How Does Pre-Shipment Inspection (SGS or BV) Work for Steel Orders?
How Does Pre-Shipment Inspection (SGS or BV) Work for Steel Orders?
Direct answer: a pre-shipment inspection is an attendance by an independent surveyor - SGS, BV or another agreed body - before the container is closed, checking the goods against the purchase order. MESCO welcomes third-party inspection before loading. Scope, notice period and cost are agreed when the order is placed, so the attendance lands inside the production window rather than after it.
| Check | What is verified |
|---|---|
| Quantity | Coil or sheet count, unit weight, total tonnage against the packing list |
| Dimensions | Thickness, width, length; coating weight by weigh-strip-weigh or gauge |
| Mechanical | Sampling for yield, tensile and elongation where specified |
| Surface | Spangle, coating adhesion, paint film, scratches, edge condition |
| Packing and marking | Wrap, strapping, edge protection, shipping marks, labels |
| Container | Floor condition, blocking and securing before doors close |
When to book it
The inspection is only meaningful once production is complete and the goods are packed, and it must finish before the container doors close. Booking too early catches partially finished material; booking too late means the box has already sailed.
The practical sequence is: agree the surveyor and scope when placing the order, give notice once the production date is firm, and hold the loading slot until the report is released. On a custom order this has to be built into the 15-25 business day window from the start.
Who pays, and how much
The buyer normally commissions and pays the surveyor, because the inspector represents the buyer's interest. Where the contract places it on the seller it is priced into the quotation instead. Fees scale with scope - a documentary check, a dimensional and visual check, and destructive or laboratory sampling are three different jobs at three different prices.
Get the scope in writing before the inspector travels. Most disputes about inspection cost come from a scope that was assumed rather than stated.
What to do with the report
Treat a passed report as a release document, not a formality: it should be filed with the mill certificates and the packing list so that the three documents agree. If the report carries observations rather than a clean pass, resolve them before loading - after loading, the buyer's leverage drops sharply.
