Facts About Clothing Labels

Clothing labels are an important tool used to ensure that the clothing sold meets standards in the United States, as well as other countries.

Labels are usually made out of satin coated acetate which has a shiny finish and is flexible and durable. Other printed clothing labels are made out of similar materials to the clothing itself and include cotton, polyester, and nylon.

Labels woven into the clothing are often made out of the fabrics taffeta, satin, and damask. These are normally shaped like rectangles and are commonly either 1 inch by 2 inches or 1/2 inch by 1 inch.

Many different sizes and shapes of clothing labels are sold, and normally the size of label used is dependent on the size of the final product used. A new product label will be required if you are combining several pieces of fabric to make one overall piece of clothing.

Clothing labels must be easily viewable for anyone who is involved in the care and maintenance of the fabric. So the label itself must be visible when the product is placed out for sale, and if it is difficult to see the label because of external packaging, supplemental instructions should be added to the package so that the customer can see what type of care is required.

The labels must be attached so that they will stay on the fabric for the entire life of the product, without fading or discoloration that will make them illegible while the clothing is likely still usable.

If the product sold contains several pieces made out of a similar enough material that all care instructions are the same, then only one clothing label is required and should be placed on the main piece of clothing.

Product labels are required to show how the product can be maintained as well as the country that the fabric has been imported from. Maintenance instructions on a product label should be applicable to the piece overall, which means that the most delicate piece of fabric should be the one used to create the clothing label.

Labels usually mention the water cleaning temperature and whether machine cleaning is allowed. So if you have one piece of fabric that requires cold water, or a piece of fabric that cannot be put in a washing machine without damaging it, the entire piece of clothing should be labeled dry cleaning only.

However, you are not allowed to label the clothing dry clean only if the fabric can be easily washed in a machine without damaging it. Usually the labeling can be done by a person who is reasonably experienced with maintaining fabric, and if you lack the experience necessary, testing the fabric by washing it yourself should help you determine what methods of cleaning are acceptable.

It is also important to ensure that the label mentions the country of origin for the fabric. Certain pieces of clothing may vary in price based on the product origin, the inspections and taxes will vary depending on the source of the fabric, and buyers may check the label because they wish to buy or boycott fabrics made in certain countries.