Illustrative situation
A brand importing hoodies asks the factory to put "wash cold" on the label. After the first customer reports of shrinkage in the dryer, the brand wonders whether the label wording met the rule and what a complete instruction should say.
Main answer
US apparel must carry care instructions for regular use, on a label that stays attached and legible for the useful life of the product, and the instructions must warn about any part of the normal procedure that would harm the garment. Base the wording on testing, and check the current rule text for your product before printing.
What the rule requires
The FTC Care Labeling Rule, 16 CFR Part 423, requires manufacturers and importers of textile wearing apparel to attach a permanent care label with instructions for the regular care of the garment. Instructions must be given by words or symbols and cover the steps needed, such as washing, drying, ironing, bleaching and dry cleaning where relevant.
Reasonable basis
The instructions must be backed by a reasonable basis, meaning the garment has been tested or the maker has other evidence that following the instructions will not harm it. If other common procedures would damage the garment, the label must warn against them. For example, if hot drying would damage it, the label should say not to tumble dry hot.
Wording and symbols
Use clear standard terms, such as machine wash cold, tumble dry low, do not bleach, and warm iron if needed. ASTM D5489 provides care symbols, and FTC guidance explains how to comply and how terms are defined. Make sure words and symbols agree and do not contradict each other.
Exemptions and special cases
Some items, such as certain linings, trims and products where the label would damage the garment, have exceptions or different placement rules, and children’s sleepwear has extra rules. Check the rule text for your product category before assuming an item is exempt.
Labels in practice
The label must be attached so that it stays legible throughout the garment’s life, and visible or easy to find when sold, with some exceptions. Test labels through repeated washing. Brands often combine care text with fibre content and origin. Check requirements for other markets separately. See what care symbols mean and fibre content labelling.
Fact, recommendation, uncertainty
- Established fact
- The FTC Care Labeling Rule in 16 CFR Part 423 requires permanent care labels with instructions for regular care, backed by a reasonable basis and warning of harmful procedures.
- Recommendation
- Test the garment, write clear terms and matching symbols, and test the label itself through repeated washes.
- Uncertainty
- Rules change and have exceptions, so check the current text for your product and markets.
Sources and further reading
- eCFR — 16 CFR 423.6, Care labeling of textile wearing apparel
- FTC — Clothes Captioning: Complying with the Care Labeling Rule
Sources checked on 24 October 2026. Standards bodies sell the full texts; we cite what their public pages state. General information, not legal or technical certification advice.
More perspectives from the team
Three further views on the same question, each by function. They add conditions and limits to the main answer; they are editorial notes, not customer reviews.
Sino Finetex Editorial Team Sourcing
Ask the factory to show its wash test records that support the care wording. Limit: a factory’s standard text may not suit your fabric. Ask whether the factory’s standard care text has been tested on your fabric.
Sino Finetex Editorial Team Product selection
Choose the gentlest instruction you can honestly support, so customers do not damage the product. Limit: very strict wording can reduce sales appeal. Keep the instruction short, so customers read all of it.
Sino Finetex Editorial Team Quality & care
Check the label legibility after ten washes and the match with the garment’s test. Limit: a label that fades does not meet the rule. Retain the test report that supports each care instruction with the order file.
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