Iron on medium (two dots)
Two dots allow ironing up to 160°C under ISO 3758:2023 or 150°C under ASTM D5489.
What to do
Use the two-dot medium setting. Stay at or below 160°C on a current ISO label or 150°C on a US ASTM label.
What to avoid
The ISO 160°C and ASTM 150°C limits are ceilings. Use 150°C when the standard is unclear.
How to spot it on a label
Find the iron in the fourth part of the standard care-label sequence, between drying and professional cleaning. Two dots sitting side by side inside the iron body confirm this variant. Do not count lines underneath the iron, since those are steam instructions. The two-dot ceiling is 160°C in ISO 3758:2023 and 150°C in ASTM D5489.
Easy to confuse with
- Iron on medium (two dots)Iron on low (one dot)
Check the mark
Count the dots inside the iron: this symbol has two, while the low-temperature symbol has one.
- Iron on medium (two dots)Iron on high (three dots)
Check the mark
Read the row of dots from left to right. Stop at two for this symbol; the high-temperature iron has a third dot.
- Iron on medium (two dots)Iron without steam
Check the mark
Medium uses two dots inside the body. Current ISO no steam uses one dot plus crossed lines underneath; the ASTM version uses a blank body with those crossed lines.
On a real label
Polyester blouse
Read together: Use the permanent-press cycle, use only non-chlorine bleach if needed, tumble dry on low, use no more than the two-dot iron setting, and do not dry clean.
Wool dress trousers
Read together: Do not wash, bleach, or tumble dry. Use the two-dot iron setting and take the trousers to a professional cleaner that follows the P-solvent instruction.
- Category
- Ironing
- Appears on
- US and international labels
Related symbols
Common questions
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What temperature is two dots on an iron?
- Two dots permit a maximum sole-plate temperature of 160°C under ISO 3758:2023 or 150°C under ASTM D5489. A lower setting is within either instruction.
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Can I iron polyester?
- You can iron a polyester item whose own label shows two dots, without exceeding 160°C under current ISO or 150°C under ASTM. The tag on the item controls, since not every polyester garment has the same care instructions.
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Is two dots medium heat on an iron?
- Yes. Two dots mark the medium ironing range. Its maximum is 160°C in current ISO and 150°C in ASTM, not a target you have to reach.
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Do two dots mean I should use steam?
- No. The dots set the temperature limit. A steam restriction is shown separately by crossed lines underneath the iron.