NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY, BANGALORE

Documentation on AQL and AOQL

SUBMITTED BY
MANDEEP SRIVASTAVA
NISHIKET SINGH
NITHIL THOMAS
DHANANJAY SINGH
SHUBHAM CHAUDHARY

AQL(ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVEL)

The AQL is the maximum per cent defective that for the purpose of sampling inspection can
be considered satisfactory as a process average. AQL is one of the most frequently used
terms when it comes to quality in the apparel export industry. As most of the acceptance
decisions of the apparel shipments for the export market are made on the basis of AQL
based sampling plans, it is important that all concerned in the industry at least have a basic
idea about what is AQL. All of us know that inspection is the tool that is used for assessing
the conformance of the merchandise to the agreed specifications or the requirements.
Though inspection is important and it gives us an idea about the acceptance level of a
product, it may not be possible to carry out 100% inspection of all the units in a particular
shipment or a lot. This is mainly due to following reasons:
1. It is costly.
2. 100% inspection is seldom 100% accurate and dependable.
3. It may be impractical and not desirable as it leads to excessive handling of goods which
results in goods losing their freshness.
It is also defined as the quality level that is the worst tolerable (source: ISO 2859-1
standard).
For example: If one wants no more than 1.5% defective items in the whole order quantity,
on average over several production runs with that supplier means the AQL is 1.5%.
In practice, three types of defects are distinguished. For most consumer goods, the limits
are:

0% for critical defects (totally unacceptable: a user might get harmed, or regulations
are not respected).

2.5% for major defects (these products would usually not be considered acceptable
by the end user).

4.0% for minor defects (there is some departure from specifications, but most users
would not mind it).

AQL TABLE
The AQL tables are statistical tools at the disposal of buyers (for product inspections). They
help determine two key elements:
1. The no: of samples to be picked and inspected among a batch of product or parts.
2. The limit between acceptability and refusal, when it comes to defective products.

The three parameter of AQL Table

Before using the AQL tables, one should know three parameters:

The lot size. If you ordered different products, the quantity of each product is a lot
size, and it is advised to perform separate inspections for each lot. If you ordered only
one product, the lot size is the total batch quantity.

The inspection level. Different inspection levels will command different numbers of
samples to inspect. In this article, we will stick to the so-called level II under normal
severity and to single sampling plans.

The AQL level appropriate for the market. If the customers accept very few defects,
we might want to set a lower AQL for both major and minor defects.

There are basically two tables. The first one tells you which code letter to use. Then, the
code letter will give you the sample size and the maximum numbers of defects that can be
accepted.

First table: sample size code letters

Assume the lot size is comprised between 3,201 pcs and 10,000 pcs, and that the
inspection level is II. Consequently, the code letter is L.

Second table: single sampling plans for level II inspection (normal severity)

The code letter is L, so we will have to draw 200 pcs randomly from the total lot size.
Besides, we assume that AQL is set at 2.5% for major defects and 4.0% for minor defects.
Therefore, here are the limits: the products are accepted if NO MORE than 10 products with
major defects AND NO MORE than 14 products with minor defects are found.
For example, one finds 15 products with major defects and 12 products with minor defects,
the products are refused. If one find 3 with major defects and 7 with minor defects, they are
accepted.

TERMS

DEFECT - A defect is any nonconformane of the unit of product with specified

requirements.It can be critical,major or minor.
DEFECTIVE It is a unit of product which contains one or more defects.

TYPES OF DEFECTS
Critical defects - Defects which poses the possibility of causing injury or harm to, or
otherwise endangering the life or safety of, the end user of the product or others in the
immediate vicinity of its use,iscalled critical defects.
An example of a critical defect might be a sharp plastic bur that has potential to scratch or
otherwise harm people. The AQL (acceptable quality level) is generally 0.10 here so any
critical defects noted would result in a rejected inspection.

Major defects- Defect which adversely affects the products marketability and sale-ability or
adversely affects its required form, fit or function and which is likely to result in the end user
returning it to the source from which is was purchased for replacement or refund,is called
major defects.
An example of a major defect might be a large (1.5 or larger) scratch on the exterior front of
the product. The AQL is generally tighter for major defects noted, so less is acceptable in a
general sample size to achieve a passing result.
Minor defects-Any condition found which while possibly less than desirable to the end user
of the product, does not adversely affect its required marketability, sale-ability, form, fit or
function and is unlikely to result in its return to the source from which it was purchased.
An example of a minor defect might be a small (up to 1.5) scratch on the bottom of the
product.

Judgmental sampling
It is a non-probability sampling technique where the researcher selects units to be sampled
based on their knowledge and professional judgment.
This type of sampling technique is also known as purposive sampling and authoritative
sampling. Purposive sampling is used in cases where the specialty of an authority can select
a more representative sample that can bring more accurate results than by using other
probability sampling techniques. The process involves nothing but purposely handpicking
individuals from the population based on the authority's or the researcher's knowledge and
judgment.

When to Use Judgmental Sampling

Judgmental sampling design is usually used when a limited number of individuals possess
the trait of interest. It is the only viable sampling technique in obtaining information from a
very specific group of people. It is also possible to use judgmental sampling if the researcher
knows a reliable professional or authority that he thinks is capable of assembling a
representative sample.

Setbacks of Judgmental Sampling

wo main weaknesses of authoritative sampling are with the authority and in the sampling
process; both of which pertains to the reliability and the bias that accompanies the sampling
technique.

Unfortunately, there is usually no way to evaluate the reliability of the expert or the authority. The
best way to avoid sampling error brought by the expert is to choose the best and most
experienced authority in the field of interest.
When it comes to the sampling process, it is usually biased since no randomization was used in
obtaining the sample. It is also worth noting that the members of the population did not have
equal chances of being selected. The consequence of this is the misrepresentation of the entire
population which will then limit generalizations of the results of the study.

SAMPLING PLANS
A lot, or batch, of items can be inspected in several ways, including the use of single,
double, or sequential sampling.
Single Sampling

Two numbers specify a single sampling plan: They are the number of items to be sampled (n)
and a prespecified acceptable number of defects (c). If there are fewer or equal defects in the
lot than the acceptance number, c, then the whole batch will be accepted. If there are more
than c defects, the whole lot will be rejected or subjected to 100% screening.

Double Sampling

Often a lot of items is so good or so bad that we can reach a conclusion about its quality by
taking a smaller sample than would have been used in a single sampling plan. If the number
of defects in this smaller sample (of size n1) is less than or equal to some lower limit (c1), the
lot can be accepted. If the number of defects exceeds an upper limit (c2), the whole lot can be
rejected. But if the number of defects in the n1 sample is between c1 and c2, a second sample
(of size n2) is drawn. The cumulative results determine whether to accept or reject the lot.
The concept is called double sampling.

OPERATING CHARACTERISTIC (OC) CURVES

The operating characteristic (OC) curve describes how well an acceptance plan
discriminates between good and bad lots. A curve pertains to a specific plan, that is, a
combination of n (sample size) and c (acceptance level). It is intended to show the
probability that the plan will accept lots of various quality levels. Naturally, we would prefer a
highly discriminating sampling plan and OC curve. If the entire shipment of parts has an
unacceptably high level of defects, we hope the sample will reflect that fact with a very high
probability (preferably 100%) of rejecting the shipment.

AOQL - Average Outgoing Quality Limit

The AOQL of a sampling plan is maximum value on the AOQ curve. It is applicable for defective
units, defects per unit, and defects per quantity. It is expressed as either a defective rate (fraction
defective, percent defective, dpm) or as a defect rate (defects per unit, defects per 100 units, dpm).
The AOQ curve gives the average outgoing quality (left axis) as a function of the incoming quality
(bottom axis). The AOQL is the maximum or worst possible defective or defect rate for the average
outgoing quality. Regardless of the incoming quality, the defective or defect rate going to the customer
should be no greater than the AOQL over an extended period of time. Individual lots might be worst
than the AOQL but over the long run, the quality should not be worse than the AOQL.
The AOQ curve and AOQL assume rejected lots are 100% inspected, and is only applicable to this
situation. They also assume the inspection is reasonably effective at removing defectives or defects
(90% effective or more).

AOQ Curve - Average Outgoing Quality Curve

The AOQ curve shows how outgoing quality (y-axis) depends on the incoming quality
(bottom axis). The average outgoing quality is only applicable to the characteristics defective
units, defects per unit, and defects per quantityand assumes rejected lots are 100%
inspected and all defectives/defects are removed.
The average outgoing quality is the average defective or defect rate in released lot assuming
rejected lots are 100% inspected and all defectives/defects are removed. The outgoing
quality is better than the incoming quality as a result of the 100% inspection of rejected lots.
AOQ(p) = p x OC(p) where p is the defective/defect rate.
The AOQ curve initially increases as more defectives/defects are produced, more are
released. As more and more lots are rejected, 100% inspections become more common and
the AOQ curve starts to decrease as a result. The maximum value of the AOQ curve is
called the Average Outgoing Quality Level (AOQL).
AOQ = [( Pd )( Pa) (N-n)] / N
where
Pd = true percent defective of the lot
Pa = probability of accepting the lot
N = number of items in the lot
n = number of items in the sample