Care Label Symbols, Explained

October 12, 2026

A care label is built from five symbols, set out in a fixed order: a tub for washing, a triangle for bleaching, a square for drying, an iron for ironing and a circle for professional cleaning. Dots stand for heat, and more dots mean hotter. Bars underneath ask for a gentler process, and a cross means do not. Each symbol marks the harshest treatment the piece can take, so a cooler wash or a gentler cycle of the same kind stays within it.

Most labels follow one of two systems. US labels use plain words or the American symbols of ASTM D5489, which the Federal Trade Commission has allowed in place of words since 1 July 1997. Nearly every other country uses the international standard, ISO 3758, whose symbols are registered by GINETEX. The two share the five shapes but differ in a few marks, most visibly numbers against dots in the tub and the lines inside the drying square. The drawings on this page are the US symbols. Where an international label differs, the last column says how.

Symbol	What it covers
	Washing, by machine or by hand
	Bleaching
	Drying, in a dryer or in the air
	Ironing
	Professional cleaning: dry cleaning and wet cleaning

What do the dots and numbers in the wash tub mean?

They give the hottest water the piece can take. A US label shows it in dots, from one to six; an international label prints the temperature itself, in degrees Celsius.

Symbol	Meaning on a US label	On an international label
	Machine wash, normal cycle, at any temperature	A machine-wash tub always carries a number
	Machine wash, up to 30°C (86°F)	A 30 in the tub
	Up to 40°C (104°F)	A 40
	Up to 50°C (122°F)	A 50, on some labels
	Up to 60°C (140°F)	A 60
	Up to 70°C (158°F)	A 70
	Up to 95°C (203°F)	A 95
	Permanent press cycle: a cool-down rinse, then a gentler spin	A mild process, with less agitation
	Delicate or gentle cycle: slow agitation, shorter time	A very mild process, as for wool
	Hand wash	Hand wash, no warmer than 40°C (104°F). Since 2023, a hand with a bar beneath means room-temperature water, up to about 30°C (86°F)
	Do not wash	The same

Many US labels use words instead of symbols. Under the Federal Trade Commission's Care Labeling Rule, "cold" means water up to 30°C (86°F), "warm" 31–44°C (87–111°F) and "hot" 45–63°C (112–145°F). So one dot matches "cold", two dots "warm", and three and four dots fall within "hot". A label that says "machine wash" with no temperature means hot water is safe. Some US labels add a twisted cloth crossed out, which means do not wring.

What does the triangle on a care label mean?

The triangle is about bleach: an empty triangle allows any bleach, two diagonal lines inside allow only non-chlorine bleach, and a cross means no bleach.

Symbol	Meaning on a US label	On an international label
	Any bleach, chlorine or not, when needed	The same
	Only non-chlorine bleach, the oxygen kind sold as "color-safe"	The same
	Do not bleach	The same, drawn as an outline triangle crossed out

On a US label, a missing bleach symbol means any bleach is safe. International labels are meant to show all five symbols, the triangle included.

What does a square with a circle mean?

A circle inside the square means the tumble dryer, and its dots set the heat.

Symbol	Meaning on a US label	On an international label
	Tumble dry, any heat	Always shown with dots
	Tumble dry, low heat	Lower heat, exhaust air up to 60°C (140°F)
	Tumble dry, medium heat	Normal heat, exhaust air up to 80°C (176°F)
	Tumble dry, high heat	Not used
	Tumble dry with no heat, air only	Not used
	Permanent press dryer cycle	Not used
	Delicate or gentle dryer cycle	Not used
	Do not tumble dry	The same

Two dots read differently in the two systems: "medium" on a US label, "normal" on an international one, and the Federal Trade Commission has noted the same mismatch. On an international label, one dot asks for the dryer's low setting and two dots allow its normal heat.

What do the lines inside the drying square mean?

Lines inside the square mean drying without a dryer. Here the two systems differ most, and the same mark can mean different things.

Symbol	Meaning on a US label	On an international label
	Line dry: hang it to dry	One vertical line in the square
	Drip dry: hang it dripping wet, without spinning or wringing	Two vertical lines
	Dry flat: lay it out flat	The same
	In the shade, added to any of the three above	One diagonal line in the top-left corner

So two vertical lines mean drip drying on an international label and nothing on a US one, where drip drying is three lines. International labels also use two horizontal lines, for drying flat without spinning first.

What do the dots on the iron mean?

The dots set the iron's highest setting: one dot is low, two medium and three high, up to 110°C (230°F), 150°C (300°F) and 200°C (390°F) on a US label.

Symbol	Meaning on a US label	On an international label
	Iron, dry or steam, at any setting	Shown with dots
	Low, up to 110°C (230°F)	Up to 110°C; GINETEX's key to the 2023 standard gives 120°C (248°F). Steam may damage the piece
	Medium, up to 150°C (300°F)	Up to 150°C; GINETEX's key to the 2023 standard gives 160°C (320°F)
	High, up to 200°C (390°F)	Up to 200°C; GINETEX's key to the 2023 standard gives 210°C (410°F)
	No steam, added beneath any iron symbol	Since 2023: a one-dot iron with the steam crossed out, low heat without steam
	Do not iron	The same

A label does not say which edition it follows, so where the two figures differ, use the lower one. The Fahrenheit figures are the US chart's own, rounded; exactly, 150°C is 302°F and 200°C is 392°F. In words, a US label's "cool iron" means the lowest setting, "warm iron" the medium one, and "iron" alone the highest. A US label that leaves ironing out is saying the piece should not need it regularly.

As a rule of thumb, one dot suits acetate, acrylic, nylon and spandex; two dots suit polyester, rayon and viscose, silk and wool; three dots suit cotton and linen. GINETEX adds that the setting is read from the label alone, never from the fiber content.

What do the letters in the circle mean?

The circle is for the professional cleaner, and the letter tells them which process the piece can take.

Symbol	Meaning on a US label	On an international label
	Dry clean	Shown with a letter
	Dry clean, any solvent	Not used
	Dry clean, any solvent except trichloroethylene	Dry clean in perchloroethylene or the hydrocarbon solvents
	Dry clean, petroleum solvent only	Dry clean in hydrocarbon solvents (since 2023, also a silicone solvent)
	Do not dry clean	The same. It also rules out stain removers that contain solvents

A W in the circle means professional wet cleaning, a cleaner's controlled water process, and a crossed W means the piece should not be wet-cleaned. On an international label, bars under the circle ask the cleaner for a milder process. On a US label, short marks around the circle ask for a short cycle, reduced moisture, low heat or no steam finishing.

What is the difference between "dry clean" and "dry clean only"?

"Dry clean" names one safe method and leaves washing open; "dry clean only" warns that washing will damage the piece. Under the Federal Trade Commission's rule, a care label needs to give only one safe cleaning method. "Dry clean only" may be printed only with evidence that washing would cause damage. "For best results, dry clean" means the piece can be washed, though dry cleaning may keep it looking better and lasting longer.

Why does a label show numbers instead of dots?

A label shows numbers because it was made to the international standard. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission's rule lets the American symbols stand in for written instructions; the international symbols may appear only alongside the words. So on a piece sold in the US, a label with numbers in the tub should carry the instructions in words as well, and the words are the ones to follow.

What if the label and a care guide disagree?

Follow the label. Its symbols are set by the most sensitive part of the piece, which may be the dye, a finish, the buttons, a zip or an appliqué rather than the cloth.