Fur labeling: what a fur label and listing must show

What fur labeling means for a maker

Fur labeling is the set of federal rules on how real fur is described on a garment's label, on invoices and in any ad or listing. The Fur Products Labeling Act, at 15 U.S.C. §§ 69-69j, requires articles of apparel made of fur to be labeled, invoiced and advertised with the animal's name and a few other facts. The Federal Trade Commission's Fur Rules set out the details.

The Act defines fur as any animal skin or part thereof with hair, fleece, or fur fibers attached thereto, raw or processed. A fur product is any article of wearing apparel made in whole or in part of fur or used fur, and the Fur Rules define wearing apparel as any articles of clothing or covering for any part of the body. That takes in more than coats. A beanie with a fox pom-pom, a parka with a coyote hood ruff, rabbit fur mittens and a scarf with a mink collar are all fur products, because part of each is fur.

Small makers meet these rules most often in three ways: adding real fur trim or pom-poms to knitwear and hats, upcycling vintage fur coats into new pieces, and buying finished fur trim from a supplier. Each case needs the same label facts, plus a few extra ones for used fur.

These are federal rules. States can add their own, and California bans most new fur sales outright. This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules vary by state and city, so check with the FTC and your state before you sell.

What a fur label must show

The Act lists what must be on a fur label, in words that are plainly legible. The table sets out each item, when it applies and where the rule comes from. If an item does not apply to your product, it does not go on the label.

The country of origin is the country in which the animal producing the fur was raised, or if in a feral state, was taken. It is not the country where you sewed the hat. If one product holds furs from several countries, the countries are listed in the order of predominance by surface areas. If the origin of imported fur is unknown, the label says Fur origin: Unknown.

A whole fur garment that a consumer used and that you sell again, as is or rebuilt, is designated “Second-hand”, “Reconditioned-Second-hand”, or “Rebuilt-Second-hand” as part of the required information. If a customer brings you their own fur to restyle and you return it to them, labeling of the fur product shall not be required, but you must give the owner an invoice with the required facts for any fur you added.

How the fur label has to look

The Fur Rules also cover the form of the label. All required information goes on one side of the label, in letters of equal size and conspicuousness, and it must be set out in the English language. Words are spelled out fully: no abbreviations and no ditto marks.

The label must be conspicuous and of such durability as to remain attached until the product reaches the buyer. Sew it in, or use a tag attached firmly enough to stay on through sale and resale.

If the garment also contains fabric, such as a wool hat with a fur pom-pom, the fiber content of the fabric can go on the same side of the label as the fur information. The clothing label guide covers how to label the fabric part.

• Example label for a knit hat with a dyed, imported pom-pom: 100% Wool, Pom-pom: Dyed Rabbit, Fur origin: China, followed by your business name or RN. The fiber, animal and country here are example inputs.
• Example label for a new collar cut from a vintage mink coat whose origin you cannot trace: Natural Mink, Used Fur, Fur origin: Unknown, with your business name or RN. The animal is an example input.

How to put your business identity on a fur label

The label must name a business that made or sells the product. A small maker has two options.

1. Use your full business name

   The name on the label must be the full name under which the person is doing business. A shop nickname or trademark alone does not count.

2. Or get a registered identification number

   The FTC issues registered identification numbers, called RNs, which can replace the name on the label. You apply on https://rn.ftc.gov. An RN issued under the Wool Products Labeling Act and Textile Fiber Products Identification Act can also be used on fur labels, and the reverse.

3. Keep it up to date

   Tell the FTC through the same site when your business name, address or legal status changes. An RN is subject to cancellation if the FTC is not told about such changes.

Fur labeling in online listings and ads

The Act treats a fur product as falsely advertised if any advertisement, representation, public announcement, or notice meant to help sell it leaves out the required facts. That covers your shop listing, product photos with captions, social posts and marketplace titles. A listing must state the animal name from the Name Guide, and say when the fur is used, dyed or bleached, pointed, made of pieces, or imported, with its country of origin.

In an ad, all parts of the required information must be stated in close proximity with each other and, if printed, in legible and conspicuous type of equal size. Put them together in the description, not scattered across the page.

Shops that list several imported fur products sometimes use a general line saying products are labeled with country of origin. That shortcut does not apply to catalogue, mail order, or other types of advertising where the buyer cannot see the label before delivery. An online shop is in that position, so each listing should name the country itself.

The Fur Products Labeling Act and its one small-seller exemption

Before the Truth in Fur Labeling Act of 2010, the FTC could exempt garments by reason of the relatively small quantity or value of the fur or used fur in them. The 2010 Act, enacted on Dec. 18, 2010, struck that exemption out, effective 90 days after the date of the enactment. Since then, a fur trim on a hood or a single pom-pom is a fur product the same way a full coat is, whatever its value.

The Act now has one narrow exemption. A fur product is exempt when the fur came from trapping or hunting and it is sold in a face-to-face transaction at a place such as a residence, craft fair, by the person who trapped or hunted the animal, where that income is not the primary source of income. A maker who buys pelts, or sells online, does not fit this exemption.

Retailers and makers can rely on a guaranty received in good faith from their supplier that the fur is not misbranded. If you buy finished trim or pom-poms, ask the supplier for a written guaranty and the facts you need for your own label: animal name, country of origin and whether the fur is dyed.

How to describe faux fur so it is not mistaken for real fur

The Act defines fur as any animal skin or part thereof with hair, fleece, or fur fibers attached thereto, so a synthetic pile fabric is outside the Fur Act. The risk runs the other way: a product sold as faux that turns out to contain real fur is a fur product, and the Act treats a fur product as misbranded if it is falsely or deceptively labeled.

To keep faux fur listings clear, describe the fiber, for example acrylic or polyester, and use the words faux fur or fake fur. Avoid animal names on their own in titles, such as fox pom-pom, when the pom-pom is synthetic. If a supplier sells cheap pom-poms as faux, part the pile and look at the base before you list: real fur is an animal skin with the hair attached, while faux fur sits on a fabric backing.

If you cannot confirm what a trim is made of, do not sell it as faux. The Fur Act applies in addition to, and not in substitution for other federal laws, so a wrong label can break more than one rule. The clothing label guide covers how to label the fabric itself.

California's ban on selling new fur products

California's Fish and Game Code section on fur, added by AB 44, makes it unlawful to sell, offer for sale, display for sale, trade, or otherwise distribute a fur product in the state from January 1, 2023. It is also unlawful to manufacture a fur product in the state for sale.

California's definition is wider than the federal one. It includes handbags, shoes, slippers, hats, earmuffs, scarves, shawls, gloves, jewelry, keychains, toys or trinkets, and home accessories and decor. It excludes cowhide with hair attached and deerskin, sheepskin, or goatskin with hair attached, so shearling and sheepskin are outside the ban.

The ban does not apply to a used fur product, meaning fur in any form that has been worn or used by an ultimate consumer. It also excludes A fur product used for religious purposes and fur used for traditional tribal, cultural, or spiritual purposes by members of listed Native American tribes. A seller of exempt fur products must keep a record of each sale for at least one year. Penalties are up to five hundred dollars ($500) for a first violation, up to seven hundred fifty dollars ($750) for a repeat within a year, and up to one thousand dollars ($1,000) after that, and each fur product that constitutes a violation counts separately.

For a maker outside California, this means checking whether you ship new fur products to California buyers. Other states and cities may have their own fur rules, so check where your buyers are.

Fur label checklist before you list

1. Confirm the material

   Find out from the supplier whether the trim is real fur, which animal it came from, where the animal was raised, and whether it was dyed. Ask for a written guaranty.

2. Write the label

   Use the Name Guide animal name, add natural, dyed, pointed or used fur as they apply, add the country of origin for imported fur, and add your business name or RN. Spell everything out in English, on one side of the label.

3. Attach it so it stays

   Sew the label in or attach a durable tag that will stay on until the buyer receives it.

4. Match the listing

   Copy the same facts into the listing description and keep them together. Name the country of origin in each listing.

5. Check where it ships

   Do not sell new fur products to buyers in California, and check other state and city rules for the places you ship to.

6. Keep records

   Keep supplier invoices and label records. Fur makers and dealers must keep records for at least three years.

Where Nation fits

Questions about fur labeling