / 1 | 13: 0 / 1 | 13: 0 / 1 |
| 91 to 150 | 13: 0 / 1 | 13: 0 / 1 | 13: 0 / 1 |
| 151 to 280 | 13: 0 / 1 | 13: 0 / 1 | 50: 1 / 2 |
| 281 to 500 | 13: 0 / 1 | 50: 1 / 2 | 80: 2 / 3 |
| 501 to 1,200 | 13: 0 / 1 | 80: 2 / 3 | 125: 3 / 4 |
| 1,201 to 3,200 | 50: 1 / 2 | 125: 3 / 4 | 200: 5 / 6 |
| 3,201 to 10,000 | 80: 2 / 3 | 200: 5 / 6 | 315: 7 / 8 |
| 10,001 to 35,000 | 125: 3 / 4 | 315: 7 / 8 | 500: 10 / 11 |
| 35,001 to 150,000 | 200: 5 / 6 | 500: 10 / 11 | 800: 14 / 15 |
| 150,001 to 500,000 | 315: 7 / 8 | 800: 14 / 15 | 1250: 21 / 22 |
| 500,001 and over | 500: 10 / 11 | 1250: 21 / 22 | 1250: 21 / 22 |
If the number to inspect equals or exceeds your lot size, inspect 100% of the lot.
Need a different AQL? See the full AQL chart, or the 1.5 AQL chart, 2.5 AQL chart, 4.0 AQL chart, 6.5 AQL chart.
About AQL
AQL stands for Acceptable Quality Limit (older documents say Acceptable Quality Level). It is the worst average defect rate a buyer and supplier agree is tolerable. These charts follow the single sampling plans for normal inspection in ISO 2859-1, which is technically aligned with ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 and descends from the military standard MIL-STD-105. We show the plans most used in garment inspection (AQL 1.0, 1.5, 2.5, 4.0 and 6.5), not the full standard. The tables are provided as a guide. If you are inspecting for a specific company, follow that company's requirements, and check the current standard for any contractual use.
Passing an inspection does not guarantee that a lot contains fewer defects than the AQL percentage, and AQL does not replace laboratory testing or measurement checks. See our quality testing page for companies that provide those services.