A care label is legally required in most markets. It is not decoration, and it is not optional. Getting it wrong — missing a required field, using the wrong language, printing on a material that fades after three washes — can mean customs delays, retailer rejection, or a recall. Here is what needs to be on the label, what the symbols actually mean, and how to spec it properly.
What the label must contain
Fibre composition is mandatory in the EU (Textile Labelling Regulation No 1007/2011), the US (FTC Textile Fiber Products Identification Act), and most other major markets. Percentages must be listed in descending order. 100% Cotton. 95% Cotton / 5% Elastane. If a blend has more than two fibres, list all fibres above 5% — anything below 5% can be grouped under "other fibres."
Country of origin is required for imported goods in most markets. "Made in Portugal" is a statement of where the garment was cut and sewn, not where the fabric was woven. If you finish a garment in one country using fabric from another, the manufacturing country is the one that goes on the label.
Care instructions are mandatory in the EU and strongly regulated in the US. In the EU they must be present; in the US they must be accurate and follow FTC rules. In both markets, failure to provide them is a compliance issue, not just a quality gap.
Language: in the EU, the label must be readable in the official language of the country of sale. If you are distributing across multiple EU markets, use a multilingual label or rely heavily on internationally recognised care symbols — which are language-neutral by design.
The five symbol categories (ISO 3758:2012)
Care symbols are governed by ISO 3758:2012, the international standard maintained by GINETEX. Every symbol on your label should come from this system. Using invented or non-standard symbols is a compliance risk in the EU and creates confusion everywhere else.
| CATEGORY | SYMBOL | WHAT IT MEANS |
|---|---|---|
| WASHING | Number inside = max temp in °C (30 / 40 / 60 / 95). Hand in tub = handwash only. Dots below tub = mechanical action (1 = gentle, 2 = normal). ✕ = do not wash. | |
| BLEACHING | Empty triangle = any bleach permitted. Two diagonal lines = non-chlorine bleach only. ✕ = do not bleach. | |
| DRYING | Circle inside square = tumble dry; dots in circle = heat (1 dot = low 60°C, 2 = medium 80°C). Horizontal line = dry flat. Three vertical lines = drip dry. ✕ = do not tumble dry. | |
| IRONING | 1 dot = max 110°C (synthetics). 2 dots = max 150°C (wool, blends). 3 dots = max 200°C (cotton, linen). ✕ = do not iron. | |
| PROFESSIONAL CARE | P = dry clean, any solvent. F = dry clean, hydrocarbon solvent only. W = professional wet cleaning. ✕ = do not dry clean. |
Label materials and the permanently-sewn rule
In the EU and US, care labels must be permanently attached for the expected life of the garment. Glued labels do not comply. The label must also remain legible — the print or weave cannot fade, peel, or become unreadable through normal washing. This is a wash-fastness requirement on the label itself, not just the garment fabric.
Satin labels (polyester satin) are the most common: soft, good print quality, durable. Woven labels carry the symbols as part of the weave structure — more expensive but essentially permanent. Printed cotton labels suit sustainable or natural-fibre garments but require higher print quality to survive repeated washing. Heat-transfer labels (tagless, printed directly onto the fabric) are comfortable for sportswear and basics but must use inks rated for at least 50 wash cycles at the relevant temperature.
What to spec in your tech pack
The care label section of your tech pack should confirm: label type (woven / satin / printed / heat-transfer), dimensions (width × height in mm), placement (back neck seam / side seam / waistband / lower inside hem), attachment method (sewn all four sides / sewn at top only / heat-transfer), fold style if applicable (centre-fold, end-fold), all required text content (fibre composition, country of origin, size if combined with care label), all care symbols in sequence (washing, bleaching, drying, ironing, professional cleaning), and required languages by target market.
Give the label supplier a complete written spec, not just a sketch. A label manufacturer who cannot produce a compliance checklist for your target markets is not a label manufacturer you want to use for your first bulk order.
What is coming: the EU Digital Product Passport
From 2026, the EU's Digital Product Passport (DPP) regulation begins phasing in for textiles. It will require brands selling into the EU to attach a digital identifier — most likely a QR code — to each garment that links to a structured data record covering fibre content, country of origin, recycled content, repairability information, and care instructions. The physical label is not going away, but it will need to carry the QR code as well. If you are building a brand that plans to sell in Europe, this is worth tracking now, not later.