Buyers write an AQL into an order and assume the sampling plan is settled. The AQL is one of three settings, and the other two decide how many bottles get looked at and what happens when your quality moves.
What Your Inspection Level Changes
| Level | What it does | When to use it for your order |
|---|---|---|
| Level I | Draws a smaller sample than the default. | Low-risk repeat orders where you accept a coarser read. |
| Level II | The default, and the basis of most trade practice. | Standard production runs with a known supplier. |
| Level III | Draws a larger sample for a sharper decision. | A new design, a new plant, or after a problem. |
| S-1 to S-4 | Very small samples for destructive or slow tests. | Pressure, thermal shock and any test that consumes the bottle. |
Why the Level Matters as Much as the AQL
An AQL sets the quality you consider acceptable. Your inspection level sets how confidently the sample can tell whether a lot meets it, and a small sample can miss a real problem while still passing.
The two work together. A tight AQL read at level I gives you a strict standard measured loosely, which feels rigorous and protects you less than you think on a 330 ml (11 oz) run.
How the Switching Rules Work
Your plan starts on normal inspection. Two rejected lots out of five consecutive ones move it to tightened, where the acceptance numbers get stricter and marginal lots start failing.
Tightened inspection is a warning system rather than a punishment. Five consecutive accepted lots return you to normal, and a long run of comfortable passes can move you to reduced inspection, which draws fewer bottles. SGSBOTTLE runs cold-end checks on all 14 lines in Shandong and Xuzhou regardless of which state your plan sits in.
The plan governs the sample, not the line. SGSBOTTLE gauges output at 14 lines in Shandong and Xuzhou.
What Reduced Inspection Costs You
Reduced inspection saves inspection time and money, and it narrows your safety margin at the same time. Fewer bottles get examined, so a shift in quality takes longer to surface.
Use it where a supplier has earned it over many lots, not as an opening position. A 750 ml (25 oz) programme with a long clean record can carry it; a first order cannot.
What to Write Into Your Order
Four settings rather than one. The AQL for each defect class, the inspection level, the starting state, and whether the switching rules apply at all.
Without the last point, a plan sits on normal forever and never tightens when your quality slips. SGSBOTTLE states all four with the quotation, so your inspection agency and your supplier read the same plan.
What Goes on Your Enquiry
Your format in ml and oz, the AQL you want for critical, major and minor defects, your inspection level, and whether an agency will attend. SGSBOTTLE comes back with the sampling plan, the acceptance numbers and the report format for your order.