Once you sign the delivery receipt without noting a problem, you have accepted the consignment as delivered in good condition. Everything that follows — damage claims, replacements, arguments about who caused a scratch — turns on what happens in the twenty minutes before you sign.
Before the Truck Arrives
Confirm access. Full sheets are large and rigid. Check that a delivery vehicle can actually reach your gate and that there is space to unload. Narrow approaches and parked cars are a real problem, and discovering this when the truck is already there helps nobody.
Prepare the storage area. You need a flat, dry, covered space, with level bearers to rest the sheets on. Not the open terrace. Not leaning against a wall.
Arrange people. Sheets must be carried, not dragged. Dragging damages edges and faces. Two people minimum per sheet.
What to Check Before Signing
1. Count
Obvious, and regularly skipped. Count the sheets against the invoice before anything else.
2. Edges and corners
These take the damage in transit. Look along every edge for chips, and check all four corners of each sheet. Corner damage is the most common transit fault.
3. Surface
Look across each face at a shallow angle with light behind you — scratches that are invisible head-on show up clearly this way. Check for scuff marks where sheets have rubbed against each other.
4. Flatness
Sight along the length of a few sheets. They should be flat. A sheet that arrives bowed was stored or transported badly, and it will not flatten out on your site.
5. Shade consistency
Lay two or three sheets side by side in daylight and compare. They should match exactly. If they do not, raise it now — shade variation between batches is the one defect that cannot be fixed after installation.
6. Batch number
Check the batch marking is the same across all sheets, and write it down. You will want it if you ever need matching replacements.
7. Thickness
If you have a vernier caliper, measure a few sheets at several points. If you ordered 6mm, it should measure 6mm. This takes two minutes and settles a question that is otherwise difficult to raise later.
8. Specification against invoice
Confirm the invoice states the grade — exterior grade, not just “laminate” or “HPL”. This matters for any future warranty claim.
If You Find Something
- Photograph it immediately, with the delivery vehicle visible in at least one shot
- Note it on the delivery receipt before signing — describe the specific sheet and the damage
- Have the delivery person acknowledge it if possible
- Inform the supplier the same day, in writing, with the photographs attached
A clean signature on the receipt makes all of this far harder afterwards, because the supplier has documentation saying the goods arrived in good order.
Storage Until Installation
UVCLAD consignments go out with batch markings on every sheet for exactly this reason — so a problem can be traced rather than argued about.
Sheets often sit for a week or more before the installer starts. This is where avoidable damage happens.
- Flat, never on edge — leaning sheets bow and do not recover
- Off the ground on level bearers
- Covered, but not in sealed plastic that traps moisture
- Out of direct sunlight, particularly if only one face is exposed
- Somewhere they will not be walked past repeatedly
Photograph the storage arrangement. If a bowing argument ever arises, that photograph is the only evidence you will have.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I check before signing for a cladding delivery?
Count, edge and corner damage, surface scratches, flatness, shade consistency across sheets, batch number, thickness and the grade stated on the invoice.
What if I find damage after signing?
Considerably harder to claim. A signed clean receipt is documentation that the goods arrived in good condition, which is why the inspection has to happen first.
How should sheets be stored before installation?
Flat, off the ground on level bearers, covered but not sealed, out of direct sun. Never leaning on edge.
Why does the batch number matter?
Shade varies slightly between production batches. Recording the batch means future replacements can be matched.
Expecting a delivery? Message us if anything looks wrong when it arrives — photographs on the day make everything simpler.
