Guide 02 · Quality Standards
What Is QLASSIC? Malaysia's Construction Quality Score, Explained
If you've browsed new launches, you've seen developers advertise a "QLASSIC score" — 74, 78, 82. It sounds impressive. But few buyers know what the number measures, who awards it, or how much weight to give it. As certified QLASSIC Trainers and Assessors under CIDB, we're well placed to explain.
The short version
QLASSIC — the Quality Assessment System in Construction — is Malaysia's national method for measuring the workmanship quality of a completed building. It is administered by CIDB (the Construction Industry Development Board) and based on the Construction Industry Standard, CIS 7 — a standard our founder, Sr Joshua Kang, has helped shape as a technical committee member since 2006.
How the score is produced
Trained assessors inspect a statistical sample of units and elements across a project — floors, walls, ceilings, doors, windows, fixtures, and external works. Each element is checked against defined workmanship standards: alignment, cracks, finishing, functionality, and so on. Elements either pass or fail each criterion, and the results roll up into a single percentage score for the project.
Two things follow from this. First, the score reflects workmanship — not design, materials specification, or structural engineering. Second, because it's sampling-based, a good project score doesn't guarantee your specific unit is defect-free.
As a general rule of thumb in the industry: scores in the high 70s and above indicate a developer with strong quality control; low 60s and below suggest workmanship discipline was weak. Always ask whether the score was independently assessed and for which phase of the project.
Why it matters to buyers
A developer that submits to QLASSIC assessment is voluntarily inviting scrutiny — that alone tells you something about their culture. Comparing scores across a developer's past projects is one of the few objective quality signals available before you sign an SPA.
Why it matters to developers & contractors
QLASSIC scores increasingly appear in marketing, awards criteria, and even land-bid evaluations. We consult for developers who want to raise their scores — usually the gap isn't skill, it's the absence of systematic quality checks at each construction stage. That's fixable, and the score moves when it's fixed.
- QLASSIC measures workmanship quality against CIS 7, administered by CIDB.
- It's sampling-based — a strong project score still doesn't replace inspecting your own unit.
- Use scores to compare developers' track records before you buy.
- Canaan are certified QLASSIC Trainers & Assessors — we assess projects and train the industry's assessors.