Clothing Fabric Labels: Cotton, Wool and Elastane

Reading clothing fabric labels takes two skills: knowing what the fibre percentages tell you about how a garment will feel and wear, and knowing what the care symbols allow you to do with it. A label reading “72% cotton, 25% polyester, 3% elastane” describes comfort, stretch, wrinkling and durability all at once. Learn to read it, and you can judge a garment before you buy and care for it properly once it is yours.

This guide explains how fibre content is presented, what the most common fibres do, what blends are for, and how to decode the washing, bleaching, drying, ironing and dry-cleaning symbols on the care tag.

Where to find the label and what it contains

Most garments carry a sewn-in tag, often at the side seam or back neck, with two kinds of information. The first is the fibre content, listing each fibre and its percentage of the total weight. The second is the care instruction, either as symbols, as words, or both. Some garments have a separate tag for the lining, the trim or decorative parts, so read all of them. Online, the fabric composition should appear on the product page; if it does not, check the description carefully before you buy, since you cannot feel the cloth.

How to read fibre percentages

Fibres are usually listed from the largest share to the smallest. That gives a quick reading: the first fibre dominates the hand feel and the look, and the last one is often a small performance additive. Some points that help:

• 100 percent means one fibre. That is often best for feel and breathability, but such fabrics can wrinkle, shrink or lose shape more readily than blends.
• Blends combine strengths. A little polyester adds strength and crease resistance, and a little elastane adds stretch.
• The small numbers still matter. Two to five percent of elastane changes how a garment moves, and how much stretch you should allow when sizing.
• Lining and shell are separate. A wool jacket may be lined in a different fibre, which affects how it feels against the skin and how it should be cleaned.
• Labels describe the fibre, not the quality. Two garments both labelled 100 percent wool can differ hugely in fineness, weave and finishing.

The most common fibres and what they do

Cotton

A natural plant fibre that is soft, breathable and easy to wash. It absorbs moisture well and dries slowly, wrinkles easily unless blended or specially finished, and can shrink the first time it meets heat. Ideal for shirts, tees, chinos and summer dresses.

Wool

An animal fibre that is warm, elastic and naturally resistant to odours. It recovers from wrinkles better than most fibres and can regulate temperature across a range of conditions. It is prone to felting and shrinking if washed hot or agitated, and may need moth protection. Suitable for blazers, suits, knitwear and coats. See our care guide for wool blazers and dresses for practical routines.

Elastane (spandex)

A synthetic fibre that stretches significantly and returns to shape. It is nearly always a small share of a blend, used to make trousers, jeans, tops and jackets more comfortable and to help them hold their shape at knees and elbows. Heat can damage it, so hot tumble drying and high-temperature ironing are best avoided.

Polyester

A synthetic fibre valued for durability, wrinkle resistance and quick drying. It is less breathable than natural fibres and can trap odours, though modern versions vary widely. Common in linings, suiting blends, dresses and outerwear.

Viscose, rayon and modal

Cellulose fibres made from processed plant material. They drape beautifully and feel silky but often weaken when wet, can shrink and may mark with water. Follow the care label closely, since many such garments are hand wash or dry clean only.

Linen

A plant fibre that is strong, cool and crisp. It wrinkles as part of its character and softens with washing. Excellent for warm-weather shirts, trousers and dresses.

Nylon, acrylic, silk and cashmere

Nylon is strong, light and elastic, and common in outerwear and hosiery. Acrylic imitates wool at a lower price but can pill and hold heat. Silk is smooth and light, and needs gentle care. Cashmere is a fine, soft animal fibre that is warm and delicate, so it should be hand washed or cleaned carefully.

Decoding the care symbols

Care symbols are a small international vocabulary made of five shapes. Once you know the shapes, you can read most labels.

• Washtub: washing. A number inside is the maximum water temperature in degrees Celsius, for example 30 or 40. A hand in the tub means hand wash. A cross over it means do not wash. Bars under the tub indicate a gentler cycle, and more bars mean a gentler action.
• Triangle: bleaching. An empty triangle allows bleach, a triangle with two diagonal lines allows only oxygen or non-chlorine bleach, and a crossed triangle means do not bleach. In practice, avoid bleach on coloured or delicate fabrics.
• Square with a circle: tumble drying. Dots inside the circle show heat level, one dot for low and two for medium. A crossed symbol means do not tumble dry. A square with a line or curves inside indicates line drying, drip drying or drying flat.
• Iron: ironing. Dots on the iron show the maximum temperature: one dot is low (suitable for synthetics and delicate fibres), two is medium (wool, silk) and three is high (cotton, linen). A crossed iron means do not iron, and a crossed steam mark means do not steam.
• Circle: professional cleaning. An empty circle means dry cleaning is allowed. A letter inside refers to the solvent the cleaner should use, and a cross means do not dry clean. A circle with a W refers to professional wet cleaning.

Written labels such as “dry clean only” or “wash cold, line dry” are clear enough but can be more restrictive than a symbol, so treat them as binding. Many symbols also come with a phrase like “wash separately” or “wash inside out”, which is worth heeding.

What to do when the label says one thing and you want another

Labels are written to protect the garment, and usually they are conservative. A “dry clean only” item can often be freshened by airing, spot cleaning or steaming between professional cleans, and our guide to steaming versus dry cleaning blazers shows how to decide. However, you should not put a “do not wash” garment through a washing machine, and you should not tumble dry anything marked otherwise. When a garment mixes fibres, follow the most delicate fibre’s instruction, since it is the one that will fail first. For example, a blend of wool and silk should be treated as silk for washing.

Using fabric labels to shop smarter

The label is a shopping tool as much as a laundry guide. Some examples of how to use it:

• For hot weather, choose cotton, linen or lightweight viscose, and be wary of high polyester shares in tight weaves. Our breathable summer dress fabric guide gives more detail.
• For trousers and jackets that need to hold their shape, look for wool, or wool blended with a little polyester or elastane. Men’s suiting fabrics are covered in the worsted, cotton and linen guide.
• For comfort and movement, look for 2 to 5 percent elastane, then size according to the fit you want.
• For easy care, choose blends that can be machine washed, and avoid garments that need frequent dry cleaning if you do not want that cost.

Also compare the label to the price. If a garment at a premium price is mostly acrylic or polyester with a wool-like name in its description, ask whether that price reflects the fabric. When the product page does not spell out the composition, check the fabric composition in the product details, or contact the store before you buy.

Common label mistakes

• Ignoring the lining tag when the outer fabric can be washed.
• Washing at a higher temperature than the number in the tub allows.
• Treating “natural” as automatically better; each fibre has weaknesses.
• Skipping the label on second-hand or gifted items and guessing from the look.
• Cutting the label out because it itches, and then forgetting the instructions. Take a photo of it first.

FAQ: Reading clothing fabric labels

What does a “wool blend” label mean?

It means the fabric contains wool along with another fibre, but not how much. Check the percentages, because a blend with 20 percent wool behaves quite differently from one with 80 percent.

Is a small amount of elastane bad for a garment?

No. A small share improves comfort and shape retention. The trade-off is that it dislikes high heat, so keep the dryer and iron settings low.

Can I machine wash something labelled hand wash?

It is risky. Some machines have a hand wash cycle that is gentle enough, but the label is there because the fabric or construction may distort or shrink. If you try, use a mesh bag, cold water and a low spin, and accept some risk.

Why do some labels list two sets of percentages?

Usually the shell fabric and lining are listed separately, or a contrast fabric is listed as well. Read each part, and follow the most delicate instructions.

Before you buy, check the composition on each product page in the ADDMPS shop and match it to how you want to wear and care for the piece.

Edited by the ADDMPS Style Team.