We provides information on purchasing apparel materials for corporate customers from Japan.

What are Care Label Tags

Hi everyone! In this article, we’ll be explaining the basics of the care label tag.

What is a Care Label?

I’m sure you’ve seen this type of tag, typically on the inside left seam, on most clothing you’ve worn.

This is the care label.

Clothing is made from various materials, and without proper care, they can shrink or fade in color.

I have previously washed clothes without checking the care labels and turned white sportswear into pink, or full-length pants into capris… Care labels provide easy-to-understand symbols for washing, drying, ironing, and dry cleaning methods to ensure proper handling of your clothes.

*** IMPORTANT: Please keep in mind that there are several different care labeling systems and this article will have the Japanese care labelling specifics but basics apply to all.

Furthermore, care labels must include the following three points:

  1. Fiber Composition
    (Names of fibers and their percentages)
  2. Care Instructions for Household Washing, etc.
    (Care instructions using care label symbols in accordance with the provisions of your country)
  3. Additional Information of the Identifier

About Care Label Symbols

〈Basic Symbols〉

The laundry care labels consist of the five basic symbols shown above and several additional symbols used in combination with the basic ones

The order of representation is as follows, from left to right: washing, bleaching, drying, ironing, and dry cleaning.

〈Additional symbols〉

↑ Increased Washing Action

The more underlines there are, the weaker the treatment indicated by the same symbol without underlines.

↑ Ironing

The additional symbol representing the ironing temperature for the ironing treatment symbol is indicated using dots.

More dots indicates a higher treatment temperature.

↑ The ‘X’ superimposed on any of the five basic symbols represents that the treatment or operation indicated by that symbol is not allowed (it is prohibited).
C9bb02d8b8486c73
Source:経済産業省公表資料

In December 2016, Japan’s unique laundry care labeling system (JIS L 0217), which had been in use for 50 years without significant changes, was modified to align with international standards. The previous Japanese language labels have been transformed into a more simplified and stylish format.

The changes were made to ensure that everyone worldwide can care for their clothing and that there were no unnecessary costs of replacing laundry tags when exporting/importing, especially with the increase in the import and export of clothing in the last decade.

And the number of symbols, which was originally 22 types, suddenly increased to 44 types. This is just a few of them, but there are so many different symbols now.

The simplicity and universal icons makes it easier to remember the basics and help you to care for your clothing properly.

Conclusion

Order your care label tags at ApparelX! Select the length and quantity, and then send us a digital copy of what you want it to look like. We always send you a photo of the sample before production so rest assured on the quality!

We hope this article was informative and interesting; let us know what you think in the comments!

There are many more products that we can’t cover in this blog, so please take a look at our site ApparelX!

If you are considering ordering in large lots or would like to have a corporate representative contact you, please visit the Okura Trading Contact page!

フッター オークラ問い合わせフッター

Writer