A shirt that passes AQL can still fail at customs or retail onboarding because its labels are wrong. This is an overview of what importers must get right — not legal advice; confirm final wording with your compliance partner for the destination market.
What every apparel label needs
- Fiber content — percentage breakdown by generic fiber name (e.g. cotton/polyester), listed in descending order with tolerance discipline against tested bulk.
- Country of origin — for China-manufactured goods, “Made in China” in the destination market’s required form.
- Care instructions — words and/or standardized symbols covering wash, bleach, dry, iron and dry-clean behavior.
- Responsible party — the business name under which the product is sold (and in the US an RN or full business identity).
- Size/identity — size marking and any style/lot identification your distribution requires.
United States: key frameworks
- Fiber content: the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act drives generic-name and percentage labeling.
- Origin: country-of-origin marking rules apply to the garment and packaging as applicable.
- Care: FTC care-labeling rules require permanent care instructions; the ASTM symbol system is widely used.
- Responsible party: identify the manufacturer/importer or an RN number.
European Union: key frameworks
- Fiber composition: EU textile regulation requires generic fiber names and percentages, harmonized across member states.
- Care symbols: ISO-based symbol sets are the standard; use accurate symbols matched to tested behavior.
- Origin marking: not universally mandated in the same way as the US, but commonly provided commercially.
- Responsible economic operator: market-surveillance rules require an identifiable EU manufacturer/importer/authorized representative.
- Consumer-goods safety: general product safety obligations; restricted-substance expectations flow through retail codes (e.g. chemical/lead limits in trims).
Labels must match tested reality
Composition claims are checked against lab tests on bulk fabric — not against the order spec. If the mill’s fabric drifts (for example 62/38 instead of labeled 65/35), the label is non-compliant even if no one noticed in sewing. Arrange composition testing from bulk, and keep reports with order documents. Fabric verification is covered in the fabric guide.
Care instructions must match the garment
Cotton, CVC and performance polos tolerate different wash temperatures and iron settings; decoration adds constraints (print and transfer behavior). Care symbols are derived from actual shrinkage/colorfastness tests and decoration supplier guidance — copying another brand’s labels is both a compliance and a customer-returns risk.
Physical requirements buyers miss
- Permanent attachment and legibility through the garment’s life
- Language requirements of the destination market
- Label placement (neck/side seam) per retail routing guides
- Suffocation warnings on polybags where required
- Hang-tag claims substantiated (organic, recycled, antibacterial — all need evidence/certificates)
How we work with buyer text
- Buyer supplies approved legal label text and tag artwork.
- Factory produces label proofs for written sign-off.
- Composition is verified against bulk-fabric tests before labels are sewn.
- Label position and text are checked at final AQL alongside garment defects.
We do not invent legal copy for your market: the responsible-party identity is yours, and claims require your substantiation. Options for label types and placement live in packaging & label options; the overall workflow fits the manufacturing process approval gates.