Free Care Label Template Maker & Generator

Make a clothing care label the right way

A care label is a small sew-in tag that tells the buyer how to wash, dry, iron and clean a garment, what it is made of, who made it, and where. It is easy to get wrong. A wool sweater with a tumble-dry-high symbol is a shrunken sweater and a refund. A fibre list that reads 40% Cotton 60% Polyester when the garment is mostly cotton is a labelling error. This tool removes the guesswork: you pick a fibre, the correct care symbols and matching text are set for you, and you can override any part of it and download a print-ready label.

This page explains the care-symbol system, the US rules (the FTC Care Labeling Rule and the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act), and the EU rule (Regulation 1007/2011), so you know what each field on your label is for.

How to use the generator

1. Pick a fibre preset. Cotton, Linen, Wool, Cashmere, Silk, Viscose, Polyester, Nylon, an Elastane blend, Denim, Leather trim or Down. The preset fills the care controls with a sensible starting point. Wool and Cashmere never prefill tumble-dry-high, because heat shrinks them.
2. Adjust any care axis. Wash method and temperature, mechanical action, bleach, drying, ironing and professional care are all editable. Each choice updates its symbol and its sentence at the same time, so they always agree.
3. Build the fibre content. Add each fibre with a percentage. The tool checks that the total is 100 and that the fibres are in descending order.
4. Add the compliance fields. Your brand, size, RN number or company name, country of origin and style.
5. Pick a template, a size and a colour, then download a PDF, a transparent PNG or an SVG. Or switch to Bulk sizes and tile a whole size run onto one sheet.

The tool saves your work in your browser as you go, and the Start new button clears it back to a blank label.

The care symbol reference

There are five base care symbols. Every laundry care label uses the same five, in the same left-to-right order: wash, bleach, dry, iron, professional care. Here is what each one means, so you can read any care instructions label as well as make one.

The washtub (washing)

The washtub is the washing symbol. A number inside the tub is the maximum wash temperature in degrees Celsius: 30 is cold, 40 is warm, 50 and 60 are hot, and 95 is very hot. A hand in the tub means hand wash only. Bars under the tub set the mechanical action: no bar is a normal cycle, one bar is a mild or permanent-press cycle, and two bars mean a very mild, gentle or delicate cycle. A cross through the whole tub means do not wash.

The triangle (bleaching)

The triangle is the bleach symbol. An empty triangle means any bleach may be used. A triangle with two diagonal lines inside means only non-chlorine, oxygen based bleach may be used. A triangle with a cross through it means do not bleach at all. The two-line triangle is a common source of error: it is not the same as the empty triangle, and it is not the same as the crossed one.

The square (drying)

Drying uses the square. A square with a circle inside is the tumble-dry symbol: one dot in the circle is low heat, two dots are normal heat, and a cross through it means do not tumble dry. The square on its own, with line marks, means natural drying. One vertical line is line dry. Two vertical lines are drip dry in current ISO 3758, though the older US convention draws three. One horizontal line is dry flat, which is what you want for knitwear that would stretch on a line. Diagonal lines in the top-left corner of the square add "in the shade", to keep colours from fading in sunlight.

The iron (ironing)

The iron symbol is an iron outline with dots for heat. One dot is a cool iron, up to about 110 degrees Celsius, for synthetics and elastane. Two dots are a medium iron, up to about 150 degrees, for wool, silk and polyester blends. Three dots are a hot iron, up to about 200 degrees, for cotton and linen. A cross through the iron means do not iron.

The circle (professional care)

The circle is the professional-care symbol, for dry cleaners. A letter P means the garment can be dry cleaned with the usual solvents. A letter F means only a gentler hydrocarbon solvent. A letter W means professional wet cleaning. A bar under the circle asks for a mild, gentle process. A crossed circle means do not dry clean. Home users can ignore the letters; they are instructions for the cleaner.

What US law requires: FTC 16 CFR part 423

In the United States the care instructions themselves are set by the FTC Care Labeling Rule at 16 CFR part 423. The rule says a textile garment must carry a permanent care label that gives at least one safe method of cleaning, plus any warnings needed to avoid harm during that cleaning. Care may be given in words or in the ASTM D5489 symbols, so a US label can be symbols only. The label has to stay legible for the useful life of the garment, which is why it is sewn in rather than printed on a hang tag that gets thrown away.

The important idea is "at least one safe method". You do not have to list every possible way to clean the garment. You have to give one that works and will not damage it, and warn about anything that would. If a garment can only be dry cleaned, the label has to say so and warn against washing.

What US law requires: fibre content, TFPIA 16 CFR part 303

The Textile Fiber Products Identification Act, at 16 CFR part 303, governs the rest of the label. It requires three things. First, the fibre content by generic name and percentage by weight, in descending order, totalling 100. Second, the identity of the company responsible, shown either as the full registered business name or as a Registered Identification Number (an RN) issued by the FTC. Third, the country of origin, such as "Made in Portugal". Wool products carry extra rules under the Wool Products Labeling Act at 16 CFR part 300.

Generic names matter. The law has a fixed list of generic fibre names, such as cotton, wool, silk, polyester, nylon and elastane. You cannot substitute a trade name for the generic name. The composition builder in this tool uses generic names and validates the percentages for you, so a 60/40 cotton-polyester shirt prints "60% Cotton 40% Polyester" with cotton first, and a total that does not add up to 100 is flagged before you print.

What EU and UK law require: Regulation 1007/2011

The European Union rule is Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011. It makes the fibre composition mandatory, using the regulated generic names in the EU list, and it must appear in the official language or languages of the country where the garment is sold. That is why a garment sold across the EU often carries the fibre content in several languages.

One difference surprises people: the EU does not legally require the wash care symbols or care instructions at all. In practice almost every brand includes them, because buyers expect them and retailers ask for them, but the legal requirement in the EU is the fibre composition, not the care symbols. The bilingual template in this tool prints the care text in English plus French, Spanish or German, so a single label can serve more than one market.

Tips for a clean, correct label

• Match the symbols to the fibre, not to habit. Delicate fibres such as wool, cashmere, silk and viscose lose out to heat and agitation, so lean toward hand wash or a gentle cycle, flat or line drying, and a cool iron.
• Keep the fibre list in descending order and total 100. This is the single most common care-label error, and the tool checks it for you.
• Decide RN or company name. Either is fine. An RN is compact for a small sew-in label; the full company name needs no registration.
• Do not overpromise cleaning methods. Listing "machine wash" on a garment that cannot survive it is worse than listing "dry clean only".
• Proof at true size. Set your printer to 100% scale with no fit-to-page so a 40 x 60 mm label prints 40 x 60 mm and the symbols stay legible.

A note on symbol licensing

The care-symbol system is standardised, but the artwork is not entirely free everywhere. The ASTM D5489 symbols used in the United States are freely usable. The ISO / GINETEX symbols used across much of the world are trademarked, and printing them on goods for sale can require a licence from the GINETEX member for your market. This tool draws its own generic versions of the standard glyphs so you can design and proof a label. It makes no compliance guarantee and carries no compliant badge. Confirm the licensing and the labelling rules that apply where you sell before you print at scale.

Frequently asked questions

Is this care label maker free?

Yes. It is completely free, needs no signup, and adds no watermark. Design and download as many clothing care labels as you like as a true-size PDF, a transparent PNG, or an SVG, one at a time or tiled onto a US Letter or A4 sheet for a whole size run.

What has to be on a clothing care label?

In the United States two rules apply. The FTC Care Labeling Rule (16 CFR part 423) requires a permanent care label that gives at least one safe cleaning method and any needed warnings, either in words or in the ASTM D5489 care symbols. The Textile Fiber Products Identification Act (16 CFR part 303) requires the fibre content by generic name and percentage, the maker identity as an RN or the full company name, and the country of origin. This tool builds all of those and shows a checklist of which are present.

Are the care symbols ISO 3758 or ASTM D5489?

Both systems share the same five base symbols: the washtub, the bleach triangle, the tumble-dry square, the iron, and the professional-care circle. ISO 3758 is the international standard, and ASTM D5489 is the guide the FTC accepts in the United States. This tool draws generic glyphs from that shared system and always keeps them in sync with the written care instructions, because both come from the same care choices.

Do I have to write out the care instructions, or can I use symbols?

In the United States you may use either. The FTC Care Labeling Rule accepts care instructions as words or as the ASTM D5489 symbols, so a US label can be symbols only. Many markets prefer both, which is why this tool prints the symbol row and the matching sentences together.

How do I write the fibre content correctly?

Use generic fibre names, give each a percentage by weight, list them in descending order with the largest first, and make sure the percentages total 100. So a shirt that is more cotton than polyester reads 60% Cotton 40% Polyester. The composition builder validates all of that and can sort the fibres for you.

What is an RN number and do I need one?

An RN is a number the FTC issues to a US business so it can be identified on a label instead of printing the full company name. You are not required to have one; you may print the full legal company name instead. An RN is compact, which helps on a small sew-in label, and it is free to apply for.

Does the EU need a different care label from the US?

Yes. The EU makes the fibre composition mandatory in the language of the country of sale, but does not legally require the care symbols, though almost everyone includes them. The US requires the care instructions, the fibre content, the maker identity and the country of origin. The bilingual template serves more than one market at once.

Can I use these care symbols commercially?

The ASTM D5489 symbols are freely usable in the United States. The ISO / GINETEX set is trademarked in many countries, and printing those symbols on goods for sale can require a licence from the national GINETEX member. This tool draws generic versions so you can design and proof a label, but it makes no compliance guarantee and carries no compliant badge.

Will the label print at the right size?

Yes. You pick a real sew-in size in millimetres or set a custom size, and the PDF page and the PNG are exactly that size. Print at 100% scale with no fit-to-page and a 40 x 60 mm label comes out 40 x 60 mm. The SVG carries the real dimensions too.

Can I print a whole size run at once?

Yes. Switch to Bulk sizes, paste one label per line or import a CSV, and the tool tiles every label onto a Letter or A4 sheet with cut guides. The care symbols, care text, fibre content, RN and origin are shared, while each row prints its own size and style.

Will the PNG have a transparent background?

Yes. The PNG export keeps genuine transparent alpha outside the cut, so the label drops onto your own artwork or tech pack without a white box. The PDF is a true-size page for printing, and the SVG is a vector version with the care symbols as real geometry.