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By Jason Lim, REN 84424 · IQI Realty · Checked on 12 November 2026
This guide is for buyers from Singapore, Indonesia, India, China and Malaysia who see a “QLASSIC score” in a developer’s marketing and want to know what it means. The short answer: QLASSIC is the Construction Industry Development Board’s (CIDB) system for scoring the workmanship of a finished building against its standard, CIS 7, by inspecting samples before handover. A higher score is a useful sign of a developer’s build quality, but it is a sample-based percentage for a project, not proof that your own unit has no defects, so use it alongside the developer, CCC and defect checks.
Quick answer
- What it is: CIDB’s Quality Assessment System in Construction, standardised under Construction Industry Standard CIS 7:2021 (earlier editions 2006 and 2014).
- How it works: trained assessors inspect pre-selected samples of the work, award marks where it meets the standard and add them up to a percentage.
- Benchmarks: CIDB reported a national average score that rose from 69% in 2014 to 72% in 2020; 300 projects were assessed in 2023, with a top score of 89%.
- Not compulsory: developers choose to take part; in October 2025 a deputy minister was still urging the industry to adopt CIDB’s assessments.
- Limits: Malaysia’s architects’ board (LAM) and institute (PAM) said in November 2024 that CIS 7 is not a defect specification for individual units.
- Your protection: the statutory SPA gives a 24-month defect liability period from vacant possession.
What QLASSIC is
QLASSIC stands for Quality Assessment System in Construction. CIDB describes it as an independent assessment of the workmanship of building construction work against an approved standard, which lets projects be compared through a score. CIDB’s stated aims include benchmarking workmanship across the industry, judging contractors’ performance and building a database for analysis.
The standard behind it is the Construction Industry Standard CIS 7. The first edition was CIS 7:2006, followed by CIS 7:2014 and CIS 7:2021, which CIDB names as the current edition. CIDB groups buildings into four categories:
| Category | Building type |
|---|---|
| A | Landed housing: detached, semi-detached, terrace and cluster houses |
| B | Stratified housing: flats, apartments, condominiums and similar |
| C | Public, commercial and industrial buildings without centralised cooling |
| D | Public, commercial and industrial buildings with centralised cooling |
How a QLASSIC score is assessed
- What is looked at. CIDB’s materials describe the components as architectural works, structural works, mechanical and electrical (M&E) works and external works. Under the 2014 edition, piling, foundations and substructure were outside the assessment. Weightings and scope have changed between editions, so ask which edition a score was assessed under.
- Sampling. Assessors choose samples in advance from the drawings and plans, then inspect those locations on site. They do not inspect every unit.
- First-time inspection. Work is marked as found; fixing something after the assessor has seen it does not change the mark.
- Timing. The main assessment happens after the building work is complete and before handover to buyers.
- Scoring. Marks are given where workmanship meets the standard and added up to a percentage, the QLASSIC score.
- Who assesses. Assessors must complete CIDB’s QLASSIC assessor course and pass an exam.
In plain terms: the score tells you how well the sampled walls, floors, ceilings, doors, windows, fittings and external works matched the standard on the day of inspection. It does not tell you about your own unit unless your unit happened to be sampled.
How to read a score
| Benchmark | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| National average score, 2014 | 69% | CIDB |
| National average score, 2020 | 72% | CIDB |
| Projects assessed, 2016 to 2020 | 1,699 | CIDB |
| Projects assessed, 2022 | 248 | CIDB media statement, 22 October 2024 |
| Projects assessed, 2023 | 300 | CIDB media statement, 22 October 2024 |
| Highest score, 2023 | 89% | CIDB media statement, 22 October 2024 |
- Compare like with like: same building category (landed or strata) and, ideally, the same CIS 7 edition.
- Look for a pattern, not one figure. A developer with consistent scores across several completed projects tells you more than one high score.
- Check the project and phase. A score belongs to one project or phase, not to the developer’s next launch.
- No score is not a bad score. Because QLASSIC is voluntary, many sound projects are never assessed.
Where to find QLASSIC scores
I could not find a public CIDB database that lists every assessed project’s score as of November 2026. In practice:
- Ask the developer for the CIDB QLASSIC result for its completed projects, with the project name, phase, year and CIS 7 edition. A real result is easy to show in writing.
- Check CIDB’s award announcements. CIDB recognises high-scoring projects at its QUEST awards and publishes media statements about them.
- Ask CIDB through its official channels if you want to confirm a claimed result.
- Be careful with screenshots and claims that a new launch “has” a score. A building under construction cannot yet have its completion score.
Checking a developer before you book?
Send me the project. I’ll check the licence and permit on TEDUH, ask for QLASSIC results on the developer’s completed projects and arrange a visit to one of them.
WhatsApp JasonThe limits of QLASSIC
- It is a sample. In a joint statement on 28 November 2024, the Board of Architects Malaysia (LAM) and the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) said CIS 7 assesses workmanship by random sampling across a development and was never meant as a defect specification for individual units.
- It is not a defect test for your home. The same statement said CIDB had withdrawn a homeowners’ quality guidebook and that QLASSIC should no longer be used to determine building defects, particularly in housing tribunal disputes. Your defect claim rests on the SPA, the approved plans and specifications.
- It is a snapshot. It shows workmanship before handover, not how waterproofing, plumbing or lifts perform after a few monsoon seasons.
- It is voluntary. Developers choose whether to be assessed, so the projects with scores are not a random sample of the market.
- It does not cover management. A well-built condo can still be poorly run; see checking condo management.
QLASSIC vs Singapore’s CONQUAS
Singapore buyers will know CONQUAS, the Construction Quality Assessment System run by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) since 1989. Both systems score workmanship by sampling against a standard. A few differences, based on BCA’s description as of November 2026:
| Point | QLASSIC (Malaysia) | CONQUAS (Singapore) |
|---|---|---|
| Run by | CIDB | BCA |
| Standard | CIS 7:2021 | CONQUAS manuals; a private residential version launched in November 2025 |
| What is assessed | Workmanship of sampled building elements | Internal finishes, installation-method checks and functional tests for waterproofing, tiling, timber floors and windows, and external finishes |
| Result | A percentage score | A score, used to derive a band for private residential projects |
| Use | Voluntary for developers | Private residential projects placed in tiers linked to performance (applications from October 2019) |
Do not compare a QLASSIC percentage with a CONQUAS score directly; the standards, scope and scoring differ.
Use QLASSIC with these other checks
| Stage | Check | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Before booking | Developer licence and advertising permit on KPKT’s TEDUH portal; the developer’s completed projects and their condition | Checking a developer |
| Before booking | QLASSIC results for completed projects, if any | This guide |
| At completion | Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC), certified by the principal submitting person | CCC explained |
| At vacant possession | Your own defect inspection of the unit | VP defect checklist |
| First 24 months | Report defects in writing during the defect liability period | Latent defects after DLP |
| Subsale | Professional inspection and management records | Subsale inspection |
The 24-month defect liability period
For new homes sold under the statutory SPAs (Schedule G for landed and Schedule H for strata, with Schedules I and J for build-then-sell), amendments that took effect on 1 December 2007 lengthened the defect liability period from 18 months to 24 months from vacant possession. Developers must repair defects reported in writing within that period, at their own cost, within 30 days of the notice (The Star, December 2007). This applies whatever the project’s QLASSIC score. Keep dated photos and copies of every notice.
Build quality is one part of choosing a home. Density, facing and management matter too; see my guides to condo density and what to ask at the sales gallery.
Where to buy if this matters to you
- New launches in Johor Bahru: where developer and QLASSIC checks matter most.
- Iskandar Puteri: many recently completed projects to visit and compare.
- Mount Austin: completed condos and landed homes from several developers.
- Homes near the RTS Link station: newer towers in the city centre.
- Permas Jaya and Senibong: a mix of older and newer schemes on the east side.
Compare them on my JB property map.
More Johor living guides: Checking a developer · CCC explained · VP defect inspection checklist · Latent defects after DLP
Frequently asked questions
What is a QLASSIC score?
It is a percentage from CIDB’s Quality Assessment System in Construction, showing how well sampled workmanship in a completed building met the CIS 7 standard. The current edition is CIS 7:2021.
What is a good QLASSIC score?
There is no official pass mark for buyers. CIDB reported a national average of 72% in 2020, and the highest score among projects assessed in 2023 was 89%. Compare a project with these figures and with the developer’s other completed projects.
Is QLASSIC compulsory in Malaysia?
No, as far as I could find in November 2026. Developers choose whether to be assessed, and in October 2025 the deputy works minister was still urging more of the industry to adopt CIDB’s quality assessments.
Does a high QLASSIC score mean my unit has no defects?
No. QLASSIC inspects samples, not every unit, and LAM and PAM said in November 2024 that CIS 7 is not a defect specification for individual units. Inspect your own unit at vacant possession and report defects in writing within the 24-month defect liability period.
Can a new launch already have a QLASSIC score?
Not for the building you are buying, because the assessment is done after completion and before handover. A developer can show scores for its earlier completed projects, which is what you should ask for.
How is QLASSIC different from CONQUAS?
Both score workmanship by sampling. QLASSIC is Malaysia’s system run by CIDB; CONQUAS is Singapore’s, run by BCA since 1989, with functional tests such as waterproofing and bands for private residential projects. Their scores are not directly comparable.
Want a second opinion on a developer?
Tell me the project you are considering. I will check the developer’s licence and permit on TEDUH, ask for QLASSIC results and CCC dates on its completed projects, and take you to see one of them so you can judge the finishes yourself. You can also book an appointment, or a Zoom consultation if you are still abroad.
Sources: CIDB, QLASSIC programme page (CIS 7:2021; national average 69% in 2014 and 72% in 2020), checked November 2026; CIDB, “Mark of workmanship quality: QLASSIC” (components, categories, 1,699 projects assessed 2016 to 2020), checked November 2026; CIDB, QLASSIC page (CIS 7:2014 and 2006, first-time inspection, timing), last modified 12 March 2025; CIDB, QLASSIC FAQ (sampling, components, categories), checked November 2026; CIDB, QLASSIC portal, objectives, checked November 2026; CIDB IBS, About QLASSIC (assessor course and exam), last modified 30 January 2024; CIDB, media statement on QUEST 2024 (QLASSIC projects assessed in 2022 and 2023), 22 October 2024; Board of Architects Malaysia (LAM) and PAM, joint press release, clarification on CIS 7 and QLASSIC, 28 November 2024; Malay Mail, deputy works minister at the QUEST Awards 2025, 30 October 2025; The Edge Malaysia, “CIDB introduces updated Qlassic system”, 31 October 2014; Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Singapore, CONQUAS, checked November 2026; The Star, “Housebuyers to enjoy 24-month warranty”, 16 December 2007 (archived by the National House Buyers Association); Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Regulations 1989, regulation 11 and Schedules G to J, as amended to 1 December 2007, checked November 2026; Malay Mail, housing ministry urges buyers to check TEDUH, 7 September 2026
Jason Lim, REN 84424, IQI Realty Sdn. Bhd. E (1) 1584/6. General information checked on 12 November 2026, not legal or engineering advice. QLASSIC is a sample-based workmanship score, not a warranty; confirm results with CIDB and the developer, and use a lawyer and a qualified inspector for defect claims.