The document set that travels with a container
Every shipment carries a numbered file: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin, and for wood goods a treatment record, moisture log, compliance statement and inspection report.
| Document | Who issues it | When | Why customs or your retailer asks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial invoice | Us | At sailing | Value, Incoterm, HS line |
| Packing list | Us | At sailing | Carton count, CBM, weight per SKU |
| Bill of lading | Carrier | At loading | Title and cargo description |
| Certificate of origin | CCPIT / customs | On request | FTA preference (ChAFTA, ASEAN-China, UK GSP etc.) |
| ISPM-15 treatment record | Licensed treatment partner | Every solid-wood package | Marking, kiln curve, lot number |
| ACQ retention certificate | Treatment plant | Per charge | EN 335 use class claim on garden goods |
| TSCA Title VI / CARB P2 certificate | Panel mill + importer statement | Where composite is used | US formaldehyde compliance for MDF/ply parts |
| Test report (LFGB / EN 71-3 / ASTM) | Third-party lab | Per material and finish | Food contact, toy-adjacent, coatings |
| Pre-shipment inspection report | Us, or SGS/BV/Intertek | Before closing | AQL 2.5 result with photographs |
| EUDR due-diligence data pack | Us, for you to file | From 30 Dec 2026 | Harvest geolocation, species, legality references |
| Lacey Act declaration data | Us, for your broker | US-bound | Species, country of harvest, quantity. PPBM via ACE |
| FSC / PEFC CoC invoice line | Us | On certified SKUs | Retail chain chain-of-custody audit |
What we test in-house, and what goes to a lab
| Check | In-house | Frequency | Third-party lab when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moisture content | Pin meter, 5 pcs/pallet | Every batch | — |
| Dimensional tolerance | Caliper, gauge blocks | Every batch | Contractual ±0.3 mm parts |
| Corner / joint strength | Torque rig, 25 kg drop | Every new design + 1/batch | Customer specification |
| Coating adhesion | Cross-cut tape test | Every colour change | Retail audit requirement |
| Colour match | Spectro + visual, ΔE ≤ 3 | Every colour change | ΔE ≤ 1.5 contracts |
| Transit integrity | ISTA 3A drop for parcel SKUs | New packaging design | Your carrier's own protocol |
| Food-contact migration | — | — | Every material + finish combination, LFGB / EU 10/2011 |
| Heavy metals / migration | — | — | Toys, children-adjacent, school supply |
| Formaldehyde emission | Certificate from panel mill | Per board batch | TSCA TPC verification, or F☆☆☆☆ for Japan |
| Treatment retention | Certificate from treatment plant | Per charge | Retail audit requests core samples |
Certifications held, applied for, and declined
We hold or operate under an ISO 9001-aligned quality system, use ISPM-15 licensed treatment partners, and supply FSC or PEFC chain-of-custody claims on SKUs that are inside the certified pool. Certificate numbers are printed on the invoice line for each shipment, and we do not quote a number we have not shown you.
- In place: ISPM-15 compliant packaging via a licensed partner; TSCA Title VI compliant board sourced from certified mills; LFGB/EU 1935/2004 reports on food-contact materials; EN 71-3 on painted children-adjacent lines.
- On request: FSC Mix Credit and PEFC claims on eligible SKUs, with the claim printed on the invoice line; social audits (BSCI/SMETA) welcomed and scheduled — this is a customer-driven audit, not a marketing badge.
- Not applicable, and we will say so: CE on decorative frames (not a construction product), CE/DoP only on kits we judge to be structural, GOTS (we are not a textile mill), USDA organic (nobody can certify a treated bed as organic-input).
- Deliberately declined: any claim that our certificate covers a SKU outside the audited scope. This is how retailers get burned and how suppliers lose accounts.
AQL 2.5: what the number means in practice
AQL 2.5 is a sampling plan, not a quality promise, and buyers often misread it. Under normal inspection level II, a lot of 3,201–10,000 pieces calls for a 315-piece sample with 21 accept / 22 reject for major defects. If the lot fails, we sort, we rework, and we re-present. The cost is ours when the defect is ours. What you should do is write the defect classification into the PO: what counts critical, what counts major, what counts minor, with photographs. That single annex prevents 90% of the arguments that ever happen between a factory and an importer.
| Lot size | Sample (Level II) | Accept number, major | Our action if rejected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 281 – 500 | 50 | 4 | 100% sort, re-present, our cost |
| 501 – 1,200 | 80 | 6 | 100% sort, re-present, our cost |
| 1,201 – 3,200 | 125 | 8 | 100% sort, re-present, our cost |
| 3,201 – 10,000 | 315 | 21 | Sort + rework; discount by agreement if you accept |
| 10,001 – 35,000 | 500 | 31 | Sort + rework; discount by agreement if you accept |