Tumble dry, medium heat
Tumble dry on a moderate heat setting. Two dots inside the circle (the normal setting on ISO labels).
What to do
Tumble dry on medium heat (two dots).
What to avoid
On international labels two dots is the normal setting, not medium-high. Don't run it hotter.
How to spot it on a label
Start at the square, normally third after the washing and bleaching symbols. A circle inside the square belongs to machine tumble drying, while straight lines inside it belong to air drying. Two hollow dots inside the circle confirm this symbol.
Easy to confuse with
- Tumble dry, medium heatTumble dry, low heat
Check the mark
Count the hollow dots inside the circle: this mark has two, while low heat has one.
- Tumble dry, medium heatTumble dry, high heat
Check the mark
Count the hollow dots inside the circle: this mark stops at two, while the ASTM high-heat mark has three.
- Tumble dry, medium heatTumble dry, no heat (air only)
Check the mark
Look at both number and fill: this mark has two hollow dots, not one solid dot.
On a real label
Cotton sheet set
Read together: Wash at up to 40°C, use only non-chlorine bleach, tumble dry at the two-dot setting, iron on high (three dots), and do not dry clean.
Cotton canvas apron
Read together: Wash at up to 50°C, use any bleach only when needed, tumble dry at the two-dot setting, iron on high (three dots), and do not dry clean.
- Category
- Drying
- Appears on
- US and international labels
Related symbols
Common questions
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What do two dots in a square with a circle mean?
- They permit tumble drying at the two-dot heat level. ISO names that level normal, while ASTM names it medium.
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Is two-dot tumble drying medium or normal?
- Both names refer to the same two-dot glyph. Normal is the ISO wording, and medium is the ASTM wording.
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Can I use high heat when the label shows two dots?
- No. Do not go hotter than the two-dot setting. ASTM uses a separate three-dot mark when high heat is permitted.
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How can I tell two dots from the no-heat symbol?
- The two-dot mark has a pair of hollow dots. The ASTM no-heat mark has one filled dot instead.