What is an Incoming Inspection?

An incoming inspection, also known as a receiving inspection or material inspection, validates the quality of purchased raw materials based on set acceptance criteria . It is performed by quality assurance personnel in the manufacturing facility to resolve quality issues during pre-production. Incoming inspection results follow an identification tagging system to determine required actions when an item is tagged as accepted, conditionally accepted, or rejected.

What is an Incoming Inspection Checklist?

An incoming inspection checklist details exactly what quality assurance personnel should be validating—size, color, shape, markings, and packaging of sample material from the entire batch. With this checklist, you should be able to:

• Specify manufacturer details

• Provide supplier name and address

• Add purchase order number, material name, & description

• Validate quantity and sample size

• Determine inspection results if accepted, conditionally accepted, or rejected

• Implement required actions based on the tagging system

• Capture photos for evidence

Why Use Incoming Inspection Checklists?

Taking advantage of a mobile-ready incoming inspection checklist helps ensure the conformity of raw materials to purchase order specifications, reduce production costs, and manufacture high-quality products that meet or even exceed quality standards, customer expectations, and safety regulations.

Understanding the Identification Tagging System

The identification tagging system is used during the process of incoming quality control to express the acceptance criteria specified in the purchase order.

Each inspection result corresponds to the following actions:

Incoming Inspection Identification Tagging System

Accepted

Place the accepted materials in stock or forward them to the next operation. When all raw materials or purchased components meet quality standards, manufacturers usually proceed with the first production run and perform a First Article Inspection (FAI) to confirm that the manufacturing process produces output that meets design requirements.

Conditionally Accepted

Quality inspectors should keep an eye out for minor or major defects such as functional and dimensional deviations, shipping damages, and improper markings to determine if the raw materials can be conditionally accepted. Specify the conditions for acceptance such as rework or replacement by the supplier and ascertain that the quality manager and a supplier representative sign in agreement.

Rejected

Quality inspectors should issue a Non-Conformance Report (NCR) for rejected materials and indicate if they will be scrapped, sorted, or reassessed against more specific acceptance criteria. Rejecting materials may cause shortages and destabilize the production schedule, but it prevents costly manufacturing problems such as mass-producing unsafe and defective products.

What to Include in an Incoming Inspection Checklist

An effective Incoming Inspection Checklist for materials should include the following components to ensure thorough quality control and compliance with purchase order requirements:

• Manufacturer & Supplier Details : Record the full name and address of the supplier and manufacturer to verify the source of the materials.

• Purchase Order Number : Include the relevant purchase order number to link the inspection to the correct transaction and documentation.

• Material Name & Description : Provide a detailed description and the specific name of the material being inspected. This will include quantity, sample size, Expiry Date (if applicable), etc.,

• Purchase Order Specifications : List or reference the key specifications from the purchase order, such as dimensions, tolerances, and performance criteria.

• Are there minor/major defects? : Identify and document any defects, classifying them as minor or major, and capture photographic evidence if possible.

• Tagging (Accepted/Conditionally Accepted/Rejected) : Use an identification tagging system to indicate inspection results and required actions:

  • Accepted: Meets all requirements.

  • Conditionally Accepted: Minor issues present; specify conditions for acceptance (e.g., rework, replacement).

  • Rejected: Major defects or non-conformance; issue a non-conformance report.

• Sign off (QA Officer and Supplier Representative) : Ensure that the inspection is validated with signatures from the quality assurance officer, supplier representative, and, if applicable, the quality manager