The complete laundry symbols chart (explained)
Every care label in the ISO 3758 system uses the same five shapes in the same order: a tub (washing), a triangle (bleaching), a square (drying), an iron (ironing) and a circle (professional care). Once you know the five shapes, the modifiers do all the work: numbers give a maximum temperature, dots give a heat level, bars mean "be gentler", and a cross means "don't".
Key takeaways
- Number in the tub = maximum water temperature in °C — never exceed it.
- One bar = milder cycle (reduced mechanical action); two bars = very mild (woollens).
- Tumble-dry dots: 1 dot ≈ 60 °C, 2 dots ≈ 80 °C. Iron dots: 1/2/3 = low/medium/high.
- A cross over any symbol is an absolute prohibition — not a suggestion.
- This chart covers ISO 3758 (used on EU/UK/Asian labels); US labels use the same shapes with the ASTM dot system.
Washing symbols — the tub
The tub's number is the maximum water temperature, which must not be exceeded (GINETEX's documented wording). Bars underneath soften the cycle. Common numbers are 30, 40, 60, 70 and 95 °C.
| Symbol | Name | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Machine wash 30 °C | Wash at up to 30 °C on a normal cycle ("fine wash"). | |
| Wash 30 °C, mild | One bar = gentler cycle with reduced mechanical action. | |
| Machine wash 40 °C | Wash at up to 40 °C — the everyday "coloured wash". | |
| Wash 40 °C, mild | Gentler cycle at up to 40 °C ("easy care" on many machines). | |
| Wash 40 °C, very mild | Two bars = very mild cycle, e.g. a wool programme. | |
| Machine wash 60 °C | Wash at up to 60 °C — towels, bedding, sturdy cottons. | |
| Machine wash 95 °C | Boil wash for sturdy whites. | |
| Hand wash only | Hand wash at a maximum of 40 °C (the 2023 revision also defines an ambient ~20–30 °C hand wash). No machine, no wringing. | |
| Do not wash | The item must not be washed at all — usually it goes for professional care. |
More depth: what the temperature numbers really mean and one bar vs two bars.
Bleaching symbols — the triangle
| Symbol | Name | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Any bleach allowed | Both chlorine and oxygen bleach are tolerated. | |
| Oxygen bleach only | Two oblique lines: non-chlorine (oxygen) bleach only. | |
| Do not bleach | No bleaching agents of any kind, including bleach-laced detergents. |
Tumble-drying symbols — circle in a square
| Symbol | Name | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Tumble dry, low | One dot = reduced temperature, about 60 °C. | |
| Tumble dry, normal | Two dots = normal temperature, about 80 °C. | |
| Do not tumble dry | No tumble drying at any heat — shrinkage and damage risk. |
On US (ASTM) labels you may also see three dots (high heat) or a filled circle (no heat). Full guide: Can I tumble dry this?
Natural-drying symbols — the plain square
Added to ISO 3758 in 2012, the plain square tells you how to dry without a dryer: vertical lines mean hanging, horizontal lines mean lying flat, and doubled lines mean "dripping wet, no spin". A diagonal line in the corner means "in the shade".
| Symbol | Name | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Line dry | Hang on a line or hanger after spinning. | |
| Drip line dry | Hang dripping wet — no spin cycle. | |
| Dry flat | Lay flat to dry — knits and sweaters keep their shape. | |
| Drip dry flat | Lay flat while dripping wet, without spinning. | |
| Dry in shade | The corner diagonal modifies any dry symbol: keep out of direct sun. |
Ironing symbols — the iron
| Symbol | Name | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Iron, low | Max sole-plate temperature 110–120 °C (references differ; see the dots article). Nylon, acetate, acrylic. | |
| Iron, medium | Max 150–160 °C. Wool, silk, polyester, viscose. | |
| Iron, high | Max 200–210 °C. Cotton and linen. | |
| Do not iron | Ironing may cause irreversible changes — usually to prints or finishes. |
Full explanation with the temperature discrepancy between references: what the dots on the tumble-dry and iron symbols mean.
Professional care symbols — the circle
| Symbol | Name | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Dry clean, P | Tetrachloroethene (perchloroethylene) or hydrocarbons — any solvent except trichloroethylene. | |
| Dry clean P, mild | Bar = restricted process: reduced mechanical action, limited moisture, lower drying temperature. | |
| Dry clean, F | Hydrocarbons (petroleum solvents) only. | |
| Dry clean, A | Any solvent — a legacy marking, mostly on older labels. | |
| Wet clean, W | Professional wet cleaning — water-based, done by a professional. | |
| Wet clean, mild | Milder professional wet cleaning for sensitive textiles (double bar = very mild). | |
| Do not dry clean | No solvent cleaning — and avoid solvent-based stain removers. |
How to read any label in five seconds
- Find the five shapes left to right: tub, triangle, square, iron, circle.
- Read the modifiers: number = max °C, dot = heat level, bar = gentler, cross = never.
- Obey the crosses absolutely; treat everything else as a maximum, not a target.
For looking things up one at a time, the interactive decoder is faster; to stick on the laundry room wall, print the one-page cheat sheet.
Delicate-wash mesh bags + wool detergent
If your labels are full of one-bar and two-bar symbols, a mesh laundry bag and a wool-safe detergent make any gentle cycle gentler still.
See options →Sources
- GINETEX — Care symbols (owner of the ISO 3758 care labelling system; symbol meanings and trademark status). Accessed October 2026.
- Maytag — What are your laundry symbols telling you? (US/ASTM dot-system variants). Accessed October 2026.
- SGS — Release of Revised Textile Care Labeling Symbols: ISO 3758:2023. Accessed October 2026.