Confidence is built before the shipment leaves.
We start from a requirement precise enough to check, then follow that exact product, that exact manufacturer and that exact evidence all the way to release. How hard we push depends on what the order can cost you if it goes wrong.
Quality starts with a requirement clear enough to check against. Before an order is released we line up the performance asked for, the standards that apply, the approved product, the documents and the inspection evidence. Everything after that is verification, not hope.
| Control point | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Supplier review | Manufacturer capability and business-document review appropriate to the order. |
| Specification control | Specification, model, quantity and approved-substitution control before release. |
| Sample approval | Sample, finish, colour or mock-up approval where relevant to the product. |
| Technical submittals | Datasheets, drawings and clarification registers coordinated for project review. |
| Inspection and testing | Inspection and test planning for critical products or fabrication. |
| Packaging and marking | Requirements matched to handling, storage and transport conditions. |
| Non-conformance | Escalation and documented disposition before shipment where applicable. |
| Release and handover | Release records, packing lists, labels and export documentation for the supplied scope. |
Evidence that matches the exact product offered.
Documentation is coordinated per product and order, as applicable to the scope:
- Product datasheets, drawings and installation manuals.
- Certificates of conformity and test reports for the exact offered model where available.
- Mill certificates, batch records or material declarations where relevant.
- Warranty statements and manufacturer after-sales terms.
- Inspection reports, photographs and release records.
- Packing lists, labels and export documentation.
The vocabulary of controlled supply.
This is the vocabulary international projects actually run on. We use it because it is what you will audit us with.
- ITP, hold and witness points
- An inspection and test plan sequences what is checked, when, by whom and against which acceptance criteria. A hold point stops work until sign-off; a witness point notifies without stopping.
- EN 10204 material certificates
- For metals, a 3.1 certificate is issued by the mill's own independent inspectors for the specific batch; a 3.2 certificate adds an independent third party. We align the certificate type to the order's risk, always for the exact batch supplied.
- GB standards and CCC
- Chinese manufacturers certify to GB and GB/T national standards, and some product categories additionally require CCC, China Compulsory Certification, before they can be sold. Where your project specifies an EN, ASTM or BS grade instead, we establish whether the manufacturer can certify to it rather than assuming the standards map cleanly. Structural steel is the usual trap: Q355B to GB/T 1591 is the normal counterpart to S355JR under EN 10025, but GB/T 1591 carries mandatory impact-energy requirements that the older GB/T 700 does not, so a grade name on its own does not tell you what has been supplied.
- Pre-shipment inspection
- Independent inspection before goods leave origin. Several destination markets mandate it through conformity programmes such as PVoC, SASO or SONCAP; elsewhere it is inexpensive insurance. Typical agency rates run well under one percent of order value with certificates in days, small against the cost of a rejected shipment.
- Staged production checks
- Pre-production verification, during-production checks and container-loading checks, scaled to product and project risk rather than applied blindly.
Certifications and standards vary by product, manufacturer and destination market. TerraBuild verifies the required evidence for the selected product and project before order release. Certification claims are never published as company-wide coverage unless formally verified.
Third-party assurance
Where required, TerraBuild can coordinate independent pre-shipment inspection, testing or verification by an agreed third-party organisation. The scope, acceptance criteria, cost and responsibility for final approval are confirmed before appointment.
Responsible supply
We support durable, fit-for-purpose products and practical choices that reduce waste, rework and premature replacement. Environmental and social claims are evidence-based and specific, never broad marketing statements.