ISO 3758 (care labelling with pictograms)

ISO 3758 is the international standard for textile care labelling with standardised pictograms. The system was developed from 1963 by the French association GINETEX (Groupement International d'Etiquetage pour l'Entretien des Textiles) and has been harmonised with ISO since the 1970s. Current edition: ISO 3758:2023, previously revised in 2012 and 2005; review cycle every five years.

The standard defines five care pictograms always arranged in fixed order: (1) washtub with temperature (30, 40, 60, 95 C) and optional bar for gentle handling; (2) triangle for bleaching (empty = any bleach, two diagonal lines = oxygen bleach only, crossed = do not bleach); (3) square for drying — with circle for tumble drying (dots = temperature) or without circle for line-drying options; (4) iron with dots (1 dot = 110 C, 2 = 150 C, 3 = 200 C); (5) circle for professional cleaning with letter P (perchloroethylene) or F (hydrocarbon) or W (wet cleaning). A crossed symbol prohibits the respective treatment.

Important for B2B corporate: care labelling is voluntary in Germany and across the EU, but when symbols are applied they must conform to ISO 3758 — in corporate wear and workwear effectively always mandatory because maintenance requirements cannot otherwise be enforced. GINETEX membership is required for legal use of the copyright-protected symbols on the label.

• Current edition: ISO 3758:2023, revision every 5 years
• Five pictograms in fixed order: washing → bleaching → drying → ironing → professional care
• Labelling is voluntary but must be standard-compliant when used
• GINETEX membership required for legal symbol use