Laundry symbols and their meanings

Care labels use five basic shapes, each for one step of care. Extra marks change the meaning:

Shape	Means	Modifiers
Washtub	Washing	Number = max °C; bars underneath = gentler cycle; hand = hand wash
Triangle	Bleaching	Two diagonal lines = non-chlorine bleach only
Square with circle	Tumble drying	One dot = low heat, two dots = normal heat
Square with lines	Natural drying	Vertical = line dry; horizontal = dry flat; diagonal corner = in shade
Iron	Ironing	One to three dots = low to high temperature
Circle	Professional cleaning	Letter P, F or W tells the cleaner which process

A large X through any symbol means do not: do not wash, do not bleach, do not tumble dry, and so on.

International labels print the maximum water temperature in °C inside the washtub. US labels following the ASTM standard often use one to six dots instead. Here is how they line up:

Label shows	°C	°F	Washer setting
30 or 1 dot	30 °C	86 °F	Cold
40 or 2 dots	40 °C	104 °F	Warm
50 or 3 dots	50 °C	122 °F	Warm/hot
60 or 4 dots	60 °C	140 °F	Hot
70 or 5 dots	70 °C	158 °F	Hot
95 or 6 dots	95 °C	203 °F	Very hot / sanitize

One bar under the tub means a permanent press cycle (gentler agitation, shorter spin); two bars mean a delicate or wool cycle.

Tumble drying is a square with a circle inside. Two dots mean normal heat, one dot means low heat, and a crossed-out symbol means do not tumble dry. Some US labels also use a filled black circle for no heat (air fluff).

Natural drying is a square with lines: one vertical line for line dry, three vertical lines (or two, on international labels) for drip dry, one horizontal line for dry flat. A diagonal line in the top-left corner adds "in the shade", important for dark colors and silk.

Ironing uses dots for temperature: one dot up to about 230–248 °F (110–120 °C) for synthetics such as nylon; two dots up to about 300–320 °F (150–160 °C) for wool and polyester; three dots up to about 390–410 °F (200–210 °C) for cotton and linen. Lines below the iron that are crossed out mean no steam.

A circle means professional cleaning; the letter inside is an instruction for the cleaner:

• P: dry clean with perchloroethylene or hydrocarbon solvents.
• F: dry clean with hydrocarbon (petroleum) solvents only.
• W: professional wet cleaning, a water-based process done by a cleaner.
• A bar under the circle asks for a gentle process; two bars for very gentle.

In the US, a plain empty circle also simply means "dry clean". A crossed-out circle means do not dry clean; be careful with solvent stain removers on those garments too.

Labels list the symbols in a fixed order: wash, bleach, dry, iron, professional care. Each symbol shows the most severe treatment the garment can take; anything gentler is always fine. So a label with 40 °C (104 °F) also allows washing at 30 °C (86 °F).

Tap one symbol per category to build the label, and Copy text gives you the full instructions in plain English, handy when passing clothes to a dry cleaner, a laundry service or a family member. The drawings here are our own illustrations of the ISO 3758 symbols; the symbol system itself is a registered trademark of GINETEX. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission's Care Labeling Rule requires most apparel sold to carry care instructions, which may be in words, symbols or both.