Laundry Symbols Decoder

Every clothing tag uses the same five shapes. A washtub for washing, a triangle for bleaching, a square for drying, an iron for ironing, and a circle for dry cleaning. Learn what the dots, bars and crosses around them mean and you can read any care label in seconds.

Use the decoder above to look up one symbol, or scan the full chart for all 31 in one place. The care notes below are written for garments that carry a printed or embroidered logo, because decoration is usually the first thing a hot wash ruins.

Key Takeaways

• Five shapes, one system. Washtub means washing, triangle means bleaching, square means drying, iron means ironing, and a circle means dry cleaning.
• Dots are temperature. More dots means more heat. One dot is the coolest setting, three dots is the hottest.
• Bars are gentleness. A line under the washtub means a gentler cycle. Two lines is the most delicate.
• An X always means do not. An X through any symbol means do not do that step.
• Custom prints and embroidery last longest washed cold, inside out, dried low, and ironed around the design, never on it.

What Laundry Symbols Mean

Laundry symbols are a standard set of care icons on every clothing tag, defined by ISO 3758 and ASTM D5489. Once you know the five base shapes you can read any tag in seconds: a washtub for washing, a triangle for bleaching, a square for drying, an iron for ironing, and a circle for dry cleaning. Modifiers sit inside or under each shape: dots set the temperature, bars set how gentle the cycle is, and an X over any symbol means do not do that step. Use the decoder above to tap any symbol and see exactly what it means, then read the families below.

The Five Laundry Symbol Families

• Washtub (washing). Dots inside set the max temperature: one dot cold (30 C), two warm (40 C), three hot (60 C). A hand in the tub means hand wash. Bars underneath mean permanent press (one) or delicate (two). An X means do not wash.
• Triangle (bleaching). Plain means any bleach is fine. Two diagonal lines mean non-chlorine (oxygen) bleach only. An X means do not bleach.
• Square (drying). A circle inside the square means tumble dry, with dots for heat. Plain square lines mean natural drying: a vertical line is line dry, three vertical lines drip dry, a horizontal line dry flat, and a top corner line dry in shade.
• Iron (ironing). Dots set the heat: one low (110 C), two medium (150 C), three high (200 C). An X means do not iron.
• Circle (dry cleaning). A letter inside tells the cleaner the solvent (P or F), a W means professional wet clean, and an X means do not dry clean.

How to Care for Custom Printed and Embroidered Apparel

Custom decoration outlasts the garment when you wash it right. Whether it is screen print, DTG, DTF, or embroidery, the rules are the same and simple:

• Wash cold, inside out. Cold water and an inside-out garment protect the print and the stitches from abrasion.
• Skip the bleach. Bleach breaks down ink and thread color. Use non-chlorine bleach only if you must.
• Dry low or hang. High heat is the number one killer of prints. Tumble dry low or lay flat.
• Iron around the design. Never put a hot iron directly on a print or embroidery. Iron inside out or press around it.

Arklavo builds custom team apparel to survive real laundry rooms, with no minimum order. Production takes 2 days and shipping then takes 2 to 5 business days. Across recent orders roughly 63% of the decoration we ship is printed and 37% is embroidered, so both sets of rules above get used every week. Tees lead our order mix, followed by polos, sweatshirts, hoodies, aprons and hats, which is why the wash-cold rule matters most on cotton jersey. Start designing custom apparel when you are ready to outfit your team.

Laundry Symbols FAQ

The questions people ask most about care labels, answered.

Sources and Further Reading

• ISO 3758, Textiles: Care Labelling Code Using Symbols, the international standard behind the washtub, triangle, square, iron and circle system.
• ASTM D5489, Standard Guide for Care Symbols for Care Instructions on Textile Products, the US care-symbol standard.
• GINETEX, International Textile Care Labelling System, for symbol usage and temperature definitions.
• FTC Care Labeling Rule, 16 CFR Part 423, the US rule requiring care instructions on textile wearing apparel.
• Care note: when a tag and a symbol disagree, follow the most cautious instruction, and always test a hidden area first.

Related Guides

• Fabric care instructions by material
• Garment care label reader
• The complete guide to laundry symbols