Quality
Quality control that starts before the first ball is cut
Most ball defects are decided in the first hour: the cover roll, the bladder batch, the print plate. Inspecting at the end only tells you how much you have already lost.
Four checkpoints
- Pre-production. Cover material thickness measured against the spec sheet, bladder batch checked for weight, print plate proofed against the approved artwork.
- In-line. Circumference and weight sampled through the shift. A size 5 drifting from 690 mm to 705 mm is a rejection cause, not a rounding error.
- Final packing. AQL sampling on weight, circumference, bounce, seam integrity and print registration before anything is boxed.
- Loading. Carton count, barcode scan, container photos. If a pallet is short, you hear it before the vessel sails, not after.
What we measure
| Test | Method | Typical tolerance |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | Digital scale, 10 pcs per lot | Within the stated band, e.g. 410–430 g |
| Circumference | Tape at three axes, uninflated then inflated | ±5 mm on stitched balls |
| Diameter | Caliper or ring gauge on moulded balls | ±2 mm |
| Bounce | Drop test from 1.8 m on a rigid floor | Rebound within the game standard band |
| Seam | Visual and pull test on stitched and bonded balls | No gap, no thread slip at 3 kg pull |
| Air retention | Inflate to spec, re-measure after 72 h | Pressure loss under the agreed limit |
Third-party testing
We arrange testing through SGS, BV or TÜV before shipment, against whatever the destination market requires:
- EN 71-1 / -2 / -3 — mechanical, flammability and migration for the EU toy channel
- CPSIA — lead, phthalates and tracking label requirements for the US
- REACH — SVHC screening and phthalate limits
- AZO / PAH — dye and rubber compound screening where the buyer’s retailer demands it
Tell us the market and the retailer. Testing scope changes between a discount chain and a sports specialist, and testing the wrong scope is money burned.
Factory audit
The ball plant is BSCI audited and covers 16,000 m² with a 1,000 m² office block. QC and QA staff supervise from pre-production to final packing, and the design team sits in the same building as the sample room — which is why a colour change request takes a day instead of a week.
Buyers are welcome to visit, or to send a third-party inspector. We would rather you did.
Need a test plan for a specific market?
Send the destination country and the retail channel. We will come back with the testing scope and the cost.