| Quality management certification | Valid certificate for a quality management system, including the legal entity, production site, scope, issue date, expiry date, and certification body. | Check the certificate number in the certification body’s public registry and confirm that the registered scope covers steel processing or manufacturing. | Certificate is current, site-specific, and matches the contracting entity. | 15% | Pass |
| Environmental and occupational safety systems | Current environmental-management and occupational-health-and-safety certificates, where required by the buyer, project, or destination market. | Verify registration details, certificate scope, production location, and audit status; request corrective-action records for major findings. | No expired certificates or unresolved major nonconformities affecting production or shipment. | 8% | Review |
| Product standard and material grade control | Product specification stating steel grade, coating or surface condition, thickness, width, roll dimensions, mechanical properties, chemical limits, and applicable standard. | Compare the quotation, purchase order, inspection plan, and test certificate line by line. Confirm that the stated standard is appropriate for the intended application. | Every critical requirement is measurable and recorded against the agreed standard before shipment. | 15% | Pass |
| Mill test certificates and traceability | Heat number, coil or roll number, chemical analysis, mechanical test results, dimensions, coating information, and inspection date. | Match heat numbers on the certificate with production labels, packing lists, and physical marks on the rolls. Use independent testing for high-risk orders. | Traceability remains intact from incoming material through finished roll and shipping documents. | 15% | Pass |
| Testing and measuring equipment | Equipment list for thickness, width, hardness, tensile testing, coating measurement, flatness, and surface inspection, together with calibration records. | Review calibration dates, equipment identification numbers, calibration uncertainty, and traceability to recognized measurement standards. | Critical instruments are calibrated and in date at the time of production and final inspection. | 10% | Review |
| Production facility and capacity | Factory address, process flow, equipment list, production capacity, shift arrangement, warehouse conditions, and evidence of actual steel-sheet or roll processing. | Conduct a live video audit or independent on-site inspection. Verify equipment nameplates, material flow, storage areas, and finished-goods identification. | The facility can produce the requested dimensions and volume without unexplained subcontracting. | 12% | Pass |
| Incoming-material and process controls | Incoming inspection records, process-control plans, roll-forming or slitting settings, nonconforming-product procedure, and final inspection checklist. | Sample several records from different production dates and check whether results are linked to batch, operator, equipment, and customer order. | Documented controls exist at incoming, in-process, and final stages, with corrective actions recorded. | 10% | Review |
| Export experience and shipping capability | Redacted bills of lading, commercial invoices, packing lists, customs records, export packaging photographs, and references for comparable products and destinations. | Check consistency among product description, quantity, shipment date, origin, destination, and exporting legal entity. Contact references independently where permitted. | Documented shipments of comparable steel products and familiarity with destination labeling and import requirements. | 8% | Pass |
| Packaging, loading, and corrosion protection | Approved packing drawing, roll weight limits, edge protection method, moisture protection, lifting instructions, container-loading plan, and photographs before dispatch. | Approve a packing specification before production and require pre-shipment inspection with loading photographs and seal information. | Packaging protects the rolls against deformation, moisture, abrasion, and unsafe handling during multimodal transport. | 5% | Review |
| Independent pre-shipment inspection | Inspection report covering quantity, dimensions, surface condition, labeling, documentation, packaging, and sampling method. | Use an independent inspection organization agreed by both parties, with acceptance criteria written into the purchase contract. | Shipment is released only after documented compliance with contract specifications. | 2% | Pass |