How to read clothing labels: a complete guide

Jan 30
7 min read

That small fabric tag tucked inside your clothes contains more useful information than you might expect. Learning to read it properly is one of the most practical skills you can develop for making sustainable fashion choices—and it takes just a few minutes to learn.

Clothing labels tell you what a garment is made from, how to care for it, and often where it was produced. This information helps you assess quality, predict how long something will last, understand its environmental impact, and keep it in good condition for years. Yet most of us glance at labels only when something goes wrong in the wash.

This guide walks you through everything on a clothing label, from fabric percentages to those cryptic care symbols. By the end, you'll be able to decode any label with confidence.

The basics

Clothing labels typically contain three types of information: fabric content, care instructions, and origin details. Legal requirements vary by country, but most garments sold in the UK and EU must display at least the fibre composition and care instructions.

Fabric content tells you what materials make up the garment, listed by percentage. This is perhaps the most important information for sustainable shopping, as material choice accounts for a significant portion of a garment's environmental footprint.

Care symbols are those small icons that look like hieroglyphics. They're actually standardised internationally, which means once you learn them, you can read labels from anywhere in the world. These symbols tell you how to wash, dry, iron, and clean the garment—following them properly can dramatically extend a garment's life.

Country of origin indicates where the garment was assembled. This is useful context, though it doesn't tell the whole story—a "Made in Portugal" label doesn't necessarily mean the fabric was produced there too.

Some labels also include brand-specific information like style numbers, sizing across different regions, or sustainability certifications. Certification logos are worth learning to recognise, as they provide third-party verification of claims that would otherwise be difficult to assess.

Step-by-step guidance

Reading fabric content

Fabric content is listed in descending order by weight percentage. The first material listed makes up the largest portion of the garment. Here's how to interpret what you see.

A label reading "100% Organic Cotton" is straightforward—the garment is made entirely from one material, and in this case, it's certified organic. Single-material garments are generally easier to recycle at end of life, which is worth considering if circularity matters to you.

Blended fabrics are more common, and the label might read something like "60% Cotton, 35% Polyester, 5% Elastane." This tells you cotton is the dominant fibre, but there's a significant synthetic component. The small percentage of elastane is typical in garments that need stretch. When assessing sustainability, pay most attention to the materials that make up the largest percentages—that 5% elastane has far less impact than the 60% cotton.

Watch for vague terms. "Viscose" could mean conventional viscose with significant environmental concerns, or it could be Tencel lyocell, which has a much better profile. If a brand uses a more sustainable variant, they'll usually specify it. Generic terms often indicate the conventional version.

Some labels include certifications alongside fabric content. "GOTS Certified Organic Cotton" or "GRS Certified Recycled Polyester" indicates third-party verification. These certifications are meaningful—they require audits and chain of custody tracking that generic claims like "eco-friendly" don't.

Decoding care symbols

Care symbols fall into five categories: washing, bleaching, drying, ironing, and professional cleaning. Each uses a base symbol with modifiers that indicate temperature or intensity.

The wash tub symbol indicates washing instructions. A number inside the tub shows the maximum temperature in Celsius. A single line underneath means use the permanent press or synthetic cycle. Two lines mean use the delicate cycle. A hand in the tub means hand wash only. An X through the tub means do not wash—the garment needs professional cleaning.

The triangle symbol covers bleaching. An empty triangle means any bleach is acceptable. Diagonal lines inside mean non-chlorine bleach only. An X through the triangle means do not bleach.

The square symbol addresses drying. A circle inside the square indicates tumble drying is acceptable—dots inside that circle show heat level, with one dot for low, two for medium, and three for high. A single horizontal line inside the square means dry flat. A curved line at the top means line dry. An X through any of these means avoid that method.

The iron symbol is self-explanatory in shape. Dots inside indicate temperature: one dot for low heat suitable for synthetics, two dots for medium heat suitable for wool and silk, three dots for high heat suitable for cotton and linen. An X through the iron means do not iron. Lines under the iron indicate steam settings.

The circle symbol relates to professional cleaning. Letters inside indicate which solvents can be used—this matters more to your dry cleaner than to you. An X through the circle means do not dry clean.

Understanding country of origin

"Made in" labels indicate where final assembly occurred, which is legally required in most markets. This gives you some useful context but doesn't tell the complete story of where a garment came from.

A shirt might be "Made in Portugal" while the cotton was grown in India, spun into yarn in Turkey, and woven into fabric in Italy before arriving in Portugal for cutting and sewing. Supply chains are genuinely global, and the assembly location is just one piece of the puzzle.

That said, production region does matter for sustainability. Countries have different labour standards, environmental regulations, and energy grids. A garment manufactured in a country with strong worker protections and renewable energy will generally have a better profile than one made where regulations are weak and electricity comes primarily from coal.

If you want to know more than the label tells you, look for brands that disclose their full supply chain. Some publish factory lists or use traceability systems that let you see where each component originated. This level of transparency is still relatively rare, but it's becoming more common among brands that take sustainability seriously.

Putting it into practice

Reading labels becomes second nature once you've done it a few times. Here's how to apply this knowledge when you're actually shopping.

Start with fabric content. Before you check the price or size, look at what the garment is made from. Ask yourself whether the materials align with your sustainability priorities. If you're trying to reduce your plastic footprint, that 60% polyester blend might not be the right choice. If you want something that will biodegrade at end of life, check for natural fibres without synthetic blends.

Check for certifications. If a brand claims their cotton is organic or their polyester is recycled, look for certification logos that verify this. GOTS for organic textiles, GRS for recycled content, and OEKO-TEX for chemical safety are among the most common. If there's no certification, the claim is unverified—not necessarily false, but not independently confirmed either.

Consider the care requirements. That dry-clean-only silk blouse is beautiful, but will you actually maintain it properly? Be honest with yourself about your care habits. A garment that sits unworn because it's too difficult to care for isn't a sustainable purchase, regardless of what it's made from.

Think about longevity. Natural fibres like wool and linen often age well and can be repaired. Delicate fabrics or complex blends might be harder to maintain over time. The label gives you clues about how demanding the garment will be to keep in good condition.

Don't aim for perfection. No label will tick every box. A garment might use excellent materials but be made in a region with weaker regulations, or it might be produced ethically but use a fabric blend that's harder to recycle. Use label information as one input among many, not as a pass-fail test.

Quick reference

Garment care symbols

Symbol type	Image	What to look for	What it means
Wash tub with number		Temperature (e.g., 30, 40)	Maximum wash temperature in °C
Lines under wash tub		One or two lines	Gentle or delicate cycle required
Hand in tub		Hand symbol	Hand wash only
Square with circle		Tumble dryer	Tumble drying acceptable
Dots in symbols		One, two, or three dots	Heat level: low, medium, high
X through any symbol		Crossed out	Do not use this method
Triangle		Empty or with lines	Bleaching guidance
Iron with dots		One to three dots	Iron temperature setting
Circle with letter		Letter inside (P, F, W)	Professional cleaning solvent guidance

Garment production symbols

Label term	What it usually means
100% [material]	Single fibre, easier to recycle
Organic	Certified organic fibre (look for GOTS or OCS)
Recycled	Contains recycled content (look for GRS or RCS)
Viscose/rayon	Regenerated cellulose, often from wood pulp
Lyocell/Tencel	Closed-loop viscose variant, better environmental profile
Elastane/spandex	Synthetic stretch fibre, usually small percentage
Made in [country]	Final assembly location only

Going deeper

Now that you can read labels confidently, you might want to explore specific materials in more detail. Our material guides cover the sustainability profile of individual fibres—from recycled cotton to Tencel lyocell—so you can understand what different fabric contents actually mean for environmental impact.

If you're interested in certifications, we have explainers covering what each one actually verifies and how trustworthy they are. Not all certifications are created equal, and understanding the differences helps you assess brand claims more critically.

For quick assessments when you're shopping, our FSI tool lets you check the sustainability score of any garment based on its materials, brand, and production region. It's a practical way to apply what you've learned about labels to real purchasing decisions.

The most sustainable choice is often the garment you'll wear for years. Learning to read labels is really about gathering the information you need to make that call—understanding what something is made from, how to care for it, and whether it aligns with your values. That small fabric tag is your starting point.

Sources

This guide draws on the following standards and resources:

ASTM International. Standard Guide for Care Symbols for Care Instructions on Textile Products. View standard information
GINETEX. Care Labelling Symbols. View symbols guide
European Commission. Textile Labelling Requirements. View regulation

For details on how we assess material sustainability, see our FSI methodology page.