In knit garments, quality control failures often occur due to issues at yarn, fabric, cutting, sewing, and finishing stages. One of the most common problems is fabric defects, such as barre marks, uneven dyeing, GSM variation, and holes caused by weak yarn or needle damage. These issues usually originate from poor yarn quality, improper machine settings, or lack of fabric inspection. Preventing fabric defects requires strict yarn selection, machine calibration, in-line fabric inspection, and proper relaxation of fabric before cutting.
Another frequent QC failure is measurement and fit inconsistency. Knit fabrics are elastic by nature, and improper fabric relaxation, incorrect cutting methods, or careless sewing can lead to size variations. This results in garments falling outside tolerance limits after washing. Prevention depends on allowing adequate fabric relaxation time, using correct pattern grading, controlling cutting accuracy, and conducting pre-production and in-line measurement checks.
Sewing defects are also common in knit garments, including skipped stitches, seam puckering, open seams, broken stitches, and needle marks. These defects usually happen due to incorrect needle type, thread tension imbalance, worn needles, or untrained operators. To prevent sewing-related failures, factories must use proper ball-point needles, match thread and fabric properties, maintain machines regularly, and train operators specifically for knit construction.
Another major QC issue is appearance defects, such as twisting, spirality, uneven hems, and poor shape retention after washing. These problems often stem from unbalanced fabric structure, improper finishing, or poor garment handling during washing and drying. Prevention involves proper fabric compacting, controlling washing parameters, and conducting wash tests before bulk production approval.
Color-related failures, including shade variation, color bleeding, and poor color fastness, are critical quality concerns in knit garments. These problems usually arise from weak dyeing processes or poor chemical control. Preventive measures include lab-dip approval, strict dyeing recipe control, batch segregation, and performing color fastness tests for washing, rubbing, and perspiration.
Finally, finishing and packing defects such as stains, oil marks, excessive creasing, incorrect labeling, and poor folding can lead to shipment rejection even if production quality is acceptable. These issues are preventable through clean finishing environments, proper garment handling, final inspection before packing, and clear packing standards.
Overall, preventing QC failures in knit garments requires a proactive approach that combines process control, trained manpower, proper testing, and continuous inspection throughout production rather than relying solely on final inspection.
