US vs international symbols
Care symbols are close across the world, but not identical. If a chart you found does not match your tag, the label may be using a different standard.
Why there are two systems
Laundry symbols did not come from one worldwide labeling law. The international family is set out in ISO 3758 and administered in many markets through the GINETEX care-labeling system. The US developed ASTM D5489 for its own care-labeling rules. Both systems describe the same five jobs: washing, bleaching, drying, ironing, and professional care.
The shared shapes make the systems broadly readable across borders. A tub still means washing, a triangle still means bleaching, and an iron still means ironing. A difference may sit in a modifier, such as dots or printed numbers, or in the numeric ceiling assigned to an otherwise identical iron glyph. That is why most of a foreign label looks familiar even when one or two instructions do not match.
US labeling rules also developed in a market where written English instructions remain common. The FTC permits approved ASTM symbols in place of words and also permits symbols combined with words. ISO-style labels can carry the instruction without translating a sentence for every market. Neither approach changes the garment. It only changes how the safe process is written down.
Wash temperature, side by side
Same meaning, different mark: ASTM uses dots and ISO prints degrees Celsius. In both systems the mark is a maximum, not a temperature you must use. You can choose a cooler wash when the detergent and soil level allow it. Do not go hotter than the garment label allows.
The visual table below uses the symbols as they appear on real labels. Open any row for the full meaning and practical guidance.
The complete dot-to-degree mapping
ASTM runs from one through six dots. ISO uses the corresponding Celsius value. Every row in the table is part of the standard scale.
The Fahrenheit figures are ASTM’s standardized pairings, not mathematical conversions or named machine-program targets. A machine’s Cold, Warm, or Hot program may use a different actual temperature. Match the numeric limit when the controls permit it, and consult that model’s manual when they do not.
| ASTM mark | ISO mark | ASTM Fahrenheit pairing |
|---|---|---|
| 1 dot | 30°C | 80°F |
| 2 dots | 40°C | 105°F |
| 3 dots | 50°C | 120°F |
| 4 dots | 60°C | 140°F |
| 5 dots | 70°C | 160°F |
| 6 dots | 95°C | 200°F |
Need help choosing a setting below that limit? Use the wash temperature guide. The bars beneath a tub control cycle action, not heat. See permanent press and delicate wash for that separate distinction.
Iron temperature, side by side
Iron dots require a different comparison from wash temperatures. The one-, two-, and three-dot glyphs look the same in both systems, but ISO 3758:2023 raised each maximum by 10°C. ASTM D5489 retained the lower figures.
ASTM’s 110°C, 150°C, and 200°C limits also appeared in ISO 3758:2012. Many printed cards and online charts still repeat that superseded ISO table. This is why a chart may disagree with a current ISO source even though both show the same dots.
ASTM explicitly defines a blank iron as “Iron: Any.” Current ISO tables define ironing temperature with dots and do not explicitly define a blank iron. That silence is not enough to declare the blank glyph ASTM-only.
Every figure is a maximum sole-plate temperature. Match the label’s dot count first. If you cannot establish its standard or edition, use the cooler value in the ASTM column rather than treating the newer ISO ceiling as permission to run hotter.
Where you are likely to see each system
A garment sold for the United States commonly uses ASTM marks or written English instructions that follow the FTC Care Labeling Rule. The dot-based wash temperatures are the quickest clue. Check the destination market, not the country named on the “Made in” line. A shirt sewn in Vietnam for a US retailer can carry a US label, while a shirt from the same factory sold in France can carry ISO-style symbols.
ISO and GINETEX symbols are common across Europe, including the UK, and in many countries whose national systems align with ISO 3758. Japan’s current JIS care symbols also align closely with the ISO family. The destination market is a better clue than the “Made in” line. Country of manufacture alone does not identify which symbol standard a garment uses.
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other markets have their own labeling requirements and retail practices. You may see words, locally adopted symbols, ISO-style marks, or a combination on imported goods. Country lists are therefore a clue, not a decoder. Read the marks that are actually printed and follow any words that narrow the instruction.
The differences that matter
Wash temperature: dots vs degrees
ASTM labels show wash temperature as dots inside the tub. ISO labels print a Celsius number in the same place. The two marks give equivalent maximum temperatures, so one dot and 30 mean the same limit.
Tumble-dry heat levels
ISO uses one dot for low heat and two for its normal tumble-dry heat setting. ASTM adds a three-dot high-heat mark and a solid, filled dot for a no-heat air cycle. Those two US marks have no direct ISO version.
Symbols with words
US care instructions may use words, approved ASTM symbols, or both under the FTC Care Labeling Rule. ISO-style labels are commonly symbol-led so the same row can travel across language borders.
Iron dots look alike, but the limits differ
Current ISO 3758:2023 sets one, two, and three dots at 120°C, 160°C, and 210°C. ASTM D5489 keeps 110°C, 150°C, and 200°C. The glyphs do not change, so the drawing alone cannot settle which numeric ceiling applies.
Bleaching mostly aligns
An empty triangle permits any bleach, two diagonal lines restrict it to non-chlorine bleach, and two crossing diagonal strokes form the X for a prohibition in both systems.
The four traps to recognize
Three tumble-dry dots are ASTM-only
The US three-dot tumble-dry symbol means high heat. Do not mistake the third dot for a smudge or apply the ISO two-dot ceiling by habit. High heat can be a valid US instruction, but it is still a maximum. A lower dryer setting is the cautious choice when drying takes longer without harming the item.
A filled dryer dot means no heat
A solid dot inside the ASTM tumble-dry circle means an air cycle with no added heat. It is not “maximum heat.” Open the tumble dry, no heat page if the filled mark is hard to distinguish from several small dots on a faded tag.
Dry in shade appears in both systems
The dry-in-shade symbol adds a diagonal corner mark to a natural-drying square, and it appears on both ISO and ASTM charts. The corner mark concerns light exposure. Read the main vertical or horizontal line to see whether the garment should hang, drip, or lie flat.
Do not dry is ASTM-only and broader
The ASTM do-not-dry symbol is a plain drying square covered by two crossing diagonal strokes that form an X. It prohibits home drying as a whole. The current ISO set does not include that plain-square prohibition. The do-not-tumble-dry symbol puts the X over a circle inside the square and rules out only the tumble dryer. That narrower mark appears in both systems, so follow a permitted natural-drying instruction when the label gives one.
What to do with an unfamiliar foreign label
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1. Read the five base shapes first
Work from washing through professional care. Our care-label guide shows the order. This separates a true unknown symbol from a familiar shape with a regional modifier.
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2. Translate temperature before choosing a program
For washing, count the ASTM dots or read the ISO number in the tub, then treat the result as the ceiling. For ironing, both systems use the same dot glyphs but assign different maximums. Match the dot count and use the appropriate iron table above. When the label’s standard is unclear, choose the cooler limit.
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3. Separate heat marks from action marks
Dots or numbers inside the tub concern temperature. Bars below it call for less mechanical action. A hand in the tub means hand wash, while an X made from two diagonal strokes means stop. Do not collapse all of those instructions into a generic “delicates” setting.
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4. Let the garment’s complete label decide
Fiber content, a web chart, or another garment cannot override the sewn-in directions. Follow written qualifiers and every symbol in the row. If a mark remains unreadable, choose a cooler, gentler process or ask a professional cleaner before taking an irreversible risk.