Reference
Care label symbol guide
Care labels use five symbol groups, in a fixed order: a wash tub, a triangle, a square, an iron and a circle. This page describes each symbol in words and gives the temperature or setting it stands for. Use it together with the label itself. The label on your garment always wins.
Before you wash
- The temperature is a maximum, so a cooler wash is always allowed.
- A line through or across a symbol means "do not".
- Bars under a symbol mean a gentler cycle: more bars, more gentle.
- Some labels print words as well as symbols. If the two seem to disagree, follow the words and check the manufacturer.
Washing (the tub)
| What you see | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Tub, no bar underneath | Machine wash, normal cycle |
| Tub with one bar underneath | Machine wash, permanent press cycle |
| Tub with two bars underneath | Machine wash, delicate or gentle cycle |
| Tub with a hand in it | Hand wash only |
| Tub crossed out | Do not wash |
| Tub with a crossed-out twisted cloth | Do not wring |
| One dot in the tub | Maximum water temperature about 30 degrees C (85 F) |
| Two dots | About 40 C (105 F) |
| Three dots | About 50 C (120 F) |
| Four dots | About 60 C (140 F) |
| Five dots | About 70 C (160 F) |
| Six dots | About 95 C (200 F) |
Some labels show the temperature as a number in the tub (30, 40, 60 and so on) instead of dots. It means the same thing: the hottest water the garment should meet.
Bleaching (the triangle)
| What you see | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Empty triangle | Any bleach may be used when needed |
| Triangle with diagonal lines inside | Only non-chlorine bleach when needed |
| Triangle crossed out | Do not bleach |
Drying (the square)
| What you see | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Square with a circle inside | Tumble dry is allowed |
| One dot in the circle | Tumble dry on low heat |
| Two dots | Tumble dry on medium heat |
| Three dots | Tumble dry on high heat |
| Filled circle | Tumble dry with no heat (air only) |
| Bars under the square | Permanent press (one bar) or delicate (two bars) dryer cycle |
| Circle in a square, crossed out | Do not tumble dry |
| Square with a curved line across the top | Line dry, hang to dry |
| Square with vertical lines | Drip dry, hang soaking wet without wringing |
| Square with one horizontal line | Dry flat |
| Diagonal lines in the top corner of a square | Dry in the shade |
Ironing (the iron)
| What you see | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Iron with one dot | Low, up to about 110 C (230 F) |
| Iron with two dots | Medium, up to about 150 C (300 F) |
| Iron with three dots | High, up to about 200 C (390 F) |
| Iron crossed out | Do not iron |
| Iron with a crossed-out steam burst | Do not use steam |
Professional cleaning (the circle)
| What you see | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Empty circle | Dry clean |
| Circle with a letter | The letter tells the cleaner which solvent family to use, so you can leave it to them |
| Bars under the circle | Gentler professional process |
| Circle crossed out | Do not dry clean |
Why the symbols exist
In the United States the Federal Trade Commission's Care Labeling Rule requires most clothing to carry care instructions, either in words or in symbols. The symbols come from a standard published by ASTM International, and a closely related international system is used in many other countries, so a garment bought abroad may show slightly different artwork. The wash and drying dot scale above follows the ASTM version. If a label shows symbols you cannot match to this page, do not guess. Read the words if there are any, or wash gently by hand in cool water and let the item air-dry flat.
Common mix-ups
- A dot is heat, a bar is gentleness. Dots never mean "cycle" and bars never mean "temperature".
- A crossed-out iron does not mean a garment cannot be steamed or hung in a steamy bathroom. It means do not press it with a hot iron.
- A label that says "dry clean" is a recommendation to protect the fabric. A label that says "dry clean only" with no wash instructions is the maker saying that washing is not safe.
- If the label is unreadable or missing, treat the item as delicate until you know the fiber.
Where this comes from
We checked the University of Tennessee Extension care symbol guide, which reproduces the ASTM symbol set, and the Federal Trade Commission's summary of the Care Labeling Rule and its use of ASTM D5489. Where a meaning could differ between systems, we described the version used in the United States. General information, not a replacement for the label on your clothes.