Organisation
Roles, reporting lines and responsibility for production and quality may be reviewed for clarity.
Third-party factory audit · China
Factory Audit Services in China
Review an identified manufacturing facility, its observable workflow, equipment, quality arrangements and available records before relying on supplier capability claims.
Audit findings describe available evidence at the time of the visit. A facility visit does not certify a supplier or guarantee capacity, compliance or future performance.
How it works
From your brief to a clearer decision.
Define audit questions
Share the facility address, product and production concerns.
Review the facility
Observe agreed processes and available records, subject to access.
Assess the evidence
Review documented observations, gaps and unanswered questions.
Factory audit scope
What can a factory audit assess?
Set the questions around your product and sourcing decision. Each point below depends on access and the documents actually available.
Material control
Storage, identification and movement of relevant materials may be observed where accessible.
Process control
Work instructions, production steps and in-process checks may be reviewed against the product context.
Equipment
Relevant machinery, tools, maintenance information and measurement equipment may be observed within scope.
Quality records
Available inspection, defect, corrective-action or calibration records may be sampled for consistency and relevance.
Finished goods
Storage and identification practices may be observed, but this does not replace sampling and checking the buyer's actual order.
Observed risk indicators
Issues and gaps a factory audit may reveal
These are examples of possible findings, not claims about any supplier. The report should also make unavailable evidence explicit.
Facility or address mismatch
The visited site, company name or stated relationship to the supplier may differ from the information previously provided to the buyer.
Processes performed elsewhere
Production steps presented as part of the supplier's capability may actually be subcontracted or performed at another location and should be documented as such where evidence is available.
Equipment gaps or unclear use
Expected machinery, tools or measurement equipment may not be observable, may appear unsuitable for the stated process or may have an unclear role in current production.
Weak material or product control
Storage, identification, segregation or movement of materials, work-in-progress or finished goods may show control gaps relevant to the buyer's product risk.
Limited quality records
Incoming, in-process, final inspection, defect, corrective-action or calibration records may be unavailable, incomplete or inconsistent with the stated quality process.
Unresolved access or evidence gaps
Restricted areas, unavailable documents, unanswered questions or unsupported factory statements remain visible so the buyer knows what could not be confirmed.
Audit process
Three steps to a useful factory audit
Agree the audit questions
Provide the factory address, products, expected manufacturing steps and any buyer questionnaire or critical risks.
Observe the facility
Review relevant production areas, processes, equipment and available records, subject to access and photography permissions.
Document evidence and gaps
Distinguish directly observed conditions, documents shown, factory statements and questions that could not be confirmed.
Documented audit findings
What should the audit report show?
Useful factory audit evidence separates direct observations from statements and records, rather than presenting every claim as verified.
- Facility areas, equipment and workflow observed within the agreed scope
- Quality arrangements, requested records and relevant supporting photographs where permitted
- Subcontracting information and what supporting evidence was available
- Restricted access, missing records and unresolved questions
Before booking
Information to send for an audit quote
A factory address and short set of buyer questions are enough to begin discussing the scope.
- Factory name, exact address and supplier relationship
- Products, materials and main processes involved
- Equipment, subcontracting or quality-system concerns
- Requested records, examples or buyer audit questionnaire
- Preferred timing and any access or photo restrictions
Scope and decision notes
Buyer questions
Factory audit FAQ
Does a factory audit certify a supplier?
No. It documents evidence within an agreed scope. Certification or compliance conclusions require appropriate standards, authority and evidence and should not be implied.
Can an audit confirm production capacity?
It may record equipment, workflow, staffing functions and available production information. Those observations do not guarantee actual or future capacity without sufficient supporting evidence.
Is a factory audit the same as supplier verification?
No. Verification focuses on identity and information consistency. An audit goes further into the identified facility, workflow, resources, quality arrangements and records.
Does an audit include product inspection?
Not automatically. An audit assesses facility and process questions. Checking selected order units against specifications requires a product-inspection scope.
Can YiwuQC review an audit request outside Yiwu?
You can send a facility address in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui or another Chinese sourcing region. The audit brief, site access, timing and service availability must be confirmed before booking.
Factory audit inquiry
Need to assess a factory before ordering?
Share the factory address, product, planned production processes and key quality concerns. We can clarify the audit brief and provide a quote before confirming a visit.
Simple, transparent pricing
One clear daily rate. No guesswork.
Independent product inspections, supplier verification and factory audits. Choose where your on-site service takes place.
Yiwu
Local rate$199 USD / person-day
On-site inspection and verification services in Yiwu.
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Rest of China
Nationwide rate$249 USD / person-day
On-site services outside Yiwu, including other cities in Zhejiang.
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Before making a payment
Please confirm your inspection scope, date and number of person-days with YiwuQC. Payment does not automatically reserve an inspector.
How pricing works
YiwuQC charges $199 per person-day in Yiwu and $249 per person-day elsewhere in China for standard services. One person working one day is one person-day. The total depends on the agreed number of inspectors and working days. Certification and independent laboratory testing are quoted separately.