Laundry Symbols
Authority: ISO 3758:2012 / GINETEX Standard
ISO 3758 laundry symbols follow 5 basic shapes: Wash Tub (Washing), Triangle (Bleaching), Square (Drying), Iron (Ironing), and Circle (Professional Dry Cleaning). Dots inside irons and tubs indicate heat levels (1 dot = 30°C/110°F, 2 dots = 40°C/150°F, 3 dots = 60°C/200°F).
| Symbol Icon Shape | Care Category | Dot / Line Modifiers | Meaning & Temperature Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wash Tub | Machine Wash | 1 Dot: 30°C (85°F) | 2 Dots: 40°C (105°F) | 3 Dots: 60°C (140°F) | Maximum water wash temperature |
| Wash Tub with Hand | Hand Wash Only | No machine agitation | Max 40°C water temperature; handle gently |
| Triangle | Bleaching | Empty: Any Bleach | Diagonals: Non-Chlorine Only | X: Do Not Bleaching | Chemical whitening permission |
| Square with Circle | Tumble Dry | 1 Dot: Low Heat | 2 Dots: Medium Heat | 3 Dots: High Heat | Machine dryer temperature settings |
| Iron | Ironing | 1 Dot: 110°C (Synthetics) | 2 Dots: 150°C (Wool/Silk) | 3 Dots: 200°C (Cotton/Linen) | Soleplate heat limits |
| Circle | Professional Dry Clean | Letter inside (P, F) indicates chemical solvent type | Dry clean cycle restrictions |
GINETEX and the Push for a Universal Language
The pictogram-based care labeling system familiar today grew out of GINETEX, a French textile industry association established in 1963 to develop common standards for garment care information. Rather than relying on written instructions, which would need translating for every export market, GINETEX promoted a small set of pictograms meant to be understood regardless of the buyer's language.
GINETEX began working with the International Organization for Standardization in the early 1970s, and that collaboration produced ISO 3758, the standard defining the wash tub, triangle, square, iron, and circle symbols still in use. The standard has been revised repeatedly since -- supplemented in 1993 and updated again in 2005, 2012, and 2023 -- reflecting ISO's practice of reviewing standards on a roughly five-year cycle as fabrics, dyes, and washing machines change.
Not Every Country Uses the Same System
The pictogram-only approach isn't universal. In the European Union, GINETEX symbols alone typically satisfy care-labeling requirements, but the United States layers its own rules on top: labels must carry written instructions under federal trade regulations, with the ASTM D5489 symbol standard, first published in 1996, used as a supplement rather than a replacement for text.
Canada took a third path for decades, using a color-coded system of green, yellow, and red introduced around 1970 to indicate washing conditions, before switching to a black-and-white symbol set harmonized with the international standard in 2003. These regional differences are a reminder that a pictogram on a garment tag doesn't automatically mean it follows the same rulebook everywhere it's sold.