Does the factory test report cover your order?

Build a report-to-order record

Request the complete report, including photographs, appendices, amendments and any separate construction details it references. Record the issuer, report reference, applicant, manufacturer, production site, sample identity and test dates alongside your purchase order and approved specification. A cover sheet saying “pass” leaves too much unanswered.

Our certification guide explains markings and documents. This check examines whether the laboratory evidence describes your goods. Use the product specification guide to establish the configuration against which you will compare it.

Resolve model names and family coverage

Compare the report’s model designation and ratings with the quotation, product label, approved sample and order. If the factory uses an internal model while you use an own-brand reference, request a signed mapping between them, supported by drawings and photographs. Similar names or identical outer cases are insufficient grounds for accepting coverage.

For a report listing a model family, ask which variant was tested and how the other variants were assessed. Send the laboratory a comparison of differences in power, dimensions, materials, functions and intended use. Request written confirmation of coverage or a proposal for additional assessment; do not let a salesperson’s assurance close the question.

Compare the tested construction with production

Ask for the tested BOM or critical-component list and compare it with the production version. For electrical goods, examine the power supply, protective devices, wiring, enclosure material and relevant software version. For other goods, compare relevant materials, coatings, joints and dimensions. Match component makers, references and specifications, rather than descriptions such as “equivalent material”.

Where the report lacks construction detail, request supporting records from the factory and laboratory. Record every difference and ask the laboratory whether it affects the results or needs further testing. Agree a written substitution approval process. The sample-to-production guide explains how to carry the agreed configuration into manufacturing.

Check standards, editions and test exclusions

Ask a product-competent laboratory to map the intended use and destination market to the relevant requirements and tests. Record each standard’s full reference, edition, amendments and tested clauses. Read exclusions, deviations, subcontracted results and “not applicable” entries. Ask for the reason behind each omission and the evidence addressing any remaining gap.

For a Great Britain assessment using designated standards, check the relevant government publication notice for restrictions and transition arrangements. Designated standards support conformity assessment but do not replace essential legal requirements. An old report date alone does not settle coverage: ask whether changes to the product, standard or assessment basis require further work.

Verify the laboratory and close outstanding gaps

Find the laboratory’s contact details independently of the supplier’s document. Send the complete report and ask whether it is authentic, complete and current, including its amendments. Ask the laboratory to confirm the sample identity and explain any unresolved coverage question. If confidentiality prevents disclosure, ask the report holder to authorise verification; retain the reply with your order record.

Accreditation concerns the competence of organisations carrying out testing and related activities. Where accreditation is claimed, check the named site, relevant test methods, scope and status with the stated accreditation body, including their position when testing took place. Distinguish accredited work from other results. Authenticity and accreditation checks do not resolve a mismatch between the tested sample and your order.

Keep unresolved items open and assign an owner to obtain clarification, revised evidence or additional testing before buyer approval. Give the production inspector the agreed construction details and require changes to be recorded. Our audit and inspection report guide explains the separate evidence needed for the shipment. Cambridge China Bridge’s own staff in China can coordinate factory records and production checks.