Dry in the shade
Dry out of direct sunlight. The corner line means 'in shade.' Usually paired with a line/flat dry symbol.
What to do
Air dry out of direct sunlight. The corner stripe means 'in shade,' usually paired with a line or flat-dry symbol.
What to avoid
Keep it out of direct sun. That's the whole message of the corner stripe.
How to spot it on a label
Drying takes the third place in the standard care row, marked by a square. A circle inside the square means machine tumble drying, while lines inside it mean air drying. Here, one vertical line shows line drying and short diagonal strokes in the upper corner add the shade condition.
Easy to confuse with
- Dry in the shadeDrip dry
Check the mark
Count the central vertical lines and check the corner: this mark has one vertical line plus corner stripes, while drip dry has three vertical lines and a clear corner.
- Dry in the shadeDry flat
Check the mark
Inspect the line's direction and the upper corner: this mark has a vertical line with corner stripes, while dry flat has one horizontal line and no stripes.
- Dry in the shadeDo not dry
Check the mark
Follow the diagonal marks with your eye: shade uses short parallel strokes confined to one corner, while do not dry uses two long strokes crossing the whole square.
On a real label
Dark linen overshirt (US label)
Read together: Wash at up to 30°C, use only non-chlorine bleach, line dry in the shade, iron on high (three dots), and dry clean when needed.
Printed silk scarf (international label)
Read together: Hand wash, do not bleach, line dry in the shade, iron on low (one dot), and use P-process professional dry cleaning when needed.
- Category
- Drying
- Appears on
- US and international labels
Related symbols
Common questions
-
What do diagonal lines in the corner of a drying square mean?
- Short diagonal corner lines add the instruction to dry in the shade. On this combined mark, the central vertical line also tells you to line dry.
-
Why does my drying symbol have one vertical line plus corner stripes?
- It combines two checks in one square. The vertical line says line dry, and the corner stripes say keep that drying process in the shade.
-
Is dry in shade the same as do not dry?
- No. Shade has short parallel marks in one corner and a vertical line. Do not dry has a full cross spanning the square.
-
Do ISO and ASTM both use the dry-in-shade symbol?
- Yes. Both standards use corner stripes to add shade to a natural-drying method. The other lines in the square tell you whether to line dry, drip dry, or dry flat.