Five hard-fields self-check checklist
Pass or fail on five hard fields: identity, address, founded year, certificate, and scale. A fail means the evidence is not on the page yet. It is not a score.
- ›Check five classes: identity, address, founded year, certificate, and scale.
- ›Pass means that class can be shown. Fail means hide it, or do not claim it.
- ›A row of fails is missing public evidence. It is not a ban, and it is not a score.
- ›A hold-cert claim needs the certificate class complete: holder, body, number, scope, expiry, and checked date. Otherwise that block stays off.
- ›If sources disagree, keep both lines. Do not reduce them to one address, one number, or one scale figure.
A checklist, not a score
Five classes cover the hard fields a public supplier page can show: who the company is, where it is, when it was founded, whether a certificate chain is on file, and whether scale has a source. Mark each one pass or fail.
Pass means the class can be shown. Fail means the evidence is not on the page in a form a reader can check. Add that evidence, or leave the block off. The tally is not points, and it does not order two companies.
Five classes
Use this on a draft page. A fail is closed by evidence a reader can check, or by leaving the block off.
| Class | Pass | Fail | What to add |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Identity | The legal name is clear, and it is the same entity throughout | Several names that do not match | The legal name on the business register, aligned with the name on the page |
| 2. Address | A registered address or a plant location, with a source and a checked date | No address, or two addresses kept as if they were one | A public address a reader can check. If two sources disagree, keep both. |
| 3. Founded year | The founded year from the company register, on its own line | That year mixed with a marketplace signup year under one “Founded” label | Write the founded year and the signup year apart |
| 4. Certificate | Holder, issuing body, number, scope, expiry, and a checked date | The standard name only, no number or no expiry, or a conflict quietly reduced to one line | A directory entry or a scan a reader can check. If two lines disagree, keep both. |
| 5. Scale | A headcount or a capacity with a source name and a checked date | An unsourced figure, a stand-in or a zero used to fill the cell, or one value while the sources still disagree | One public source (an annual filing, the supplier page, or another public record). If they disagree, show both or show neither. |
Pass and fail are display gates. They are not a score, and they do not place a company in an order. No mill is named in this list.
When the sources disagree
These three classes are where a silent choice does the most damage. The other two classes follow the same idea: do not invent a single line.
| Class | What the page does |
|---|---|
| Address | Keep both addresses, each with the source name and the checked date. |
| Certificate | Keep both lines, each with the source name and the checked date. Do not keep only one number. |
| Scale | Keep both statements, or show neither. Do not print one capacity or one line count. |
The certificate conflict row is a rule, not a filled example. Live names and live numbers are not written into this checklist.
How to use the list
Open the draft and mark each class. For a fail, either add a source a reader can check, or accept that the block stays off. Do not fill a fail with a stand-in so the grid looks complete.
A hold-cert claim has to pass class 4 before the certificate block is shown. The compare page is the grid for two suppliers, with no points. The other three pages in this set cover the ISO9001 rule, the certificate conflict template, and why a missing block is hidden rather than filled.
Frequently asked questions
If many rows fail, is the supplier banned?
No. A fail means public evidence for that class is not on the page yet. It is not a ban, and the number of fails is not a score.
Can a fail cell be filled so the grid looks complete?
No. Add evidence a reader can check, or leave the block off. A stand-in word, a dash, or a zero is not a pass.
What is the minimum before a hold-cert claim is shown?
Class 4 has to pass: holder, issuing body, certificate number, scope, expiry, and the day a public source was checked. If the number or the expiry is missing, or if two lines were quietly reduced to one, the certificate block stays off.
- Methodology →
- Data quality and supplier-field steps →
- Field-presence sheet →
- Hard-facts shelf →
- Guangya Aluminum profile →
- Why “ISO9001” on the page is not a hold-cert claim →
- When certificate sources conflict, how both lines are shown →
- Why a missing field is hidden →
- Compare two suppliers on hard fields only →
This guide is written from public standards and industry-common knowledge, not supplier claims. Confirm system series, test reports, prices and certifications directly with the supplier via RFQ.
From research to a supplier shortlist
Suppliers are ranked from public records and our published methodology — we don't sell leads or take pay-to-rank. Confirm prices and certifications directly with the supplier via RFQ.