ASTM D5430 — Standard Test Methods for Visually Inspecting and Grading Fabrics — defines the 4-Point System, the most widely used fabric inspection method in the garment industry. It converts subjective visual defects into a single comparable number: penalty points per 100 square yards.
Its value is normalisation. A 40-yard roll and a 400-yard roll cannot be compared on raw defect counts, but they can be compared on points per unit area. That is the whole idea.
| Defect length | Metric equivalent | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 3 inches | Up to 7.5 cm | 1 |
| Over 3 up to 6 inches | 7.5–15 cm | 2 |
| Over 6 up to 9 inches | 15–23 cm | 3 |
| Over 9 inches | Over 23 cm | 4 |
The measurement is the defect's longest dimension, whether that runs along the length or across the width. No single defect can exceed 4 points however long it is — a 30-inch running fault still scores 4.
| Condition | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Inspection speed | No greater than 15 yards per minute |
| Illumination | Minimum 80 foot-candles on the fabric face |
| Viewing distance | Approximately 3 feet |
| Surface scored | Face of the fabric only |
ASTM defines the scoring method, not the pass mark. The threshold comes from the buyer.
| Points / 100 yd² | Typical treatment |
|---|---|
| Up to 15 | Premium programmes, technical and performance fabric |
| Up to 20 | The most common apparel threshold |
| 21–28 | Accepted by some buyers, often with a price adjustment |
| Above 28 | Generally rejected or downgraded to seconds |
Read the inspection conditions again. The standard requires fabric to move at no more than 15 yards per minute, under strong light, watched by a person three feet away. Those requirements exist because human visual inspection needs them.
Two consequences follow. First, inspection cannot run at production speed, so it happens after the fact on a sample — commonly 10% of rolls. Second, everything the sample misses reaches the customer. The 4-Point System is an excellent grading language and a poor detection mechanism, and it was never designed to be otherwise.
ASTM D5430 is the standard test method for visually inspecting and grading fabrics. It defines the 4-Point System used across the apparel industry to convert visible defects into a comparable numeric score.
No standard is mandatory in itself — it becomes binding when a buyer writes it into the purchase contract, which most apparel buyers do. The acceptance threshold is set by the buyer, not by ASTM.
Yes. The method covers both woven and knitted fabric. For knits the scored defects are typically holes, drop stitches, barré, lycra breaks, oil lines and needle lines.
The standard does not mandate a sampling rate. Industry practice is commonly 10% of rolls, selected randomly. Full inspection is rare manually because of the speed limit the standard itself imposes.
Most buyers apply a secondary cap: no single linear yard may carry more than 4 penalty points. This prevents a roll with one severe concentrated defect from passing on a favourable overall average.
The 4-Point System tells you how bad a roll turned out. Knit-I tells the machine to stop while the roll is still good — inspecting every course at production speed, on 100% of output rather than a 10% sample.
See Knit-I on your machines →