Fiber composition tells the buyer what the garment is actually made of. Most countries treat it as a hard legal requirement on the wash care label, with strict rules for wording, decimal precision and tolerance. This article summarises what to print, in what order, and the most common compliance traps.
Which standard applies?
- China: GB/T 29862-2013 — Textiles — Identification of fibre content.
- International: ISO 2076 (generic names) and ISO 1833 series (testing methods).
- US: FTC 16 CFR Part 303 (Rules and Regulations under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act).
- EU: Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 — Textile fibre names and related labelling.
The percentage rules everyone breaks
- List fibers in descending order of weight.
- Round each percentage to the nearest whole number; do not invent decimals like "49.7%".
- Total must equal 100% — "95% Cotton 6% Spandex" will get returned.
- If a fibre is below 5% you may declare it as "other fibres" — but EU and China require you to name the fibre when it is functional (e.g. elastane).
Tolerance: how much variance is allowed
GB/T 29862 and ISO 1833 both allow ±3% absolute tolerance for declared fiber percentages, with stricter rules for blends below 15%. For pure fiber claims (e.g. "100% Cotton"), the tolerance is 0% — any other fibre detected during testing will fail QC.
Multi-component garments: shell, lining, filling
- Declare each component separately. Example: Shell: 100% Polyester / Lining: 100% Cotton / Filling: 90% Down 10% Feather.
- Down products must use the term "Down" (绒) and disclose down content percentage per GB/T 14272 in China.
- Trims (zippers, buttons) are not part of the fiber declaration.
Bilingual wording for cross-border shipping
If a single SKU ships to multiple markets, list the composition in each language stacked on the same label: Chinese line first (for QC), English line for global buyers, then EU multilingual block if required by the destination. Maigoc's wash care templates already include the EU multilingual block in 6 languages — switch it on with one click.
Test your composition before printing. A failed customs inspection costs 20× the price of a lab test.