Free template
Incoming inspection checklist
Incoming inspection, also called receiving inspection, is checking bought-in material when it arrives, before it is used or put into stock, so a supplier's problem is caught at the dock and not on the line or at the customer. It covers the paperwork (the right part, revision, quantity and certificates), the condition of the packaging and the parts, and a check of a sample against the drawing. How many parts to check is set by a sampling plan; many sites use ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 or ISO 2859-1 tables, others a plan agreed with the supplier or the customer. The plan, the inspection level and the AQL are the site's choice. Page 1 of this template has the receipt details and the checks in three groups, each marked OK, Not OK or N/A with space for the finding. Page 2 records the sampling plan, the measurements of up to five samples per characteristic, the defects found and the decision, with the NCR and SCAR numbers. The Excel version is an inspection log that compares the defects found with the accept number, flags a lot accepted over it or without its certificate, and works out lot acceptance and defects per million sampled by supplier and by month.
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
When to use it
When to use an incoming inspection checklist
- For bought-in parts and material where a defect would stop the line or reach the customer.
- For a new supplier, a new part or a part with a recent quality problem.
- When certificates or traceability are required by the customer or a standard.
- To build the data for supplier scorecards and reviews.
How to fill it in
- 1
Check the paperwork first
PO, part number, revision, quantity and the certificates the PO asks for. A wrong revision or missing certificate is enough to hold the lot.
- 2
Look at the packaging
Damage, labels, packing method and shelf life, before anything is opened or moved.
- 3
Take the sample
The sample size from your sampling plan for the lot size. Record the plan, inspection level and AQL you used.
- 4
Check and measure
Visual check against the drawing or limit sample, then the key dimensions with calibrated gauges. Write down the readings.
- 5
Decide
Accept if the defects found are no more than the accept number (Ac), reject at the reject number (Re) or more, or hold for a decision.
- 6
Close the loop
Raise an NCR for a rejected lot, a SCAR to the supplier if the problem needs their action, and log the result.
What's on the checklist
The 15 checks on the incoming inspection checklist
Paperwork first, then condition and packaging, then the sample. On the sheet each check is marked OK, Not OK or N/A, with space for the finding; page 2 records the sampling plan, measurements and decision.
Paperwork
Before the delivery is opened
- 1PO number and line on the packing list match the purchase order
- 2Part number and revision match the PO and the drawing
- 3Quantity on the packing list matches the labels and the PO
- 4Certificate of conformance (CoC) received, if the PO asks for one
- 5Certificate of analysis (CoA) or test report received, if required
- 6Lot, batch or heat numbers recorded for traceability
Condition and packaging
Before the parts go anywhere
- 7Outer packaging undamaged: no crushing, tears, water or pallet damage
- 8Labels readable and the same on every carton
- 9Parts packed as specified: dividers, caps, ESD bags, rust protection
- 10Shelf life or expiry date within your acceptance limit, where one applies
Visual and dimensional
On the sample from your sampling plan
- 11Sample size taken from your sampling plan for this lot size
- 12Visual check against the drawing or limit sample: damage, burrs, rust, contamination, finish
- 13Key dimensions measured with calibrated gauges and recorded
- 14Special or critical characteristics checked where the drawing marks them
- 15Material, color or marking checked against the specification
A filled-in example
Illustrative, not a benchmarkAn example: a lot of 500 machined brackets from a regular supplier (illustrative numbers and plan).
- Paperwork OK, certificate of conformance received, packaging undamaged.
- The site's plan gave a sample of 50 with an accept number of 1 and a reject number of 2.
- Two parts in the sample had a hole position out of tolerance: 2 is the reject number, so the lot was rejected.
- NCR raised, the lot moved to the hold area and a SCAR sent to the supplier the same day.
The supplier sorted the lot and found a worn fixture. The next three lots from that supplier were inspected at a tighter level until they passed, as the site's plan required.
Common mistakes
Inspecting without a plan
Checking a handful of parts chosen at random gives no basis for accepting the lot. Use a sampling plan and write down which.
Accepting without the certificate
If the PO asks for a certificate, a lot without one is not complete. Hold it until it arrives.
Uncalibrated gauges
A reading from a gauge out of calibration is not evidence. Check the calibration date before measuring.
Not telling the supplier
A rejected lot sorted in-house without a SCAR means the same problem in the next delivery.
Download the template
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
Run this template in LeanSuite
LeanSuite runs part-specific receiving inspections on a tablet with required photos at the dock, number questions have limits and a failed check can raise a tag, and when an inspector flags a defect the batch is quarantined and a SCAR with photos goes to Quality and Procurement.
In the lean glossary
Free tools
FAQ
Incoming inspection checklist: common questions
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