Auditing a Sports Bra Factory: Key Checklist

Certificates tell you a factory has a system. An audit tells you whether that system is running this week. For a fit-critical, stretch-sensitive garment like a medium impact bra, the gap between the two is where quality problems live. A good audit is not a compliance formality; it is a structured look at whether the equipment, the methods and the people can hold the tolerances your tech pack demands.

Systems and Compliance Baseline

Confirm quality management certification to ISO 9001, environmental management to ISO 14001 and occupational health and safety to ISO 45001 where applicable, and read the scope statement because a certificate for woven shirting says nothing about stretch knits. For social compliance, most programmes accept amfori BSCI, Sedex SMETA four-pillar, WRAP or SLCP, and environmental data may be collected through Higg FEM. Ask for the most recent audit report and the corrective action plan with closure dates rather than the certificate alone.

Cutting

Knitted fabric must be relaxed before cutting. Ask how long fabric rests after unloading from the roll, and expect at least 24 hours and preferably 48 for four-way stretch knits; cutting unrelaxed fabric is a direct cause of dimensional instability later. Check that rolls are shade-banded and numbered so panels within one garment come from the same band, that markers are made on CAD with controlled efficiency, and that cutting accuracy is held to plus or minus 2 mm. For a cut-out back, check how the opening is produced: die cutting, laser or hand cutting, and confirm the method can hold a symmetric shape across a lay of 30 or more plies.

Sewing

Walk the line and record machine types against the tech pack. Stretch seams require 406 or 605 coverstitch with textured nylon or wrapped polyester thread; closing seams use 504 overlock; 301 lockstitch belongs only where no stretch is needed. Check needle sizes are ball point 75/11 or 80/12, and that there is a written needle management policy with a broken needle log and a needle change schedule, because a missing fragment is a critical safety defect. Check stitch density against the spec within plus or minus 1 stitch per inch, and look specifically at the racerback junction: is there a jig or gauge, is there a bar-tack, and are operators repositioning the needle mid-seam?

Finishing, Packing and Hardware

Check pressing temperature control, since excess heat degrades elastane and can permanently reduce recovery. Confirm how pads are inserted and how the pocket is tacked. For the three-row hook closure, check gauge consistency, plating quality and whether hook tape is pre-shrunk. Confirm metal detection or needle detection equipment is calibrated, with records, and that every garment passes through it.

In-House Quality Capability

Look for a first-piece approval process, a defined inline checking point with a defect tally, end-of-line inspection against your defect list, and a shade evaluation booth to ASTM D1729 or ISO 3668 with D65 and TL84 sources. Where a factory has a small laboratory capable of running AATCC 135 wash tests, stretch and recovery checks per ISO 20932-1 and crocking, treat it as a positive: it means problems get caught mid-production rather than at final inspection. Ask to see the retention sample store and the pre-production samples for current orders.

Capacity, Traceability and Subcontracting

Establish line count, realistic daily output for this product type, minimum order quantity and booking position in peak season. Ask directly whether any process is subcontracted, since undeclared subcontracting is a common source of quality surprises and should be a contractual disclosure requirement. Check traceability end to end: can they produce, for a finished carton, the fabric lot, dye lot, trim lots and production date?

Scoring and Follow-Up

Issue a scorecard by section, with photographs, and open a corrective action for every finding with an owner, an action and a date. Re-audit annually for established suppliers and every six months for new ones. An audit that ends with a report and no follow-up is a document, not an improvement.