QC defect vocabulary: twenty terms, twenty things to look at

How to use this list

Each entry follows the same three steps: what the thing looks like in a photograph, which part of the item you have to look at, and whether the frame alone is enough to call it. The order matters when a set arrives and nothing looks obviously wrong.

The vocabulary is for writing requests rather than for passing judgement. A term that names what you see, a gap at the slider rather than a bad zip, can be photographed again with a specific instruction attached.

Nothing here decides whether an item is genuine, and none of the entries should be read that way. What the list decides is whether a frame exists that shows the thing you are describing, and whether that frame is worth asking for before the item moves.

Construction terms (1–6)

Puckering looks like a wavy seam line with the fabric gathered on one side of the stitch, and it is easiest to see along a shoulder seam, an armhole or a waistband. It is a construction defect when the wave survives the item being laid flat, so the question to ask is whether the seam was pressed after it was sewn. Seam burst looks like two panels separating along a stitch line, with broken thread ends inside the gap, and the places to check are the seat seam, the crotch and the underarm. It is a real defect when the stitches themselves are broken rather than pulled loose, so the question is whether the same seam shows the same gap in the flat frame.

Loose thread looks like a single tail hanging off a seam, or a short chain of loops at the end of a stitch run, and cuffs, hems and the inside of a waistband are where it shows. A tail is not a defect on its own, so the question is whether the seam continues past the point where the tail appears. Skipped stitch looks like a pale unstitched patch where the stitch line breaks for a short run and the fabric is held by nothing but its own fold, and it turns up in topstitching on collars, pocket mouths and hems. It is a defect when the gap is several stitch lengths long in a close frame, so the question is whether the seam can be photographed across the frame rather than along it.

Zipper gap looks like a V of daylight opening between the two tapes with the slider up, or teeth parting behind the slider as it moves, and the slider, the bottom stop and the point where the tapes meet are the three places to look. It is a real defect when the gap returns after the slider is run again, so the question is whether the frame can show the zip closed and then halfway down. Raw edge looks like a fuzzy line inside a seam where a cut edge has no overlock and the fibres stand loose, and the inside of the side seams, the armhole and the hem allowance are where to find it. It is a defect when the fraying has already crossed the stitch line, so the question is whether the inside of the item can be photographed at all.

Surface and finish terms (7–12)

Colour shift looks like one panel reading a shade darker, greener or bluer than its neighbour under the same light, and the pairs worth checking are a sleeve against a body and a pocket flap against a panel. It is the entry most often produced by the light rather than the dye, so the question is whether both panels can be photographed in one frame under one source. Crooked print looks like the baseline of a print running visibly out of parallel with a seam or a hem by an amount you can see without measuring, and chest prints, back prints and small logos near a placket are where it shows. It is a real defect when the print and the seam it should follow are in one frame, so the question is whether that frame exists or has to be asked for.

Glue seepage looks like a hardened shiny line or a yellow halo along a bonded edge, with a texture the fabric beside it does not have, and a shoe toe, the edge of a bag panel and any fused seam are the places to check. It is a defect when the line is tacky or discoloured rather than merely glossy, so the question is whether a raking-light frame shows the edge at all. Hardware tarnish looks like a dull brown or milky film on metal that should be bright, and the tell is two pieces on the same item catching the light differently, with studs, eyelets, the zip pull and any buckle the places to look. It is a defect when the difference survives a change of angle, so the question is whether all the metal can be put in one frame for comparison.

Print cracking looks like a network of fine pale lines across a print, usually where the fabric creases or over a seam, and the chest, the shoulder and anywhere the item has been folded are where to look for it. It is a defect when a pale line follows a crease that is also visible in the fabric itself, so the question is whether the print can be shown flat rather than folded. Iron shine looks like a glassy, flattened patch with no visible weave or grain on a dark wool or a synthetic panel, and the front, the seat and the collar are where it appears. It is a finishing artefact more often than a fault, so the question is whether the same area photographed at a low angle still looks glassy.

Fit and sizing terms (13–16)

Tag mismatch. The number on the item’s own label differs from the number on its packaging, and both are visible at the same time. Look at the neck label against the bag label. It is a real mismatch only when the two numbers are legible in a single frame, and the question is whether that frame exists.

Uneven hem. The hem line rises on one side when the item is laid flat with the shoulders squared to the surface. Look at the front hem, the back hem and the cuffs. It is a defect when the difference survives the squaring, and the question is whether the camera can include the whole front with the shoulders parallel to the frame edge.

Twisted seam. A side seam or a leg seam spirals around the limb instead of running straight down it. Look at trousers and long sleeves, outside and inside. It is a defect when the twist is still there with the item laid flat, and the question is whether both sides of the leg were photographed.

Measurement shortfall. A tape reading sits below the chart figure for the stated size, and the gap is wider than between two neighbouring sizes. Look at the chest, the shoulder and the length. It is a finding only when the tape and its zero point are both in the frame, and the question is where the tape was placed and in which unit.

Shipping-damage terms (17–20)

Crushed corner. A box corner is folded in and the cardboard is creased white along the fold. Look at all four corners and the base. It is damage when the corner is compressed rather than bent, and the question is whether the item inside was still wrapped at the point of contact.

Water mark. A tide line, a darker patch or a soft-edged bloom spreads across the cardboard, usually from the base upwards. Look at the base and one long side, in raking light. It is damage when the cardboard has swollen or delaminated, and the question is whether the inner wrapping shows the same edge in the same place.

Handling scuff. A grey smear, or a patch where the surface has been rubbed to a different colour, sits on a smooth face. Look at the toe of a shoe, the front panel of a bag and the corner of a hard case. It is damage when the surface under the scuff reads as a different material, and the question is which face of the item was against the bag.

Sole separation. A pale line of adhesive or a sliver of daylight opens between the upper and the sole, at the toe or across the heel. Look at the toe bumper and the heel counter from the side. It is damage when the gap returns after the sole is pressed back, and the question is whether the frame was taken at the toe rather than from above.

Terms that are not defects

Four things arrive looking like defects and are worth ruling out before a request leaves your desk. Each has a tell that a second frame can expose, which is why the answer to all four is the same: another frame, not another complaint.

A compression dent is a smooth depression in foam, leather or a padded panel, with no crease and no broken surface, usually at a collar, a toe box or the face of a bag. It is a shape the item took in the bag rather than a fault, and the ask is for the same area from a second angle. A packaging fold is a straight crease across the fabric where the item was folded into its bag, fading when the fabric is pulled. It is a fold rather than damage, and the tell is that the line follows the bag rather than the garment.

A light colour cast shows one panel darker or cooler than another because it faces away from the window. It is a lighting artefact rather than a dye fault, and the test is whether two frames of the same panel at two angles agree. Normal stitching is a visible stitch line with a slight ridge, and a topstitch standing proud of its seam. That is what the seam is supposed to look like, and the question is whether the line is continuous rather than whether it is visible.

Our own category count explains why construction and surface carry the weight: shirts-tees at 44 rows, hoodies-sweaters at 36, pants-shorts at 27 and outerwear at 20 make 127 of the 192 sampled rows garments, and garments are where seams and prints live. Against 11,393 unique product URLs in the sitemap, twenty terms are a filter rather than a census.