Furniture quality control: what does a 24-point checklist actually check?

Quality control is not a single glance at the end of production. We inspect at three points: after cutting, after assembly and before shipping. The list used at the pre-shipping inspection has 24 items, grouped under five headings.

Carcass checks

Panel dimensions are checked against the cutting list, with a tolerance of ±1 mm. The carcass is checked for square — the door of a carcass that is not square will never sit straight. The back panel is checked for a full seat in its groove, with no gap at the edge. Shelf bases are levelled and checked for sag. Edge banding is checked by hand along every edge for continuity and for any lifting at the corners.

Surface checks

Surfaces are inspected under two different lights: overhead lighting and raking light from the side. Raking light reveals ripples and sanding marks that a straight-on look will not show.

On lacquered surfaces the coat thickness is measured and the surface is checked for orange peel. Colour is compared side by side against the reference sample — the same colour code can come out differently between batches, so every piece in a set is sprayed from a single batch.

On wood veneers, grain direction and matching are checked. The grain across two adjacent doors must run continuously; a break in the grain is a production fault.

Hardware checks

Hinges are opened, closed and adjusted on all three axes. Door gaps are measured; the difference between adjacent doors must not exceed 1 mm.

Drawer runners are pulled to full extension and put through a soft-close test. Runner load is assessed with the drawer full.

Hanging rails are loaded and checked for sag. Screw seats are checked for full grip, with dowel reinforcement where needed.

Where there is lighting, the circuit is run and the switch and sensor are tested.

Upholstery checks

Seam straightness and stitch density are measured. The alignment and depth of tufting buttons are compared — one button sitting deeper than the next is the most common upholstery fault.

Where the fabric has a pattern, the match is checked; the pattern must not break in the middle of the headboard.

Foam density and filling distribution are checked by hand. A void in the filling at the corners will let the fabric collapse over time.

Packing checks

Corner protectors are checked as fitted, and glass and mirror surfaces are checked as packed separately. Assembly screws and fittings are counted and sorted into labelled bags — a missing screw is the most common reason work stops on assembly day.

Room, module and sequence numbers are written on every package. That numbering lets the assembly team open the packages in the right order.

What happens if an item fails

The piece is not packed. The problem goes back to the production line and, once corrected, the list is run again from the top — the whole list is re-marked, not just the item that failed. That is why we leave a week of slack in our schedules.

The full list is published on the workshop page. Who carried out the pre-shipping inspection, and on what date, is recorded.