How many samples should I order before production?
Order the laboratory’s confirmed allocation, plus separate units for practical trials, untouched references and an agreed reserve. Count destructive tests within the allocation that uses them, so you do not add them twice. Confirm permitted reuse in writing before reducing the total. Agree the plan with Cambridge China Bridge.
Build the quantity from named uses
Start with a list of what each sample must achieve, rather than asking the factory for its usual sample pack. Allocate units to laboratory work, practical trials, retained references and a justified reserve. Add those allocations after checking any permitted sharing. Keep quantities separate by product version until the laboratory confirms which variants its testing can cover.
This plan adds quantity planning to our guide on MOQs and sampling. Specify whether you are ordering development samples or samples made with the intended production materials and process. If the design changes, review the allocations before ordering replacements.
Get the laboratory’s quantity in writing
Send the laboratory the specification, materials, variants, intended use and proposed tests. Ask it to confirm complete products, loose components or material quantities needed for each test, including preparation, conditioning and repeat measurements. Clarify whether its quoted sample quantity is for the whole programme or each test separately.
Ask which tests destroy or alter samples, which need fresh specimens and whether surviving units can move to another test. Get the sequence agreed before allowing reuse: washing, loading or cutting may affect later results. Confirm whether the laboratory keeps any specimens and what it returns. Use laboratory sample chain of custody for identification and handovers.
Separate consumption from practical trials
Mark destructive work against the allocation that performs it. If the laboratory quantity already includes strength or chemical testing, do not add another allowance for those same tests. Add separate units only for additional checks outside that programme. Record packaging consumed by opening or transport trials too. Our guide to destructive sample costs covers payment and replacement arrangements.
For practical trials, name the task, user, conditions and acceptance criteria: assembly, fit, cleaning, handling or compatibility with your equipment. Allocate fresh units where earlier use could distort the result. For consumer products, UK government guidance says products should only be sold after compliance with product safety regulations has been demonstrated appropriately. Keep usability findings separate from laboratory results.
Protect references and justify the reserve
Allocate untouched approved references for the buyer and factory before distributing trial units. Do not assume a worn trial item or laboratory remnant can serve as the reference. Samples retained from the later production batch belong in a separate batch allocation; our guide to keeping production reference samples explains that distinction and their storage.
Give the reserve a stated purpose, such as transit damage, a repeat test or investigating conflicting findings. Ask whether spare specimens must accompany the laboratory shipment or can remain with a named holder. A reserve from an earlier design may be unsuitable after a material or component change; confirm suitability before using it.
Working out your own order? Send us the product on WhatsApp and we reply the same working day: WhatsApp us
Approve a written allocation before ordering
Use the table as an allocation sheet and fill in the agreed quantity for each relevant variant. Add sample identifiers, specification revision, recipient, dispatch arrangements and who approves extra consumption. Record any permitted transfer between tasks, with its sequence, so shared units appear only once in the order total.
Have the factory, laboratory and trial organiser acknowledge their allocations before sample production. Separate samples needed before production approval from samples to be selected from the eventual batch. State whether batch samples are additional to saleable stock. Reconcile received, used, destroyed, retained and unused units before authorising replacements or further testing.
| Allocation | Quantity to enter | Written confirmation needed |
|---|---|---|
| Laboratory programme | Laboratory-confirmed quantity by variant | Tests covered, consumption, sequence and permitted reuse |
| Additional destructive checks | Units not already in the laboratory allocation | Method, permission to destroy and expected remains |
| Practical trials | Quantity agreed with each trial organiser | Task, conditions, acceptance criteria and fresh-unit needs |
| Untouched approved references | Quantity agreed for each holder | Approved version, holder and protection from use |
| Reserve | Quantity justified by the stated contingency | Location, suitability and authority to release |
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my sample order quantity?
Add the laboratory allocation, separate practical trials, untouched references and a justified reserve. Add destructive checks only where they are not already included. Deduct shared units only after reuse is confirmed.
Can I use the same sample for different tests?
Ask the laboratory to confirm the sequence and permitted reuse in writing. Earlier loading, washing or cutting may affect later results. Keep untouched references outside the test programme.
Do I need samples of every colour and size?
Give the laboratory the full variant list and ask which need separate specimens. Identify differences in materials, coatings, components and construction. Do not assume a result covers every variant.
Should sample units come out of my production order?
Agree this explicitly. Separate samples needed before approval from later batch samples, and state whether consumed or retained batch units reduce the saleable quantity or are additional production.