Also called: Pre-shipment inspection, surveyor inspection
What it means
An independent inspection company attends at mill, warehouse, plant or port, against an agreed scope. Pre-shipment inspection happens before export. Inspection at load or at discharge answers different questions. The scope has to be written; “inspection” alone is not a scope.
Why inspection does not replace a COA
A COA can be accurate and still not prove that the bags on the quay match the lot on the certificate. Inspection can confirm quantity and packing and still not re-run every chemical test. Buyers who want both should say so in the RFQ, including the stage (pre-shipment, at load, at discharge) and whether a named company is required.
What it covers
Whatever the nomination says: visual condition, tally, sampling, sealing, witnessing of loading, sometimes hold cleanliness. Only those items. The report’s value tracks the inspector’s access and the written instructions.
What it does not cover
A guarantee of destination clearance. A full COA unless samples were tested and the lab report is part of the pack. Title. Insurance. A finding that the producer is not sanctioned.
Who provides it
A surveyor both sides accept, or that the contract names. Who appoints and who pays should be in the contract; leaving it informal produces arguments after a fail.
When it is required
When the contract or the destination requires it. TTC can coordinate inspection where the file needs it. Not every inquiry reaches that step, and inspection is not implied merely because a quotation exists.
Common mistakes
Naming “SGS or equivalent” with no scope. Inspecting a warehouse lot then loading a different lot. Using inspection as a substitute for HS classification. Paying for inspection but not making the report a contractual quality document.
TTC uses these terms in its RFQ and transaction process. Nothing on this page is a licence, a certification, a guarantee of clearance, or a substitute for the documents and clauses of a specific contract.