Manufacturer · Fashion & Home Accessories
Washing machine symbols are shown as a tub of water. The number in the tub is the maximum temperature in °C, one bar underneath means a gentle cycle, two bars a very gentle cycle, a hand in the tub means hand wash only, and a crossed-out tub means the garment must not be washed with water. These symbols determine which programme and temperature to choose.
Washing machine symbols – the main variants
The washtub is always the first symbol on the care label. It carries two pieces of information at once: how hot the water can be and how much mechanical action the product can take.
Temperature in the washtub
The ISO 3758 standard uses the values 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 95 °C. The most common on labels are 30 and 40 °C for everyday clothes and 60 °C for bed linen, towels and workwear. The number is an upper limit – washing a garment marked 40 °C at 30 °C carries no risk, but the reverse is risky.
Bars under the washtub
- No bar – normal process. Suitable for cotton and linen; the machine can tumble and spin at full strength.
- One bar – gentle process. Corresponds to synthetics or "easy care" programmes, with less tumbling and a lower spin speed.
- Two bars – very gentle process. Corresponds to programmes for wool, silk and delicates.
Hand wash and prohibition
A washtub with a hand dipped in it means the item is to be washed by hand only, at a maximum of 40 °C. Many modern washing machines have a "hand wash" or "wool" programme that simulates hand movement, but whether to use it is the user's decision. A crossed-out washtub means the product is not to be washed with water at all – professional cleaning is usually required.
How to match the symbol to the washing machine programme
| Label symbol | Recommended programme | Typical products |
|---|---|---|
| Washtub with 60, no bar | Cotton 60 °C | Bed linen, towels, white cotton T-shirts |
| Washtub with 40, no bar | Cotton 40 °C | Coloured cotton, jeans, childrenswear |
| Washtub with 40, one bar | Synthetics 40 °C | Polyester, blended fabrics, shirts |
| Washtub with 30, one bar | Synthetics or delicates 30 °C | Viscose, blouses, products with elastane |
| Washtub with 30, two bars | Wool or delicates 30 °C | Jumpers, knitwear, silk |
| Washtub with a hand | Hand wash or wool programme | Knits, items with beads and embroidery |
Other washtub symbols you may come across
On garments produced for the American market, the temperature is sometimes shown with dots instead of a number: one dot for about 30 °C, two for 40 °C, three for 50 °C, four for 60 °C, five for 70 °C and six for 95 °C. The logic of the bars stays the same. In Europe, however, numbers are expected, so brands selling in the EU use numbers.
Practical washing tips
- Sort by the strictest symbol: if there is a garment marked 30 °C with one bar in the drum, the whole load must be washed under those conditions.
- Dark and bright colours are usually washed inside out to preserve the colour and print.
- Items with metal buttons, zips and eyelets are washed with the zips closed so they do not snag finer fabrics.
- Do not overload the drum on gentle programmes – the water must be able to cushion the movement.
- If the label has faded or been cut off, wash at 30 °C on a gentle programme until you are sure of the material.
Temperature or programme – which matters more
The two parts of the symbol work together. Temperature mainly affects colour, shrinkage and removal of greasy stains, while mechanical action affects shape, surface and seams. That is why a garment marked 40 °C with two bars should not be washed on a 40 °C cotton programme: the temperature matches, but the tumbling and spin will be too strong. The reverse is also true – a 30 °C wool programme is safe even for a garment marked 40 °C without a bar; it may simply clean heavily soiled areas less well.
How the manufacturer chooses the washing symbol
For the brand, the decision is not a formality. The washing symbol must match the most sensitive part of the garment: main fabric, lining, interlinings, threads, embroidery, labels and trims. If the base fabric withstands 60 °C but the buttons or print do not, the lower value goes on the label. That is why garment technologists wash-test a sample, compare the dimensions before and after and check for shrinkage, fading or colour transfer.
A common mistake is to copy a symbol from a similar garment in a previous collection without checking the new fabric. Another mistake is to give overly strict instructions "just in case" – for example hand wash for an ordinary cotton T-shirt. This confuses the buyer and lowers the value of the product in their eyes.
Where the symbol is printed
The washing symbol comes first in the row of symbols on the care and composition label, usually after the fibre composition. It is printed with inks designed for textiles so that it remains legible after repeated washing. On narrow tapes the symbols are placed on a separate line, and on multilingual labels they appear once, because they are understood without translation. If you are looking for a label that matches the style of your main brand label, browse our printed labels.
Care labels from Polkom
Polkom is a Sofia-based manufacturer of clothing accessories and labels with over 30 years of experience. We print the washing symbols, composition and your logo, make a sample and deliver across the EU. Send the details of your products via our contact page and we will come back to you with a quote.
