China Factory Audit Services: Social Compliance vs Quality Audit vs IP Check
"Factory audit" is a blanket term. This guide breaks down the three common audit types, who needs which, what a report should contain, and why "on-site photos" are the baseline of any audit.
Many first-time buyers ask for "a factory audit" as a blanket term. But there are three distinct audit types — different purpose, price and report format. Pick the wrong one and you spend money without addressing your real risk.
Type 1: Social Compliance Audit
Typical schemes: BSCI, Sedex SMETA, Walmart EDI, Disney FAMA. They cover labour, working hours, fire safety, environment and child labour. For: brands required to pass before entering EU/US retailers. Price: USD 200–400/person-day plus travel. Reports are issued by audit bodies (SGS, TÜV, BV, Intertek) and accepted globally.
Type 2: Quality & Capacity Audit
Covers equipment list, capacity, QC flow, material traceability, defect rate. For: pre-engagement supplier evaluation, or factories with annual spend over USD 50k. Price: USD 200–350/person-day. This is the type we run — the report includes floor photos, equipment photos, key-interviewee chats, and cross-checked capacity data.
Type 3: IP / Anti-counterfeit Check
Covers: whether the factory holds moulds of counterfeit brands, whether it has registered trademarks similar to yours, and whether it will sign an exclusivity agreement. For: branded ODM clients. Price: USD 300–600/visit (including trademark-office / copyright-office queries).
6 fields a competent audit report must contain
(1) Facility panorama & floor photos (with watermark timestamp). (2) Key equipment list + photos. (3) Copy of business licence / property deed. (4) Recent 3-month payroll / social-security records (for social audits). (5) Cross-checked capacity (equipment × hours × shifts ≈ monthly output). (6) Auditor's explicit conclusion on "can this factory take the order?". Missing any one of these degrades the report's value.
Why on-site photos are the baseline
Remote video audits cost 1/3 of on-site ones, but many "remote" audits are just the factory holding a phone while the auditor never sees the real floor. We insist: every key data point in the report is paired with same-day, same-site on-site photos plus a location screenshot. An audit report without photos is no audit at all.