Factory audit checklist (30 items)

Bottom line up front: audits fail on 4 things: capacity you can't prove, QC with no records, fire safety non-compliance, and financials that don't match the order. Those are the must-checks.

How to run the audit: day-by-day flow

Pre-audit document requests, on-site order of operations, and the 3 questions that expose a fake factory fastest.

Must-check items (12)

Equipment, production capacity, QC process, fire safety, financial basics — each item with what "pass" looks like.

Spot-check items (10)

Items that matter for high-risk categories (electronics, apparel, food-adjacent) — check if the category demands it.

Skippable items (8)

What you can cut from the list for small orders or low-risk categories, and when cutting is a mistake.

FAQ

How long does a factory audit take? Half a day minimum on-site; see the day-by-day flow above.

Can I audit remotely? Partially — document-based checks work remotely, the rest need feet on the floor.

Before auditing: verify the supplier with our red-flags list →