Laundry Symbols Guide

Look up what any laundry symbol on a clothing label means, or tap the symbols on your label or snap a photo of it to get the wash, dry and iron steps in order, with MiniWebtool’s Laundry Symbols Guide.

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Help me understand MiniWebtool's Laundry Symbols Guide: https://miniwebtool.com/laundry-symbols-guide/. What can I use it for, what inputs or settings do I need, and how do I use it and understand the output? Walk me through one simple example. Use this page as your source and answer in English.

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Tap the symbols on your label and get the wash routine in order

Search the 42 symbols below, or tap the ones on your label to build its wash routine.

Every care label is built from just five shapes: a washtub, a triangle, a square, an iron, and a circle. Search all 42 symbols below, or tap the ones printed on your label to build your own label and get a plain-English wash routine.

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Snap the care label and AI finds the symbols for you, plus the fabric and any care words. Uses 1 AI credit per photo. Prefer not to? Tap the symbols yourself below, free.

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How to read any care symbol

The shape tells you what the instruction is about. Everything added to it — dots, bars, a cross — tells you how far you can go.

Washtub

Washing

Triangle

Bleaching

Square

Drying

Iron

Ironing

Circle

Professional Care

🫧 Wash dots = water temperature

30°C / 85°F

1 dot

♨️ Iron dots = soleplate heat

110°C / 230°F

1 dot

The symbol guide

Green means go, amber means a restriction applies, and red means do not. Tap any symbol to add it to your label.

🫧 Washing The washtub covers whether and how the garment can be washed, plus the maximum water temperature.

Look for: A plain washtub with no bars underneath.
Limit: Any temperature

The garment can go through a standard machine cycle with normal agitation and a full-speed spin. This is the most permissive wash symbol you will see, and it usually appears on cotton, linen, and sturdy synthetic blends. If no dots or number appear inside the tub, the manufacturer has not set a temperature limit, but washing cooler still protects colour and fibre.

Look for: One dot inside the washtub. Some labels print "30" instead.
Limit: 30°C / 85°F maximum

One dot means cold water: 30°C, roughly 85°F. Cold washing is the safest default for dark colours, prints, elastane blends, and anything that might shrink. It also uses far less energy than a hot wash, since heating the water is most of a washing machine's electricity bill. Modern detergents are formulated to work at this temperature, so cold rarely costs you cleaning power.

Look for: Two dots inside the washtub. Some labels print "40" instead.
Limit: 40°C / 105°F maximum

Two dots means warm water at 40°C, about 105°F. This is the everyday setting for most cotton and synthetic clothing: hot enough to shift body oils and light soiling, cool enough that colours stay put and shrinkage is unlikely. If your label shows two dots, 30°C is still allowed, because the dots set a maximum rather than a target.

Look for: Three dots inside the washtub. Some labels print "50" instead.
Limit: 50°C / 120°F maximum

Three dots allows 50°C, around 120°F. This step appears mostly on colourfast cotton and durable workwear where a hotter wash helps with heavier soiling. It is common on European labels and rarer in North America, where machines often step straight from warm to hot.

Look for: Four dots inside the washtub. Some labels print "60" instead.
Limit: 60°C / 140°F maximum

Four dots permits 60°C, roughly 140°F. This is the temperature usually recommended for sanitising: it is hot enough to kill most bacteria and dust mites, which is why it turns up on bed linen, towels, and underwear. Reserve it for whites and colourfast items, and expect some shrinkage on untreated cotton.

Look for: Five dots inside the washtub. Some labels print "70" instead.
Limit: 70°C / 160°F maximum

Five dots allows 70°C, about 160°F. It is an uncommon setting found on heavy-duty cotton and some commercial linens. Very few domestic machines offer a dedicated 70°C programme, so in practice most people wash these items at 60°C with no loss of cleanliness.

Look for: Six dots inside the washtub. Some labels print "95" instead.
Limit: 95°C / 200°F maximum

Six dots is the hottest wash on the scale, 95°C or roughly 200°F, close to boiling. It appears almost exclusively on white cotton bed linen, nappies, and hospital-grade textiles where disinfection matters more than fabric longevity. Repeated boil washes will grey and weaken cotton over time, so treat it as an occasional deep clean rather than a routine.

Look for: One bar under the washtub.

A single bar asks for the permanent press cycle: normal wash agitation but a slower, cooler spin and often a cool-down rinse. The point is to stop creases from being pressed into the fabric while it is warm. Use it on synthetics, wrinkle-resistant shirts, and anything you would rather not iron afterwards.

Look for: Two bars under the washtub.

Two bars means the delicate cycle: much slower agitation, a short and gentle spin, and a lower mechanical load overall. It protects loose knits, lace, lingerie, and lightweight synthetics from stretching and pilling. A mesh laundry bag adds useful extra protection, and washing with a smaller load lets the garment move freely rather than being pummelled.

Look for: A hand dipping into the washtub.
Limit: 40°C / 105°F maximum unless stated otherwise

This garment cannot survive machine agitation. Fill a basin with lukewarm water, add a small amount of mild detergent, and gently squeeze the suds through the fabric for a couple of minutes. Never twist or wring it: lift the garment out supporting its full weight, press the water out against the side of the basin, then roll it in a towel to absorb the rest. Some modern machines have a hand-wash programme that is genuinely gentle enough, but check the drum action first.

Look for: A washtub with a cross through it.

Water will damage this item, so no machine wash and no hand wash either. You will almost always find a dry-clean symbol alongside it. Structured tailoring, glued or fused interfacings, some leathers, and certain embellished pieces carry this symbol because water dissolves adhesives or distorts the shape permanently. Spot-clean carefully at most, and test on a hidden seam first.

Look for: A twisted piece of cloth with a cross through it.

Twisting stretches fibres while they are wet and weakest, which permanently distorts the shape and can snap knit loops. Instead, press the water out gently, or lay the garment flat on a dry towel, roll the towel up like a sponge cake, and press. This symbol usually travels with hand-wash and dry-flat symbols on wool and silk.

🔺 Bleaching The triangle tells you whether bleach is allowed, and if so, which kind.

Look for: A plain, empty triangle.

An empty triangle means the fabric tolerates any bleach, including chlorine. In practice this appears almost exclusively on white cotton and linen. Always dilute bleach in water before it touches the fabric rather than pouring it on neat, and never use it alongside ammonia-based cleaners.

Look for: A triangle with two diagonal lines inside it.

The diagonal lines restrict you to non-chlorine bleach, sold as oxygen bleach or colour-safe bleach and usually based on sodium percarbonate. It lifts stains through oxidation without stripping dye, so it is safe on coloured cotton and many synthetics. Chlorine bleach on the same garment would strip colour and can yellow elastane and wool irreversibly.

Look for: A triangle with a cross through it.

No bleach of any kind, chlorine or oxygen. This is the most common bleach symbol on modern clothing. Watch out for hidden bleach: many "whitening" detergents and stain removers contain oxygen bleach, so check the ingredients if a garment carries this symbol. Wool, silk, elastane, and most dyed fabrics are damaged by bleach at the fibre level, not just in colour.

🌀 Drying The square covers drying. A circle inside means tumble dryer; lines inside mean natural drying.

Look for: A circle inside the drying square.
Limit: Any heat setting

The square is the drying symbol, and a circle inside it means the tumble dryer is safe. With no dots or bars, any heat setting is permitted. Even so, pulling clothes out while very slightly damp and letting them finish on a hanger reduces creasing and extends the life of the fabric, since most dryer damage comes from the last, hottest stretch of the cycle.

Look for: A filled circle inside the drying square.
Limit: No heat

A solid circle means the drum may tumble but the heater must stay off, the setting labelled air fluff or air dry. It is useful for fluffing up items and shaking out dust without any thermal risk, though drying takes much longer. You will see it on heat-sensitive synthetics, foam-backed items, and garments with glued-on decoration.

Look for: One dot inside the tumble-dry circle.
Limit: Low, up to about 60°C / 140°F

One dot restricts you to the low-heat setting, around 60°C or 140°F at the exhaust. Low heat is the right choice for anything with elastane, printed graphics, or a technical finish, because high heat is what makes prints crack and elastic go slack. Drying takes longer, but the fabric lasts considerably longer too.

Look for: Two dots inside the tumble-dry circle.
Limit: Medium, up to about 70°C / 160°F

Two dots permits medium heat, roughly 70°C or 160°F. This is the standard setting for most everyday cotton and poly-cotton clothing, balancing drying speed against wear. Remember dots set a ceiling, not a target, so a lower setting is always allowed if you have the time.

Look for: Three dots inside the tumble-dry circle.
Limit: High, up to about 80°C / 175°F

Three dots allows the high-heat setting, up to about 80°C or 175°F. It is reserved for robust items such as towels, sheets, and heavy cotton where speed matters more than fibre life. High heat is the single biggest cause of shrinkage, so it is worth checking the label rather than assuming, especially on anything that fits closely.

Look for: One bar under the drying square.

A single bar under the square calls for the permanent press dryer cycle, which finishes with a cool-down tumble so the fabric is not hot and creasable when the drum stops. Combined with taking the load out promptly, it is often the difference between hanging a shirt up and having to iron it.

Look for: Two bars under the drying square.

Two bars means the delicate dryer cycle: reduced heat and a slower drum so the garment is tumbled rather than thrown around. Use it for lightweight knits and loosely woven fabrics that would otherwise stretch under their own wet weight.

Look for: A cross through the square-and-circle tumble-dry symbol.

The dryer will damage this garment, usually through shrinkage, heat damage to fibres, or the mechanical stress of tumbling. Wool felts and shrinks irreversibly, silk becomes brittle, and heavily elasticated items lose their stretch. Look for a natural drying symbol on the same label, which tells you whether to hang it, drip it, or dry it flat.

Look for: One vertical line inside the drying square.

Hang the item on a line or hanger and let it dry in air. Reshape it while it is still damp and use a wide or padded hanger for anything heavy, since a thin wire hanger will leave shoulder bumps that survive several washes. Turning dark garments inside out prevents the sun from fading them.

Look for: Three vertical lines inside the drying square.

Skip the spin cycle entirely and hang the garment while it is still dripping. The weight of the water pulls creases out as it drains, which is exactly what wrinkle-free and non-iron shirts are designed around. Hang it over a bath or outdoors, since a genuine drip dry produces a surprising amount of water.

Look for: One horizontal line inside the drying square.

Lay the item flat on a towel or a mesh drying rack and gently push it back into shape. Hanging is prohibited because wet knitwear is heavy enough to stretch itself out of shape permanently, leaving sleeves and hems noticeably longer. This is standard on wool, cashmere, and heavy cotton knits, and it usually appears with hand-wash and do-not-wring symbols.

Look for: Two diagonal lines in the top-left corner of the drying square.

The corner stripes mean keep it out of direct sun. Ultraviolet light breaks down dye molecules and weakens fibres, so bright colours fade and whites can yellow. This modifier combines with other drying symbols: corner stripes plus a vertical line means hang it up in the shade. Indoors near an open window, or outdoors on a covered line, both work.

Look for: A vertical line plus two diagonal lines in the top-left corner.

Two instructions in one symbol: hang the garment rather than tumbling or laying it flat, and keep it out of direct sun. It is common on dark denim, brightly dyed cotton, and printed garments, where sunlight fades the colour faster than the washing does.

Look for: A cross through the empty drying square.

A crossed empty square, with no circle inside, prohibits household drying altogether rather than just the tumble dryer. It is rare and nearly always sits beside a do-not-wash symbol on items meant for professional care only. If you see it, the garment should not be getting wet at home in the first place.

♨️ Ironing The iron shape sets the maximum soleplate temperature and whether steam is safe.

Look for: A plain iron shape with no dots.
Limit: Any temperature

No dots means no temperature restriction, which in practice you will only see on plain cotton and linen. Even here, ironing while the fabric is slightly damp gives a much better finish than blasting a bone-dry garment with maximum heat.

Look for: One dot inside the iron.
Limit: 110°C / 230°F maximum

One dot is the low or synthetic setting, up to 110°C or about 230°F. Nylon, acetate, acrylic, and elastane melt or glaze above this. Steam is often not advised at this setting either, so check for a separate do-not-steam symbol. Turn the garment inside out and use a pressing cloth if you are at all unsure.

Look for: Two dots inside the iron.
Limit: 150°C / 300°F maximum

Two dots is the medium or wool setting, up to 150°C or roughly 300°F. It suits wool, polyester, and most blends, and steam is generally fine. For wool, press with the iron lifted rather than dragged, and use a damp cloth between the iron and the fabric to avoid a shine on the surface.

Look for: Three dots inside the iron.
Limit: 200°C / 390°F maximum

Three dots is the high or cotton and linen setting, up to 200°C or about 390°F. Linen in particular needs both this heat and plenty of steam to release deep creases. Work while the fabric is damp, and keep the iron moving so you do not scorch a single spot.

Look for: An iron with a cross through it.

Heat and direct pressure will damage this item: synthetics can melt onto the soleplate, printed graphics lift, and pile fabrics such as velvet and corduroy crush flat and never recover. If it needs de-wrinkling, hang it in a steamy bathroom or use a handheld steamer held away from the surface, which relaxes fibres without contact.

Look for: An iron with crossed-out steam lines underneath.

Dry ironing is permitted but steam is not, so turn the steam function off and empty the reservoir if it tends to drip. Moisture would leave water spots or shrink the fabric: silk and some viscose watermark permanently, and heat-set pleats relax and drop out. Check the iron dots on the same label for the temperature you are allowed.

⭕ Professional Care The circle is a message to your dry cleaner: which solvent to use, or that professional cleaning is off-limits.

Look for: A plain, empty circle.

An empty circle means the garment can be professionally dry cleaned, with no restriction on solvent. On its own it is a permission rather than an instruction: unless the label also shows do not wash, you may still have a home-washable garment. The letters inside the circle on most real labels are a message to the cleaner, not to you.

Look for: A circle with the letter P inside.

P tells the cleaner to use perchloroethylene or a hydrocarbon solvent, and to avoid trichloroethylene, which would attack the fabric or its trims. This is the most common professional-care symbol on suits, coats, and structured tailoring. As a customer, you can simply hand the garment over: any competent cleaner reads this symbol as routine.

Look for: A circle with P inside and one bar underneath.

The bar restricts the cleaner to a gentle process: reduced mechanical action, lower temperature, and a shorter drying cycle. It appears on delicate linings, beaded pieces, and loosely constructed garments that would come apart in a standard machine. Point the symbol out when you drop the item off, because it changes what the cleaner charges and how they run it.

Look for: A circle with the letter F inside.

F restricts the cleaner to a hydrocarbon or petroleum-based solvent, which is milder than perchloroethylene. It turns up on delicate synthetics, some plastic trims, and materials that perc would dissolve or cloud. Not every high-street cleaner keeps an F-solvent machine, so it is worth asking before leaving the garment.

Look for: A circle with a cross through it.

Dry-cleaning solvents will damage this item. They dissolve certain glues, plastics, and coatings, and can strip the finish from waterproof and printed fabrics. If a garment carries this symbol, home washing is your only option, so read the washtub symbol carefully. Take it seriously: cleaners are not liable for damage when the label says no.

Look for: A circle with the letter W inside.

W means professional wet cleaning, a water-based process using specially controlled machines, biodegradable detergents, and tightly managed drying. It is a gentler and more environmentally friendly alternative to solvent cleaning, and it handles many items that were once considered dry-clean-only. Bars underneath restrict it to a milder cycle.

Look for: A circle with W inside and a cross through it.

The professional water-based process is prohibited, usually because moisture would shrink the fabric or distort the garment's structure even under controlled conditions. It does not by itself rule out solvent dry cleaning: check the other circle symbols on the label to see which professional process, if any, is permitted.

🧺 No symbol matches that search. Try describing the shape instead — for example triangle, square, two dots, or crossed out.

About Laundry Symbols Guide

The Laundry Symbols Guide is a searchable visual reference for the care symbols printed on clothing labels. It covers all 42 symbols used across the two systems you will meet in practice: ISO 3758, used in Europe and most of the world, and ASTM D5489, used in North America. Every symbol is drawn to scale, colour-coded by whether it permits, restricts, or forbids something, and explained in plain language. The care label decoder goes a step further: tap the symbols on your own label and it assembles them into an ordered wash routine, then warns you if two of them contradict each other.

At a Glance

Laundry Symbols Guide explains all 42 care label symbols in plain English and turns the symbols on your label into a wash, dry and iron routine you can print.

Laundry Symbols Guide: features at a glance
Feature	What you get	Good for
Symbol guide	All 42 washing, bleaching, drying, ironing and dry-cleaning symbols with meanings	Looking up one symbol
Search by what you see	Type "two dots", "triangle" or "crossed out" to find a symbol	When you do not know its name
Label decoder	Tap your label's symbols to get the steps in order, with conflict warnings	New clothes, delicate fabrics
Temperature dots	Dots shown as °C and °F for washing and ironing	Setting the machine or iron
AI photo reader	Snap the label: symbols, fabric and care words read for you (1 AI credit per photo)	Tiny or faded labels
Printable chart	Every symbol on two pages, or just your own label	Laundry room, wardrobe door
UK, US, EU, Japan	Both international systems and the regional differences	Clothes bought abroad

How to use this guide

There are two ways to work, and they suit different moments:

Looking up one symbol. Type what you can actually see into the search box. The search matches plain descriptions as well as names, so two dots, crossed out, triangle, and 60 all find the right cards. You can also filter by category if you already know which shape you are looking at. Open Details on any card for the full explanation and the temperature limit.

Decoding a whole label. Tap each symbol printed on your label to add it to My Care Label at the top. They arrange themselves into the standard label order as you go, and a numbered routine builds underneath in the order you would actually do the work. If you add two symbols that cannot both be true, a warning explains the clash — which usually means one of them is a slightly different symbol than you thought.

Keeping a copy. Press Print chart above the symbol guide for a two-page chart of every symbol, or Print on My Care Label for just your label and its routine. Choose Save as PDF to keep it on your phone.

Why care labels use symbols at all

Clothing crosses borders, so the label has to be readable regardless of what language the wearer speaks. That is why the instructions became pictograms in the first place. The upside is that a single label works everywhere; the downside is that the pictograms are only useful once you know the grammar. The good news is that the grammar is genuinely small — five shapes and four modifiers cover essentially everything.

The five shapes

Every care symbol starts as one of five basic shapes, and the shape alone tells you which part of the laundry process it governs:

Shape	Governs	What it tells you
Washtub	Washing	Whether the item can be washed, at what maximum temperature, and how vigorously the machine may agitate it.
Triangle	Bleaching	Whether bleach is allowed at all, and if so whether chlorine bleach or only colour-safe oxygen bleach.
Square	Drying	How to dry the item. A circle inside means the tumble dryer; lines inside mean natural drying.
Iron	Ironing	The maximum soleplate temperature, and whether steam is safe to use.
Circle	Professional care	An instruction for your dry cleaner about which solvent or process to use.

The four modifiers

Once you know the shape, four modifiers do all the remaining work. This is the part most people never get told, and it is why care labels look more complicated than they are:

Modifier	Meaning	Rule of thumb
Dots ●	Temperature	More dots means hotter. Dots always set a maximum, so a cooler setting is always allowed.
Bars ▁	Machine gentleness	No bar is the normal cycle, one bar is permanent press, two bars is delicate. Bars are about agitation, not heat.
Cross ✕	Prohibition	A cross through any shape means do not do that thing. This is the one symbol you should never overrule.
Letters	Solvent	Only inside the circle. P, F, and W tell your dry cleaner which process to use; they are not aimed at you.

Wash temperature dots at a glance

Dots	Temperature	Typical use
1 dot	30°C / 85°F	Cold. Dark colours, prints, elastane blends, anything likely to shrink.
2 dots	40°C / 105°F	Warm. The everyday setting for most cotton and synthetic clothing.
3 dots	50°C / 120°F	Warm. Colourfast cotton and durable workwear.
4 dots	60°C / 140°F	Hot. The sanitising wash for bed linen, towels, and underwear.
5 dots	70°C / 160°F	Very hot. Heavy-duty cotton and commercial linen.
6 dots	95°C / 200°F	Boil wash. White cotton only, and only occasionally.

Ironing temperature dots at a glance

Dots	Temperature	Fabrics
1 dot	110°C / 230°F	Nylon, acrylic, acetate, elastane. These melt or glaze above this point.
2 dots	150°C / 300°F	Wool, polyester, and most blends. Steam is generally fine.
3 dots	200°C / 390°F	Cotton and linen. Linen needs both this heat and plenty of steam.

ISO 3758 and ASTM D5489: the differences that matter

Europe follows ISO 3758 (administered by GINETEX) and North America follows ASTM D5489. Both use the same five shapes, so learning the shapes lets you read either. The practical differences are few:

Numbers instead of dots. European labels often print the temperature as a number inside the washtub, such as 40, rather than as two dots. They mean the same thing.
Words alongside symbols. ASTM labels more often add written instructions next to the pictograms, which is why North American labels tend to be wordier.
Hand washing. ASTM draws a hand in the tub. ISO uses the same symbol but leans more on the temperature limit.
Dry-clean letters. Both systems use P, F, and W, though older North American labels sometimes use A for any solvent.

Neither system is legally mandatory everywhere. In the United States the Federal Trade Commission's Care Labeling Rule requires care instructions but has historically accepted words, symbols, or both. That is exactly why you will find both styles in the same wardrobe.

The mistakes that ruin clothes

Almost all laundry damage traces back to a handful of habits:

Heat, more than anything else. The tumble dryer destroys more clothing than the washing machine does. Shrinkage, cracked prints, and slack elastic are nearly all heat damage.
Hanging wet knitwear. A soaked wool jumper is heavy enough to stretch itself permanently. That is what the dry-flat symbol is protecting against.
Wringing. Twisting distorts wet fibres while they are at their weakest. Press or roll in a towel instead.
Hidden bleach. Many whitening detergents and stain removers contain oxygen bleach. If the label says do not bleach, check the ingredients too.
Assuming dry-clean-only. An empty circle is a permission, not an instruction. Unless there is also a crossed-out washtub, you may well be able to wash it at home.

Read a care label from a photo

If the symbols are tiny, faded or you simply would rather not match them by eye, use Read my label from a photo at the top. Take a close, sharp photo of the label (or choose one from your gallery) and the AI finds each symbol, adds it to My Care Label and builds the wash routine, exactly as if you had tapped them. It also reads the fibre content and any care words printed on the label, translated into English, and adds a few care tips for that fabric. Symbols it could not see clearly are marked with a question mark so you can check them. Each photo uses one AI credit, even one that turns out not to be a care label; everything else on this page stays free.

Printable laundry symbols chart

A chart by the washing machine saves looking things up every wash. Print chart prints all 42 symbols in black and white on two pages, grouped into washing, bleaching, drying, ironing and professional care, each with its name and a one-line meaning. It works on A4 and US Letter paper, and Save as PDF in the print dialog turns it into a file you can keep on your phone.

Laundry symbols in the UK, Europe, Japan and Australia

UK and Europe: the ISO 3758 symbols in this guide. The temperature is often printed as a number in the washtub (30, 40, 60) instead of dots.
United States and Canada: ASTM D5489 uses the same shapes, usually with dots, and labels often add the instruction in words.
Japan: since December 2016 clothes carry the same international symbols. Older clothes may still show the previous Japanese symbols, such as a tub with a number and the word for hand wash.
Australia and New Zealand: care instructions must be written in words; many labels add the international symbols next to them.
China: GB/T 8685 follows the ISO symbols, so the same chart applies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do the dots on a laundry symbol mean?

Dots mean temperature, and more dots means hotter. Inside a washtub, one dot is 30°C (85°F), two dots is 40°C (105°F), three dots is 50°C (120°F), four dots is 60°C (140°F), five dots is 70°C (160°F), and six dots is 95°C (200°F). Inside an iron, one dot is 110°C (230°F), two dots is 150°C (300°F), and three dots is 200°C (390°F). Inside a tumble dry circle, one dot is low heat, two dots is medium, and three dots is high. Dots always set a maximum, never a target, so cooler is always allowed.

What do the bars under a laundry symbol mean?

Bars ask for a gentler machine cycle. No bar means the normal cycle. One bar means permanent press, which uses a slower, cooler spin to stop creases setting. Two bars means the delicate or gentle cycle, with much less agitation. The bar refers to the mechanical action of the machine, not the temperature, so a symbol can carry both dots and bars at the same time.

What does the triangle symbol mean on clothes?

The triangle is the bleaching symbol. An empty triangle means any bleach may be used, including chlorine. A triangle with two diagonal lines inside means only non-chlorine, colour-safe oxygen bleach is allowed. A triangle with a cross through it means no bleach of any kind. Watch out for hidden bleach, because many whitening detergents and stain removers contain oxygen bleach.

What does a circle on a care label mean?

The circle is a message to your dry cleaner rather than to you. An empty circle means dry cleaning is allowed. Letters inside tell the cleaner which solvent to use: P means perchloroethylene or hydrocarbon solvent, F means petroleum solvent only, and W means professional wet cleaning, a controlled water-based process. A circle with a cross through it means do not dry clean at all.

What happens if I ignore laundry care symbols?

The most common outcomes are shrinkage, colour bleeding, stretched or misshapen knitwear, cracked prints, and elastic that has gone slack. Heat causes most of it, which is why the tumble dryer damages more clothes than the washing machine does. The symbols set the limits the manufacturer tested, so treating them as maximums rather than suggestions is what makes clothes last.

Are laundry symbols the same in Europe and the United States?

They are close but not identical. Europe follows ISO 3758 and North America follows ASTM D5489, and both use the same five base shapes of washtub, triangle, square, iron, and circle. The main differences are that European labels often print a number inside the washtub instead of dots, ASTM adds written words alongside the symbols more often, and ASTM uses a hand in the tub for hand wash while ISO uses the same symbol with a temperature limit. Learning the five shapes lets you read either system.

What does a square with a circle in it mean on a clothing label?

A square with a circle inside is the tumble dry symbol. Dots inside the circle set the heat: one dot is low, two dots is medium and three dots is high, while a filled black circle means no heat. A cross through it means do not tumble dry. A square without a circle means natural drying: vertical lines mean hang to dry (US labels often draw a curved line at the top instead), a horizontal line means dry flat, and a diagonal line in the corner means dry in the shade.

Can I print a laundry symbols chart?

Yes. Press Print chart above the symbol guide to print all 42 symbols with their meanings on two pages, sorted into washing, bleaching, drying, ironing and professional care. Choose Save as PDF in the print dialog to keep a copy on your phone. Print on My Care Label prints just the symbols you picked and their wash routine, which is handy to stick inside a wardrobe or by the washing machine.

Are laundry symbols the same in the UK, Japan and Australia?

Mostly, yes. The UK and the rest of Europe use the ISO 3758 symbols shown here. Japan switched to the same international symbols in December 2016, so labels on newer Japanese clothes match this guide, while older clothes may still carry the previous Japanese symbols. Australia and New Zealand require written care instructions and often print the same symbols next to the words.

Can I read a care label from a photo?

Yes. Use Read my label from a photo at the top of the tool: the AI finds the symbols on your label, adds them to My Care Label and builds the wash routine, and also reads the fibre content and care words. It uses one AI credit per photo. If you prefer not to use AI, tap the symbols in the guide yourself; that part is free.

Reference this content, page, or tool as:

"Laundry Symbols Guide" at https://MiniWebtool.com/laundry-symbols-guide/ from MiniWebtool, https://MiniWebtool.com/

by miniwebtool team. Updated: Oct 30, 2026

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