How to read laundry care symbols
What the wash tub, triangle, square, iron and circle symbols on UK clothing labels mean, including the dots and lines that show temperature and how gentle to be.
- Time
- 5 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 6
- Checked
Safety first
- Ignoring a two-bar or hand-wash symbol on wool is the usual cause of shrunken jumpers.
- Tumble drying items marked 'do not tumble dry' can shrink them, melt trims or damage elastic.
Step by step
-
Step 1: Know the five basic symbols
Care labels in the UK use an international system managed by GINETEX. There are five basic symbols, always in this order:
- Wash tub: washing
- Triangle: bleaching
- Square: drying (a circle inside the square means tumble drying)
- Iron: ironing
- Circle: professional cleaning (dry cleaning)
A cross through any symbol means don't do it.
Next: step 2 -
Step 2: Washing: the tub
- A number or dots inside the tub show the maximum temperature. Dots: one is 30°C, two is 40°C, three is 50°C, four is 60°C.
- No bar underneath: a normal cycle.
- One bar: a gentler (synthetics) cycle.
- Two bars: a very gentle (wool or delicates) cycle.
- A hand in the tub: hand wash only.
- A crossed-out tub: don't wash.
-
Step 3: Bleaching: the triangle
- Empty triangle: any bleach can be used.
- Triangle with two diagonal lines: only oxygen-based (non-chlorine) bleach.
- Crossed-out triangle: don't bleach.
-
Step 4: Drying: the square
Tumble drying (circle in a square): one dot means low heat, two dots normal heat. Crossed out means don't tumble dry.
Natural drying (lines in a square): - A curved line at the top: line dry. - Three vertical lines: drip dry (hang up wet, no spinning). - One horizontal line: dry flat. - Two diagonal lines in the corner: dry in the shade.
Next: step 5 -
Step 5: Ironing: the iron
- One dot: low heat (up to about 110°C), for synthetics like acrylic and nylon.
- Two dots: medium heat (up to about 150°C), for wool, silk and polyester.
- Three dots: high heat (up to about 200°C), for cotton and linen.
- Crossed out: don't iron.
Most irons mark their dial with the same dots.
Next: step 6 -
Step 6: Dry cleaning: the circle
A letter in the circle (such as P or F) tells the dry cleaner which solvent to use. A W means professional wet cleaning. A bar under the circle means a gentler process. A crossed-out circle means don't dry clean. You don't need to know the letters, just take the item to a dry cleaner.
Tips
- The temperature on the label is a maximum. Washing cooler is fine and saves energy.
- Cut labels out if they irritate, but take a photo of them first.
- When in doubt, wash cooler and gentler, and don't tumble dry.
When to call a professional
Items marked with a circle only (and a crossed-out wash tub) should go to a dry cleaner.
Questions people ask
What does the triangle mean on clothes?
It's the bleach symbol. Empty means any bleach, two lines means non-chlorine only, crossed out means don't bleach.
What do the lines under the wash tub mean?
They tell you how gentle the cycle should be. No line is a normal cycle, one line is gentle and two lines is very gentle.
What does a square with a circle and one dot mean?
Tumble dry on a low heat.
Sources
Checked 9 October 2026. We wrote this guide in our own words, using:
- GINETEX: care labelling symbols (ginetex.net)
- UK Fashion & Textile Association (UK member of GINETEX) (ukft.org)
- Wikipedia: laundry symbol (summary of ISO 3758) (en.wikipedia.org)
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Printed from howtoguides.uk/guides/how-to-read-laundry-care-symbols/ · Checked 9 October 2026 · General information only. For gas, electrics, structural work, medical, legal or money decisions, use a qualified professional.