Step 1: Check the
carton before it is opened

Confirm the carton count on the delivery note matches what has
physically arrived, and check the outer carton for visible damage,
crushing or a broken seal before opening anything. A damaged outer
carton is worth photographing on its own, separate from whatever is
found inside.

Step 2: Count the
inner packs, not the pieces

Open the top of the carton and count the sealed inner packs without
breaking any of them open. Compare the count to the standard for the
format: 12 packs for a square plate carton, 12 packs for the 12 inch
reinforced round traditional plate carton, and 24 packs for a bowl
carton. This single count is what catches most shortfalls, and it takes
seconds, because a full or partial layer missing is visible at a glance
once you know what a complete carton looks like.

Step
3: Open one pack per carton and verify count and condition

Take one sealed inner pack from the carton, open it, and count the
pieces inside against the stated pack size, 25 for square plates and
bowls, 20 for the 12 inch reinforced round traditional plate. While the
pack is open, check edge condition and colour consistency across the
pieces. This is a spot check, not a full audit of the carton. It
confirms that what was sealed matches what was declared.

Sampling rate for larger deliveries. For a delivery
of 10 cartons or fewer, apply steps 2 and 3 to every carton. For a
larger delivery, apply step 2, the pack count check, to every carton,
since it takes only seconds, and apply step 3, opening a pack, to one
carton in every five, rounded up, choosing cartons from different points
in the delivery rather than only the first ones unloaded.

Step 4: Log the
result against the delivery note

Record the pack count found in each carton and the result of any pack
opened for a content check, against the delivery note or purchase order
reference. A written log turns a receiving check into evidence if a
dispute arises later, and it is what lets a recurring pattern with a
specific format or route be spotted across several deliveries rather
than treated as a one-off each time.

Step
5: If a carton is short, do this before anything else

Stop and do not move the short carton into general stock. Photograph
the sealed exterior of the carton, including any batch or carton marking
if present, and photograph the pack count found inside, ideally with the
delivery note visible in the same frame. Note the exact expected count
against the actual count. Contact the supplier the same day with the
format, the carton reference, the expected and actual pack counts, and
the photographs attached. A supplier who states a count guarantee should
have no difficulty acting on a report built this way.

The printable receiving
checklist

Use one row per carton on a delivery.

Keep completed checklists with the delivery note for at least one
full stock cycle. They are the record that supports any short count
report.

Why this check
belongs at receiving, not later

A short carton found at receiving is a fifteen second correction. The
same short carton found three weeks later, after some of it has already
been used in service, is a stock reconciliation problem with no clean
way to prove when or where the shortfall occurred. The inner pack exists
precisely so this check can be done in bundles rather than by recounting
loose pieces, which is what makes a full carton check take two minutes
rather than twenty.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

• carton specifications for every
  format
• the certifications and testing behind
  every dispatch
• what a full carton
  and inner pack should contain

References