Fashion Law Journal Tools

Laundry symbols & care label decoder

Q: What do the dots on laundry symbols mean?

Dots show heat. On a washtub each dot is a step up in maximum water temperature (1 dot 30°C up to 6 dots 95°C). On a tumble dryer or iron symbol, 1 dot is low, 2 medium and 3 high.

Q: What does the square with a circle mean?

The garment can be tumble dried. Dots inside set the heat, a filled circle means no heat, and a cross means do not tumble dry.

Q: What do lines under a washing symbol mean?

One line means a permanent press (mild) cycle; two lines mean a delicate or wool cycle.

Q: Are care labels required by law?

In the US the FTC Care Labeling Rule requires care instructions on most textile apparel. In the EU and UK care labels are voluntary, though fibre content labels are mandatory.

Q: What does a triangle mean on a clothing label?

A triangle is the bleaching symbol: empty means any bleach, two diagonal lines mean non-chlorine bleach only, crossed out means no bleach.

Every laundry symbol on a clothing care label (washing, bleaching, drying, ironing and professional care), with what it tells you to do and the compliance point behind it. Tap any symbol to open the detail.

Symbols decoded

Care families

ISO 3758

Reference standard

Tap a symbol

Dots mean temperature. Bars underneath mean reduced mechanical action. A cross means the process is prohibited.

Washing

Wash at 30C

Wash at 40C

Wash at 50C

Wash at 60C

Wash at 70C

Wash at 95C

Mild wash cycle

Very mild wash cycle

Hand wash only

Do not wash

Bleaching

Any bleach allowed

Non-chlorine bleach only

Do not bleach

Drying

Tumble dry

Tumble dry low

Tumble dry medium

Tumble dry high

Do not tumble dry

Line dry

Drip dry

Dry flat

Dry in the shade

Ironing

Iron on low

Iron on medium

Iron on high

Do not iron

Do not steam

Professional care

Dry clean, any solvent

Dry clean, P solvents

Dry clean, P, mild

Dry clean, F solvents

Do not dry clean

Professional wet clean

Wet clean, mild

Do not wet clean

Care symbols are standardised under ISO 3758 and, in the United States, are governed by the FTC Care Labeling Rule at 16 CFR Part 423. The GINETEX symbol set is protected and licensed in a number of European markets. This decoder is published for information and is not legal advice on labelling compliance for any particular product.

Why care labelling is a legal question

Reasonable basisA care instruction is a representation about the product. Regulators expect the seller to hold evidence, usually wash test data, that the garment survives what the label promises.

PermanenceThe label has to remain legible for the useful life of the garment. A care panel that fades after ten washes is itself non compliant, however accurate the original text.

Symbol licensingThe GINETEX care symbols are registered marks licensed through national bodies. Commercial use without a licence raises a trade mark issue separate from labelling law.

laundry symbols, family by family

symbol	means	modifiers
washtub	machine washing	dots or a number give max temperature: 1 dot 30°C, 2 dots 40°C, 3 dots 50°C, 4 dots 60°C. A hand in the tub means hand wash only.
triangle	bleaching	empty triangle: any bleach. Two diagonal lines: non-chlorine (oxygen) bleach only.
square	drying	circle inside: tumble dry (dots for low, medium, high heat). A curved line at the top (US) or one vertical line (ISO): line dry. Three vertical lines: drip dry. One horizontal line: dry flat.
iron	ironing	1 dot about 110°C (synthetics, silk), 2 dots about 150°C (wool, polyester), 3 dots about 200°C (cotton, linen).
circle	professional care	P or F: dry cleaning with the named solvents. W: professional wet cleaning.
bars under a symbol	gentler action	one bar: permanent press or mild cycle. Two bars: delicate or very mild cycle.
cross (X)	do not	do not wash, bleach, tumble dry, iron or dry clean, depending on the symbol it crosses.

03 · the law behind the label

united states

The FTC Care Labeling Rule (16 CFR Part 423) requires most textile clothing sold in the US to carry a permanent label with at least one safe cleaning method and warnings for anything that would harm the garment. Brands may use the ASTM D5489 symbols in place of words. Labels must stay legible for the life of the garment.

eu and uk

EU law makes fibre composition labelling mandatory (Regulation 1007/2011) but care labelling is voluntary. Most brands still use the ISO 3758 symbols, which GINETEX licenses as registered trademarks. That makes the familiar tub and triangle one of fashion’s quieter pieces of intellectual property.

04 · faq

laundry symbol questions

What do the dots on laundry symbols mean?

Dots show heat. On a washtub, each dot is a step up in maximum water temperature (1 dot 30°C up to 6 dots 95°C). On a tumble dryer or iron symbol, 1 dot is low, 2 medium and 3 high.

What does the square with a circle mean?

It means the garment can be tumble dried. Dots inside set the heat, a filled circle means no heat, and a cross means do not tumble dry.

What do lines under a washing symbol mean?

One line means a permanent press (mild) cycle. Two lines mean a delicate or wool cycle with gentle agitation and a slow spin.

Are care labels required by law?

In the US, yes: the FTC Care Labeling Rule requires care instructions on most textile apparel. In the EU and UK, care labels are voluntary, though fibre content labels are mandatory.

What does a triangle mean on a clothing label?

A triangle is the bleaching symbol. Empty means any bleach is fine, two diagonal lines mean non-chlorine bleach only, and a crossed-out triangle means no bleach.

Symbol meanings follow ISO 3758 and ASTM D5489. Temperatures are the maximums the label allows. More FLJ tools: fabric calculator · dress size chart · shoe size converter.