Factory Audit & Inspection
Cost by City
Pick your province and city to see the standard inspection figure from our contracted inspection partner's regional rate card — the number that goes into your quotation before you commit to anything.
Look up my cityWhat does an audit cost where my factory is?
Choose the province, then the city. The figure is the published regional rate for one inspector for one working day on site.
Standard inspection fee
USD —
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One inspector, one working day on site, checklist findings, photos and the written report. Laboratory testing and extra man-days are quoted separately. Confirm this in writing →
Other cities in this province:
Tip: the lowest band covers most manufacturing hubs; the higher bands apply to remote regions where the inspector has to travel further from the nearest hub.
Source: our inspection partner's regional rate card dated September 2026, converted to USD. Rates are per site visit for a single-day, single-inspector job and are a planning reference, not a quotation.
Audit
The factory itself: licence, premises, equipment, capacity, QC system and the paperwork behind the certificates.
Inspection
The goods: quantity, packaging, carton marks, appearance, function, dimensions and an AQL pass/fail decision.
Loading supervision
Container stuffing watched and photographed: seal, carton marks, condition and a loading report before departure.
Included, and what changes the price
Included in the figure
- One inspector, one working day on site
- Travel from the nearest regional hub within the listed city
- Checklist findings with captioned photographs
- Written report and the document pack
- Same-day coordination with the factory on your behalf
Quoted separately
- Additional man-days on large or multi-workshop sites
- A second inspector (big orders, double-shift plants)
- Laboratory testing — material, electrical safety, salt spray, tensile
- Plants outside the listed city (the next regional band applies)
- Bookings with less than 72 hours notice in peak season
Cheapest band in the list: USD 105. Highest band: USD 268. Most manufacturing hubs sit at the lowest band, which is why the same inspection costs the same whether you order from Guangzhou, Ningbo or Qingdao — and more when the factory is two hours from the nearest hub.
Audit cost questions
How much does a factory audit cost in China?
For a standard single-site, single-day audit the rate card we work from quotes USD 105 for most manufacturing cities, rising to USD 125-150 for cities further from the regional hubs and USD 200-268 for remote areas such as western Yunnan, parts of Sichuan and border regions. Use the lookup above to see the figure for your city.
What does the fee include?
One inspector, one working day on site, the checklist in our audit scope, photodocumentation and the written report with the document pack. It covers the audit itself, not product testing: if your specification needs laboratory work (material, electrical safety, salt-spray, tensile), that is quoted separately by the laboratory.
When does the price go up?
Four cases, all quoted before we book: multi-day audits on large or multi-workshop sites; more than one inspector (common for high-volume inspections or container loading supervision on the same day); travel to genuinely remote plants where the inspector must stay overnight; and peak-season bookings with less than 72 hours notice.
Is this the price I will be invoiced?
Treat it as the reference figure your quotation is built from, not a final invoice. It is a published regional rate card, dated September 2026, and the actual price depends on your scope: number of sites, man-days, product categories and any laboratory testing. Send us the address and the scope on WhatsApp and we confirm the number in writing within 12 hours.
Do you charge for travel separately?
No. The regional figure already includes the inspector travelling from the nearest hub to your factory address within that city. If the plant is outside the listed city, the next regional band applies - and we tell you which band before you approve anything.
Can I combine an audit with an inspection on the same trip?
Yes, and it is the cheapest way to do both: the inspector is already on site, so a pre-shipment inspection added to the same day costs far less than booking it separately. Tell us your order schedule and we plan the visits together.
Pair it with the checklists
Knowing the cost is step one. These are the free tools that go with an audit or an inspection.
Factory audit checklist
The 51 checks we run on site, printable and free — use it to brief the audit you just priced.
Open the checklistAQL sampling table
How many units to inspect and how many defects are allowed, per ISO 2859-1, in a ready Excel file.
Download free ExcelWhat our audit covers
The four areas we assess and the evidence you get back: photos, records and the document pack.
See the audit scopeConfirm the price for your factory
Send the factory address and what you need checked. You get the confirmed fee, the inspector's schedule and the report format back in writing — within 12 hours, Monday to Saturday 09:00–19:00 China time.
No account, no card, no obligation — the lookup above stays free whether or not you book.