Shade Net Quality Testing: Buyer Checklist

When you order shade net for resale or a project, a product name and price are not enough to confirm what will arrive. Agree on the specification, ask which checks the supplier performs, and find out what evidence can accompany the order. The questions below help you distinguish a declared product specification from a measurement, a test result and a visual inspection.

Start with the agreed specification

Before asking about testing, make sure the quotation identifies the product you intend to buy: construction type, nominal shade percentage, GSM, width, roll length, colour, quantity, packing and any finishing. If one of these is essential to your customer, agree on the acceptable tolerance and how it will be checked. Without an agreed value, a test report may be difficult to interpret.

Ask which details apply to the exact variant being quoted. A general product brochure may describe a range rather than the specific net in your order.

Pro Tip Confirm the exact product variant and agreed tolerances before reviewing a test result.

Dimensions and mass

Width and length affect the area supplied. GSM means grams per square metre and is a way to check mass against the declared product specification; it does not state shade percentage or prove strength by itself.

Ask the supplier:

What width, length and GSM are declared for this product?
What tolerances apply, and are they shown on the specification or quotation?
Are measurements taken for this order, sampled from a batch, or based on the product range?

Shade percentage and construction

Shade percentage describes light blocked under defined measurement conditions. It should not be estimated by looking at a roll or equated with a fall in air temperature. For applicable tape-yarn shade nets, the BIS product manual for IS 16008 Part 1 lists a shade-measuring instrument with a light source and sensor. Ask which method and tolerance support the shade value offered for your exact product.

Also confirm whether the net supplied is tape × tape, mono × mono or mono × tape when construction is part of the order. A construction label and a shade value answer different questions; both should appear in the written specification if both matter to the buyer.

Strength information

If handling or structural demands are important, ask what breaking-strength or other relevant results are available for the proposed net and which method was used. A laboratory result measures a sample under specified test conditions. It does not, on its own, establish how an installed net will behave under wind, tension, fixing loads or site exposure. Those questions also require appropriate installation and structural assessment.

Ask whether the result relates to the quoted variant, a production batch or a different product. Do not substitute the yarn name or GSM for the test evidence your project requires.

UV stabilisation and outdoor use

For outdoor applications, ask how UV stabilisation is specified and what evidence is available for the product. This may be a material or product declaration, a product-type test, or another document the supplier can actually provide. UV exposure testing takes time and should not be assumed to happen before every dispatch. A statement that a net is “UV stabilised” is not a measured service-life guarantee.

If a contract requires a particular UV test or warranty term, put that requirement in writing before placing the order and confirm whether the supplier can meet it.

Visual, packing and dispatch checks

Visual inspection may catch obvious holes, irregularities, colour differences or packing errors. It cannot establish an unseen material formulation or replace a measured test result. Check that the agreed number of rolls, dimensions, colour, labels and packing format are reflected in the dispatch documents.

For an importer or dealer, it is useful to know how the supplier identifies the order or batch if a later query arises. Ask what reference will connect your quotation, specification, packing list and any available test record.

Pro Tip Keep the quotation, specification, packing list and any available test record tied to the same order reference.

Ask what each document actually represents

Documents can answer different questions:

Written specification: Does it identify the exact product and agreed tolerances?
Test result: What product or sample was tested, by which method, and when?
Batch or order record: Does it refer to the goods being dispatched?
Packing list: Do quantities, dimensions and packing match the order?

Not every supplier provides every document for every order. Ask what is available before assuming that a batch-specific certificate or test result will be supplied.

Pro Tip Ask whether each document describes a general product type, a tested sample or the batch being dispatched.

A short request to send the supplier

“Please confirm the construction, shade percentage, GSM, width, roll length, colour and packing for our proposed order. State the applicable tolerances, which values are checked for this order or batch, and what specification or test records you can share. Please identify any quoted UV or strength evidence and the product it relates to.”

Where IS 16008 fits

IS 16008 Part 1 covers agro shade nets made from tape yarns; Part 2 covers nets made from monofilament yarns. If a standard is required by your tender or contract, confirm which part applies to the exact product and request evidence for the relevant requirements. Do not assume that citing the standard means a supplier or product is certified to it. Ask separately how a mixed-yarn variant is being specified.

Discuss an order with Sunsafe Agrotextiles

Share the application, required product specification, quantity, delivery destination and any documentation requirements through Sunsafe's contact page. The team can review the request and clarify what product information and records are available for the proposed order.

For a bulk order, agree on the specification first, then ask what checks and records are available for that product. Our team can clarify the information available for the requirement you share.

— Sunsafe Team