What do the symbols on clothing labels mean?
The five symbol families and what each actually restricts, so you can decode any label without looking it up.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 10 min
- Read
- 2 min
Short answer
There are five symbols: a tub for washing, a triangle for bleaching, a square for drying, an iron for ironing and a circle for dry cleaning. A cross through any of them means do not, and dots or numbers indicate the temperature.
Care labels look cryptic and follow a consistent system. Once you know the five basic shapes and that a cross means prohibition, almost every label becomes readable without reference.
What you'll need
- A garment label (optional)
Step by step
- Learn the five shapes.Tub is washing, triangle is bleaching, square is drying, iron is ironing, circle is dry cleaning. Everything else is a modifier on one of those.
- Read a cross as a prohibition.A cross through any symbol means do not do it. A crossed tub means do not machine wash; a crossed triangle means no bleach.
- Read the number or dots in the tub as temperature.A number is degrees Celsius; dots indicate increasing temperature. One dot is cool, more dots are hotter.
- Read lines under a symbol as gentleness.One line under the tub means a gentle cycle, two lines means very gentle or delicate. The same applies to the drying square.
- Read the square carefully.A circle inside the square means tumble drying is allowed, with dots for heat. A crossed square with a circle means no tumble drying. Lines inside indicate line or flat drying.
- Read the iron's dots as temperature.One dot is cool for synthetics, two is medium, three is hot for cotton and linen. A crossed iron means do not iron at all.
- Read the circle as professional cleaning only.Letters inside tell the cleaner which solvents to use. A crossed circle means it cannot be dry cleaned.
- When in doubt, treat it as delicate.Cool water, gentle cycle, air dry flat. It is rarely wrong and it is far safer than guessing upwards.
Tips
- Labels state the maximum, not the requirement. Washing cooler and gentler than the label allows is always safe.
- Photograph the label of anything you wash rarely, or cut it off and keep it with a note. Faded labels are common on older garments.
- Wool, silk and anything with structure or lining benefits from being treated more gently than the label technically requires.
Common mistakes
- Ignoring a crossed tumble dryer symbol — Heat shrinks and distorts many fabrics irreversibly. It is the single most commonly ignored symbol and the most damaging.
- Treating the label temperature as a requirement — It is a maximum. Washing cooler is always safe and usually better for the garment.
- Guessing on an unfamiliar fabric — Damage from a hot wash is not reversible. Cool, gentle and flat dry is the safe default when in doubt.
Questions people ask
What does the square with a circle mean on a clothing label?
Tumble drying is permitted, with dots inside indicating the heat level. A cross through it means do not tumble dry at all.
Do I have to wash at the temperature on the label?
No — it is a maximum, not a requirement. Washing cooler and gentler is always safe and is usually better for the fabric.