Laundry symbols: every care label symbol, explained
Photograph a label or click any symbol — decoded in plain English across US, EU/UK and Australian standards.
| Symbol | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Washing — the wash tub | ||
| Machine wash cold (30°C) wash tub with one dot (US) or the number 30 (ISO/AU) | May be machine washed at a maximum of 30°C / 86°F (cold), normal cycle. | |
| Machine wash warm (40°C) wash tub with two dots (US) or the number 40 (ISO/AU) | May be machine washed at a maximum of 40°C / 105°F (warm), normal cycle. | |
| Machine wash warm–hot (50°C) wash tub with three dots (US) or the number 50 (ISO/AU) | May be machine washed at a maximum of 50°C / 120°F, normal cycle. | |
| Machine wash hot (60°C) wash tub with four dots (US) or the number 60 (ISO/AU) | May be machine washed at a maximum of 60°C / 140°F (hot) — whites and heavy cottons. | |
| Hand wash wash tub with a hand reaching into it | Hand wash only at a maximum of 40°C — do not machine wash. | |
| Do not wash wash tub crossed out with an X | Do not wash in water — see the professional-care symbol instead. | |
| Bleaching — the triangle | ||
| Any bleach allowed empty triangle | Any bleach may be used when needed. | |
| Non-chlorine bleach only triangle with two diagonal lines inside | Only non-chlorine (oxygen / colour-safe) bleach may be used, when needed. | |
| Do not bleach triangle crossed out with an X | Do not bleach — no chlorine or oxygen bleach of any kind. | |
| Tumble drying — a square with a circle | ||
| Tumble dry low square with a circle inside and one dot | May be tumble dried on low heat (max ~60°C exhaust temperature). | |
| Tumble dry medium square with a circle inside and two dots | May be tumble dried at normal/medium heat (max ~80°C exhaust — the ISO maximum). | |
| Tumble dry high square with a circle inside and three dots | May be tumble dried on high heat. Three dots appear on US (ASTM) labels; ISO 3758 tops out at two dots (normal). | |
| Do not tumble dry square with a circle inside, crossed out with an X | Do not tumble dry — heat and agitation will shrink or damage the item; dry naturally instead. | |
| Natural drying — a square with lines | ||
| Line dry square with one vertical line inside | Hang to dry on a line or hanger. | |
| Drip dry square with two vertical lines inside | Hang soaking wet and let drip dry — do not wring or spin first. | |
| Dry flat square with one horizontal line inside | Lay flat on a surface to dry so the garment keeps its shape — knits, wool and delicates. | |
| Dry in the shade square with a vertical line and diagonal lines in the top-left corner | Line dry away from direct sunlight — protects dyes and delicate fibres from UV fading. | |
| Do not dry empty square crossed out with an X | Do not dry by any household method — appears together with "do not wash"; professional care only. | |
| Ironing — the iron | ||
| Iron low (110°C) iron with one dot | Iron at low temperature, soleplate max 110°C — synthetics like nylon and acrylic; take care with steam. | |
| Iron medium (150°C) iron with two dots | Iron at medium temperature, soleplate max 150°C — wool, silk and polyester blends. | |
| Iron high (200°C) iron with three dots | Iron at high temperature, soleplate max 200°C — cotton and linen (linen presses best slightly damp). | |
| Do not iron iron crossed out with an X | Do not iron or press — heat will glaze, melt or crush the surface. | |
| Professional care — the circle | ||
| Dry-clean (P) circle with the letter P inside | Professional dry-clean, normal process — perchloroethylene and hydrocarbon solvents allowed. | |
| Dry-clean (F) circle with the letter F inside | Professional dry-clean in hydrocarbon (petroleum) solvents only — a gentler solvent class for sensitive fibres. | |
| Professional wet clean (W) circle with the letter W inside | Professional wet cleaning — a controlled water-based professional process, not a home wash. | |
| Do not dry-clean empty circle crossed out with an X | Do not dry-clean — solvents will damage coatings, prints or trims on this item. | |
Last reviewed 2026-07-07 · Verify against the current standard before mass production · Not legal advice.
Laundry symbols are five pictograms in a fixed order — wash tub, bleach triangle, drying square, iron, and professional-care circle. Dots mean temperature (more dots = hotter), bars under a symbol mean a gentler cycle, and an X across any symbol means "do not". The drawing differs by standard: US labels (ASTM D5489) put dots inside the wash tub for temperature, while EU/UK and Australian labels (ISO 3758 / AS/NZS 1957) show the temperature as a number. Every symbol and meaning is in the decoder above.
How to read any laundry symbol in 10 seconds
Every care label reads left to right in one fixed order: wash, bleach, dry, iron, then professional cleaning. Once you know the five base shapes and three modifiers, you can decode any label on any garment.
- Wash tub — washing. A number (or dots in the US) is the maximum temperature; a hand in the tub means hand-wash only.
- Triangle — bleaching. Empty = any bleach; two diagonal lines = non-chlorine only; crossed out = do not bleach.
- Square — drying. A circle inside = tumble dry (dots = heat); lines inside = line, drip, flat or shade drying.
- Iron — ironing. One to three dots = 110°C, 150°C, 200°C maximum soleplate temperature.
- Circle — professional care. A letter (P, F or W — plus A on US labels) tells the cleaner which process.
- An X through any symbol = do not. Dots = temperature. Bars underneath = be gentler.
Washing symbols and what they mean
The tub is the first symbol on every label. The US and Europe draw the temperature differently — dots versus a number — but the meanings line up exactly.
| Symbol | Meaning | US (ASTM D5489) | EU/UK & AU (ISO 3758) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wash tub, 30 | Machine wash cold, max 30°C / 86°F | 1 dot in the tub | The number 30 |
| Wash tub, 40 | Machine wash warm, max 40°C / 105°F | 2 dots | The number 40 |
| Wash tub, 50 | Machine wash warm–hot, max 50°C | 3 dots | The number 50 |
| Wash tub, 60 | Machine wash hot, max 60°C / 140°F | 4 dots | The number 60 |
| Tub with a hand | Hand wash only, max 40°C | Same drawing | Same drawing |
| Tub with an X | Do not wash — see professional care | Same drawing | Same drawing |
Bars under the tub mean a gentler cycle: one bar = permanent press / mild, two bars = delicate / very mild.
Bleach, dry, iron and dry-clean symbols
The other four families are drawn the same way in all three standards — only the dry-clean letters differ (the US adds "A" for any solvent).
| Family | Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Bleach | Empty triangle | Any bleach may be used when needed |
| Bleach | Triangle, two diagonal lines | Only non-chlorine (oxygen) bleach |
| Bleach | Triangle with an X | Do not bleach |
| Tumble dry | Square + circle, 1–3 dots | Tumble dry — low, medium, high heat |
| Tumble dry | Square + circle with an X | Do not tumble dry |
| Natural dry | Square, one vertical line | Line / hang dry |
| Natural dry | Square, two vertical lines | Drip dry — hang soaking wet |
| Natural dry | Square, one horizontal line | Dry flat |
| Natural dry | Square, diagonal corner lines | Dry in the shade (no direct sun) |
| Iron | Iron, 1 / 2 / 3 dots | Max 110°C / 150°C / 200°C |
| Iron | Iron with an X | Do not iron |
| Professional | Circle with P or F | Professional dry-clean (solvent class) |
| Professional | Circle with W | Professional wet clean |
| Professional | Circle with an X | Do not dry-clean |
Every symbol above is in the interactive decoder with its full plain-English meaning — click any tile.
Making labels for your own brand? The free care label generator draws these exact symbols print-ready — type your fabric, and the correct care pre-fills from fibre ground truth.
Open the care label generator →Which standard is on your label?
If you bought the garment in the US or Canada, its symbols follow ASTM D5489: wash temperature as dots inside the tub, an angled water line, and an extra "A" dry-clean letter meaning any solvent.
In the EU, UK, and most of the world, symbols follow ISO 3758 — the GINETEX system whose symbols are actually registered trademarks. The wash temperature is written as a number, and dry-cleaning uses P, F and W only.
In Australia and New Zealand, labels follow AS/NZS 1957, which adopts the ISO drawings; since March 2024 the ACCC mandatory standard accepts care information as words, symbols, or both. The decoder’s standard switcher redraws every symbol in each convention so you can compare side by side. Last reviewed 2026-07-07; not legal advice.
Dots, bars and crosses — the three modifiers
Three marks modify every base shape. Learn these and unfamiliar symbols become readable on sight.
| Modifier | Where it appears | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Dots | Inside the tub, tumble circle, or iron | Temperature — more dots, more heat (iron: 1 = 110°C, 2 = 150°C, 3 = 200°C) |
| Bars underneath | Under the tub, tumble square, or circle | A gentler process — one bar = mild / permanent press, two = very mild / delicate |
| X across the symbol | Any symbol | "Do not" — the base action is prohibited |
The X is always drawn over the same base shape, so "do not tumble dry" is unmistakably the tumble symbol crossed out.
Symbols or written instructions — what the law wants
The pictograms are international; the legal requirements are not.
United States — care instructions are mandatory and must be in words (FTC Care Labeling Rule, 16 CFR 423); symbols may supplement but not replace them. That’s why a US label reads "Machine wash cold, tumble dry low" under the icons.
EU and UK — care labelling is voluntary; only the fibre composition is legally required (Regulation 1007/2011). Most brands still add ISO symbols because retailers and consumers expect them.
Australia and New Zealand — care information is mandatory, and words, symbols, or both are acceptable under the ACCC standard.
Last reviewed 2026-07-07 — verify before production; not legal advice.
Going from decoding labels to making garments? A care label is one section of the tech pack a factory needs — generate the whole document from a photo.
Generate a tech pack →Decode a real label from a photo
Squinting at a tag with six symbols? Drop a photo of it into the decoder above. The tool recognises which symbols are printed on your label and reads the fibre-composition line, then shows each symbol’s meaning from the same audited dictionary you can browse by hand — recognition is automated, but no meaning is ever machine-invented, and the photo is read once and never stored.
If the photo is blurry or the read is busy, nothing is lost: every symbol stays one click away in the grid. And once you know what your label says, make your own version in the generator — it pre-fills from the composition the decoder read.
Laundry symbol questions, answered
What does the triangle symbol on a clothing label mean?
The triangle is the bleaching symbol. An empty triangle means any bleach is safe when needed. A triangle with two diagonal lines means only non-chlorine (oxygen) bleach. A triangle with an X through it means do not bleach.
What does a square with a circle inside mean?
It’s the tumble-dry symbol. The dots inside show the heat level — one dot is low, two is medium/normal. A square with a crossed-out circle means do not tumble dry. A square with lines instead of a circle means dry naturally: a vertical line is line dry, a horizontal line is dry flat.
What do the dots inside laundry symbols mean?
Dots mean temperature — more dots, more heat. In a US wash tub, one dot is 30°C (cold), two is 40°C (warm), four is 60°C (hot). On an iron, one dot is 110°C, two is 150°C, three is 200°C. EU/UK and Australian labels write the wash temperature as a number instead of dots.
What do the bars or lines under a symbol mean?
Bars underneath mean a gentler cycle. One bar is permanent press / mild; two bars is delicate / very mild (typical for wool programs). No bar means the normal cycle.
Why do US and European laundry symbols look different?
The US (ASTM D5489) shows wash temperature as dots inside the tub, draws the water line angled, and includes an "A" dry-clean letter for any solvent. The EU/UK and most of the world (ISO 3758) write the temperature as a number and use P, F and W for professional care. Australia adopts the ISO drawings. The meanings match — only the drawing differs, which is exactly what the decoder’s standard switcher shows.
Is a care label legally required?
It depends on the market. In the US it’s mandatory and must include words (FTC Care Labeling Rule, 16 CFR 423). In Australia it’s mandatory and can be words, symbols, or both. In the EU and UK, care labelling is voluntary — only fibre composition is legally required (Regulation 1007/2011). Last reviewed 2026-07-07; not legal advice.
What does the circle symbol on a care label mean?
The circle is professional care. A letter inside — P or F (plus A on US labels) — tells the dry-cleaner which solvent process is safe; W means professional wet cleaning. A circle with an X means do not dry-clean.
Can I make my own care label with these symbols?
Yes — the free care label generator draws them print-ready: enter your fabric composition, the correct care pre-fills from a hand-audited fibre table, switch between the US, EU and Australian standards, and download the label as SVG or PNG.
Now make your own care label
Type your fabric composition, get the correct symbols auto-suggested, choose your market’s standard, and download a print-ready label — free.
Open the care label generatorRelated free tools and guides
Sources and further reading
- GINETEX — international care symbols (ISO 3758) — primary; symbol definitions, order and trademarks
- ASTM D5489-18 — Guide for Care Symbols for Care Instructions on Textile Products — primary; US symbol system
- FTC Care Labeling Rule, 16 CFR Part 423 — primary; US legal requirement (words mandatory)
- ACCC — care labelling mandatory standard (AS/NZS 1957) — primary; Australia — mandatory, words or symbols
- EU Regulation 1007/2011 — textile fibre names and labelling — primary; EU — composition mandatory, care voluntary