Quick answer
Under the FTC Care Labeling Rule, a clothing care label must give a washing or drycleaning instruction, be attached permanently and securely and stay legible during the useful life of the product. The maker or importer needs a reasonable basis for all care instructions and warnings. Care symbols are optional, and any symbols used must be those developed by the ASTM and designated as ASTM Standard D5489-96c.
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What a clothing care label must say under the FTC rule
The FTC Care Labeling Rule, published as 16 CFR Part 423, requires manufacturers and importers to attach care instructions to garments. A clothing care label must give a washing or drycleaning instruction. The table sums up the other requirements in the FTC's business guide.
Who the care labeling rule covers, and what is exempt
The rule covers manufacturers and importers of textile wearing apparel, manufacturers and importers of piece goods sold to consumers for making wearing apparel, and any person or organization that directs or controls the manufacturing or importing of these products. A brand that directs or controls a factory's production of its garments is in that last group.
Covered products are textile apparel worn to cover or protect the body. Some items are outside the rule or need only a temporary label.
- Exempt apparel: shoes, gloves and hats.
- Excluded items: handkerchiefs, belts, suspenders and neckties, plus non-woven garments made for one-time use.
- A temporary label at the point of sale instead of a permanent one: totally reversible clothing without pockets, and products that may be washed, bleached, dried, ironed and drycleaned by the harshest procedures available, labeled "Wash or dryclean, any normal method".
- Hosiery: stockings, anklets, waist-high tights, panty hose and leg warmers are exempt from permanent labels, but they must have care instructions on a hang tag, on the package or in another conspicuous place.
- No care instructions needed: products sold to institutional buyers for commercial use, and garments custom-made of material provided by the consumer.
Writing the washing instruction: the five elements
The FTC breaks a washing instruction into five elements, and a label must consider all of them: washing, drying, ironing, bleaching and warnings.
The minimum washing instruction is a method of washing and a method of drying, like "Machine wash. Tumble dry." Those words alone mean the product can be machine washed and tumble dried at any temperature, that any type of bleach can be used and that ironing isn't necessary. If that is untrue for your garment, the label has to say more.
If an item is not colorfast, the label must say "Wash with like colors" or "Wash separately." Warnings aren’t necessary for alternative procedures that could be harmful. For example, if the instructions state "Dry flat," it's not necessary to state "Do not tumble dry."
Care instructions must cover all components of the product, including non-detachable linings, trim and other details. Add any special handling as a warning, for example "Remove trim," or "Close zipper." A detachable part such as a slip-out liner must be labeled separately if it requires a different care procedure than the main product.
Drycleaning instructions and when a label can say "Dryclean only"
If an item can be washed and drycleaned, the label needs only one of these instructions.
The single word "Dryclean" means any solvent may be used safely in a process that includes machine cleaning, moisture addition to solvent of up to 75% relative humidity, hot tumble drying up to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, and restoration by steam press or steam-air finishing. If any part of that process would harm the garment, the instruction must include a warning to avoid or modify that part of the process, for example "Dryclean. No steam." By itself, "Professionally dryclean" is not an adequate instruction.
"Dryclean only" warns that the garment can’t be washed. To use it, you need a reasonable basis for both the drycleaning instruction and the warning against washing. A garment that can be neither washed nor drycleaned safely must carry the words "Do not wash — Do not dryclean".
Care label symbols and what they mean
Symbols are optional as long as care instructions are on the label. If you use symbols without words, the FTC suggests explaining their meaning, perhaps on a hangtag or in your catalogue.
The ASTM system uses five basic symbols, one each for washing, bleaching, drying, ironing and drycleaning. The table uses the FTC's descriptions from the notice that allowed ASTM symbols in place of words from July 1, 1997.
The rule text names ASTM Standard D5489-96c, and the FTC states that only the ASTM symbols are approved for use in the United States. ASTM and ISO symbols are similar, but not identical. In September 2012, the FTC proposed allowing the updated ASTM symbols in ASTM Standard D5489-07, and the ISO symbols in ISO Standard 3758:2005(E), but the rule text on eCFR still names only the older ASTM standard.
When you use symbols in place of words, the symbols must fulfill the requirements of the Rule. The FTC has not specified a type size for the symbols, but they must be legible.
How to set a reliable care instruction for a garment you make
The rule asks for evidence, and the FTC says you cannot write "Dryclean only" without proof that washing will harm the garment.
List every part of the garment
Write down the shell fabric, lining, interfacing, thread, trim, buttons, zippers and any print or embellishment, because the care instruction has to suit all of them.
Decide what evidence you already have
In some cases, experience and industry expertise serve as a reasonable basis. The rule text also accepts reliable evidence of current technical literature that supports the care information.
Test where the risk is known
If you use a dye that is known to bleed, or beads that are known to be damaged in drycleaning, you may need test results that show the garment can be cleaned as recommended without being damaged. Example: for a "Machine wash cold" label, wash finished samples several times on that setting and check for shrinkage, color loss and damaged trim.
Test the finished garment, not only the parts
You need reliable evidence that the entire garment won’t be damaged when cleaned as directed. Testing the parts alone is not an adequate basis for a "wash" instruction if the color of one part bleeds onto another.
Write the five elements and the warnings
Write each element and any warnings. Keep your test notes with the label wording, because the rule text requires the reasonable basis to exist prior to sale.
Where the care label goes, and printed care labels
Attach care labels so buyers can easily see or find them at the point of sale. If packaging hides the label, place extra care information on the outside of the package or on a hang-tag attached to the product.
Care instructions may be printed straight onto the garment or onto the fiber content label, if the instructions meet the Rule's requirements of permanence and legibility. They can also go on the back of another permanent label if only one end of the permanent label is sewn into the garment and the consumer has easy access to the front and back of the label.
A suit or set sold as a unit needs only one care label if the care instructions are the same for all parts; attach it to the major piece of the suit. If the pieces need different care or are sold separately, each item must have its own care label. For fabric sold from the bolt for home sewing, care information goes on the end of each roll or bolt of fabric.
What happens if a care label is wrong
Under the rule text, it is an unfair or deceptive act or practice for a maker or importer to fail to possess, prior to sale, a reasonable basis for all regular care information disclosed to the purchaser. The FTC's guide says that failing to provide reliable care instructions and warnings is a violation of the FTC Act, and in enforcement actions the FTC contends that each mislabeled garment is a violation.
The Care Labeling Rule is federal, but other labeling and consumer rules vary by state and city. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Is the FTC care labeling rule still in effect?
On June 22, 2020, the FTC asked for public comment on a proposed repeal of the Care Labeling Rule. The rule text still appears in the eCFR, which is up to date as of 10/01/2026, so treat the rule as in force for garments sold in the US.
The FTC's business guide on the rule is dated May 2014. Check the rule text on eCFR before you print a new run of labels.
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Describe what you makeQuestions about clothing care labels
What do care label symbols mean?
Care label symbols approved in the US come from the ASTM system, which uses five basic symbols: a washtub for washing, a triangle for bleaching, a square for drying, an iron for ironing and a circle for drycleaning. An "X" cancelling out the symbol warns against using the designated cleaning technique.
Is a care label required by law?
A care label is required for textile clothing sold in the US under the FTC Care Labeling Rule, 16 CFR Part 423. The rule requires manufacturers and importers to attach care instructions to garments. Exempt apparel includes shoes, gloves and hats, and totally reversible clothing without pockets needs only a temporary label.
Do I need care labels on handmade clothing I sell?
Handmade clothing you sell needs a care label unless an exemption applies, because the Care Labeling Rule covers manufacturers and importers of textile wearing apparel and the FTC's list of exemptions has none based on business size. One exemption fits some handmade sellers: no care instructions are needed for garments custom-made of material provided by the consumer.
What does a dot mean on a care label?
A dot on a care label symbol stands for a temperature range. When the FTC adopted the ASTM symbols, it noted that ASTM had changed the definition of one dot to a range from 65 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Labels written in words use terms instead, and the rule's glossary defines "Cold" for machine washing as initial water temperature up to 86 degrees F [30 degrees C].