# Garment Care Symbols Chart: ISO 3758 Wash, Bleach, Dry, Iron and Professional Care > Source: https://netray.co/tools/garment-care-symbols-iso-3758-reference > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: Free Tools ## Short answer Look up what each care label symbol means across washing, bleaching, drying, ironing and professional cleaning. ## Category industry-templates ## Industry Textile and Apparel ## Audience - Merchandiser - Quality engineer - Technical designer - Plant manager ## Tool **Kind:** worksheet **Mode:** reference **Columns:** #### Group **Key:** group **Type:** text #### Symbol description **Key:** symbol **Type:** text #### Meaning **Key:** meaning **Type:** text #### Note **Key:** note **Type:** text **Rows:** **Group:** Washing **Symbol:** Wash tub with 30 **Meaning:** Machine wash, maximum 30 C **Note:** Number is the maximum water temperature in C **Group:** Washing **Symbol:** Wash tub with 40 **Meaning:** Machine wash, maximum 40 C **Note:** Most common setting for everyday garments **Group:** Washing **Symbol:** Wash tub with 50 **Meaning:** Machine wash, maximum 50 C **Group:** Washing **Symbol:** Wash tub with 60 **Meaning:** Machine wash, maximum 60 C **Note:** Typical for white cotton and bed linen **Group:** Washing **Symbol:** Wash tub with 70 **Meaning:** Machine wash, maximum 70 C **Group:** Washing **Symbol:** Wash tub with 95 **Meaning:** Machine wash, maximum 95 C **Note:** Boil wash for robust cotton **Group:** Washing **Symbol:** Wash tub with one bar underneath **Meaning:** Mild process, reduced agitation **Note:** Applies to the temperature shown **Group:** Washing **Symbol:** Wash tub with two bars underneath **Meaning:** Very mild process, strongly reduced agitation **Note:** For delicate items **Group:** Washing **Symbol:** Wash tub with hand **Meaning:** Hand wash only, maximum 40 C **Note:** Do not machine wash **Group:** Washing **Symbol:** Crossed-out wash tub **Meaning:** Do not wash **Group:** Bleaching **Symbol:** Empty triangle **Meaning:** Any bleaching agent allowed **Note:** Includes chlorine bleach **Group:** Bleaching **Symbol:** Triangle with two diagonal lines **Meaning:** Non-chlorine bleach only **Note:** Oxygen-based bleach **Group:** Bleaching **Symbol:** Crossed-out triangle **Meaning:** Do not bleach **Group:** Tumble drying **Symbol:** Square with circle and one dot **Meaning:** Tumble dry at low temperature **Group:** Tumble drying **Symbol:** Square with circle and two dots **Meaning:** Tumble dry at normal temperature **Group:** Tumble drying **Symbol:** Crossed-out square with circle **Meaning:** Do not tumble dry **Group:** Natural drying **Symbol:** Square with curved line at top **Meaning:** Line dry **Group:** Natural drying **Symbol:** Square with vertical lines **Meaning:** Drip dry **Group:** Natural drying **Symbol:** Square with horizontal line **Meaning:** Dry flat **Note:** Prevents stretching of knits **Group:** Ironing **Symbol:** Iron with one dot **Meaning:** Iron at low temperature, sole plate up to 110 C **Note:** Steam may damage the fabric **Group:** Ironing **Symbol:** Iron with two dots **Meaning:** Iron at medium temperature, sole plate up to 150 C **Group:** Ironing **Symbol:** Iron with three dots **Meaning:** Iron at high temperature, sole plate up to 200 C **Group:** Ironing **Symbol:** Crossed-out iron **Meaning:** Do not iron **Group:** Professional care **Symbol:** Circle with P **Meaning:** Professional dry cleaning with specified solvents **Note:** Tetrachloroethylene and hydrocarbon solvents **Group:** Professional care **Symbol:** Circle with F **Meaning:** Professional dry cleaning with hydrocarbon solvents **Group:** Professional care **Symbol:** Circle with W **Meaning:** Professional wet cleaning **Group:** Professional care **Symbol:** Crossed-out circle **Meaning:** Do not dry clean **Notes:** Based on the ISO 3758 symbol system (as used under the GINETEX scheme). North American labeling follows different rules, such as ASTM D5489 symbols and the written instructions required under the US Care Labeling Rule. Check the destination market requirements before you finalize labels. ## Content **Intro:** A wrong care label means returns, claims and failed buyer audits. This reference lists the standard wash, bleach, dry, iron and professional care symbols in plain words so merchandisers and quality teams can check labels quickly. **Sections:** #### How to use the table **Body:** Filter by group to see only washing or only ironing symbols, or search for a number such as 40 or a word such as bleach. Use the table to proofread care label artwork before approval and to translate symbols into the text a buyer's tech pack requires. Export the rows to Excel if you keep a master care label library by style. **Bullets:** - Washing tub number is maximum temperature in C - Bars under a symbol mean a milder process - Dots on an iron or dryer mean low, medium or high heat - Circles refer to professional cleaning, not home care #### Choosing the right instruction **Body:** The care instruction must be the most severe treatment the product, including trims, linings and prints, can survive, tested against the matching wash and dry test method. If a garment passes at 40 C but its interlining bubbles at 60 C, the label says 40. Specify the care symbols for each component in the tech pack and run wash tests on the finished garment, not only the fabric, so that dimensional change, color transfer and trim failures show up. #### Common mistakes **Body:** Reading the order of the five symbols wrongly is common: the sequence is wash, bleach, dry, iron, professional care. Another mistake is printing symbols without the local-language text some markets expect. Finally, labels copied from an old style often outlive a fabric change, so tie the care label to the bill of materials revision. **Bullets:** - Symbol order is wash, bleach, dry, iron, professional care - Check whether the destination needs text as well as symbols - Update the label when the fabric or trim changes **Cta:** If care labels, wash tests and style revisions are managed in separate files, we can show how to tie them to your ERP bill of materials and item revisions. **Faq:** #### What do the numbers in the wash tub mean? **Answer:** The number inside a wash tub is the maximum water temperature in degrees Celsius for that wash. A tub with 40 allows a machine wash up to 40 C. Bars under the tub mean the machine should use a milder, lower-agitation program. #### What do the dots on an iron symbol mean? **Answer:** The dots show the heat setting. One dot is low, with a sole plate up to about 110 C. Two dots is medium, up to about 150 C. Three dots is high, up to about 200 C. #### What do the letters in the dry cleaning circle mean? **Answer:** P means professional dry cleaning with specified solvents including tetrachloroethylene and hydrocarbon solvents. F means hydrocarbon solvents only. W means professional wet cleaning. A crossed-out circle means do not dry clean. #### Are these symbols used in the United States? **Answer:** The ISO symbols are used across Europe and many other markets. In the United States, care labels follow ASTM D5489 symbols with the Care Labeling Rule requirements, so confirm what your destination market requires before you print labels. ## Search terms care label symbols, ISO 3758 care symbols, laundry symbols meaning, garment care label chart, washing symbols temperature, ironing dot symbols, dry cleaning symbols P F W, care labeling requirements --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json