How to inspect USB cables for China Inspection and Quarantine Inspection and Factory Certification? Data cable inspection requirements and inspection standards

USB cables are essential charging and data transmission accessories in our daily lives. Whether it's children's early childhood education products, kitchen power tools, or various small household appliances, they all rely on their stable and safe performance. Because they involve electrical connections, their quality is directly related to user safety and device reliability. Therefore, professional and systematic inspection and testing of USB cables is crucial to ensuring product compliance and market access. So, what exactly does inspection of these electrical products include? And how do third-party inspection companies conduct this inspection ?

1. Appearance inspection

During the inspection process, visual inspection is a basic and critical step, covering the following items:

• Plug shell inspection : There are no bubbles, shrinkage, burrs, scratches, dirt and other defects on the surface of the colloid; the buckle and the shell are well connected, and the seam shall not exceed 0.5mm to ensure that there is no looseness or cracking.

• Inspection of the metal part of the plug : The metal terminal should be free of rust, deformation or plating peeling, and should be tightly connected to the plastic shell without any looseness.

• Wire appearance inspection : The entire wire should be free of defects such as dirt, bubbles, shrinkage, scratches, deformation, exposed core, etc. The wire should be flexible and not hardened.

• Model and logo inspection : The sticker content and plug logo must be consistent with the customer's sample. Any information errors will be regarded as unqualified inspection .

• Packaging Inspection : Wires should be bundled with cable ties and packed in PE bags. Warnings (e.g., suffocation warnings) must be printed on the outer box. The printed content on the color box must be consistent with the final draft approved by the customer. The packaging method should effectively protect the product from damage during transportation and storage.

2. On-site testing and inspection items

Inspectors will simulate actual usage conditions in a real environment and perform multiple on-site inspections and tests, including but not limited to:

1. Drop test <br>Is carried out in accordance with ISTA 1A standard to test the packaging's ability to resist dropping. After the test, the product must not have fatal or serious defects.

2. Dimension and weight measurement <br>Wire length, outer diameter, product weight, etc. must comply with the requirements of the specification. If the customer does not specify, the inspection will be carried out according to the ±3% tolerance.

3. Barcode scanning inspection <br>All barcodes should be clear and scannable, and the scanning results should be consistent with the product information.

4. Assembly and functional testing <br>The product should be able to be assembled smoothly according to the instructions, with no quality risks after assembly, and all nominal functions (such as charging and data transmission) must be normal.

5. Printing coating adhesion test <br>Use 3M tape to test the adhesion of the printed and UV coating surfaces. The peeling area shall not exceed 10%.

6. Operation test <br>Run at full load at rated voltage for 4 hours (or the time specified in the instructions). After the test, it must pass a series of safety tests such as high voltage, function and grounding.

7. Drop test <br>For portable products, the product must be dropped freely from a specified height (such as 750mm or 1000mm) to the wooden floor three times. After the test, there must be no safety issues with the product and it must pass the high voltage and grounding inspections .

8. Internal workmanship and key component inspection <br>Based on the structural drawings or key component lists provided by the customer, the inspector will dismantle the samples to check the internal structure, solder joint process, wire fixation, etc. to ensure there are no workmanship defects and safety hazards.

9. Label friction test <br>Rub the rated label with water and gasoline for 15 seconds respectively to test its durability and information clarity.

10. Needle removal test (for the US market)
    Apply 20 pounds of force to the plug and maintain for 2 minutes. The pin displacement shall not exceed 2mm.

11. Plug durability test (applicable to the US market)
    After 10 insertion and removal tests, the plug can still be fully inserted into the device and the displacement does not exceed 2mm when a pulling force of 3 pounds is applied.

12. Plug extraction force test (applicable to the European market)
    Measured using a standard gauge, the pull-out force should be greater than 2 Newtons and less than 27 Newtons.

13. Power cord diameter inspection <br>Use tools such as calipers to measure the wire diameter. If the customer has no special requirements, it must usually meet the standard specification of 3.8mm.

3. The Importance of Professional Product and Factory Inspection Services

Faced with increasingly complex international market regulations and consumer safety requirements, brands, importers, and e-commerce sellers can systematically control the quality of USB cables and other electrical products by partnering with professional third-party inspection companies. These organizations typically provide a comprehensive quality assurance service chain, from factory assessments, in-process inspections (IPC), final random inspections (FRI), to loading supervision, ensuring that products comply with technical standards and safety regulations from production to delivery.

By strictly implementing the above inspection process, companies can not only effectively reduce the risks of product recalls and customer complaints, but also enhance consumer trust, improve brand reputation and market competitiveness.

We at China Huibang Focus specialize in product inspection and quarantine, testing and certification, supplier background checks, audits, factory inspections and other services.