An apparel client asked: “fabric, stitching and fit all built to the customer’s spec — what could go wrong?” My answer surprised him: the little label sewn into the collar and side seam. Half the firepower of US textile regulation concentrates on labeling — the finest fabric ships nowhere if the label fails.
Four mandatory labels — none optional
General textile apparel (under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act, administered by the FTC with CBP enforcing at the border) must carry four things:
- Fiber content: declared by generic fiber names with percentages, highest first. The trap: generic names are mandatory — cotton, polyester, spandex — trademarks cannot substitute. Lycra without spandex fails
- Country of origin: where the garment was assembled — and apparel origin runs on its own rules (typically cut-and-sew location, not fabric origin), not identical to general-goods origin logic; blended supply chains need extra care
- Dealer identity: the RN number registered with the FTC by the US business, or that business’s full company name. An RN identifies the actual importer or distributor — not a number borrowed for printing
- Care labeling: the FTC Care Labeling Rule requires a permanent care label stating at least one safe cleaning method — in language or standard symbols the US market reads
Placement is regulated too: garments with a neck must carry origin at the inside center of the neck, where a consumer sees it; content and RN may sit elsewhere but must be permanently affixed — a paper hangtag that vanishes in the wash counts for nothing.
Wool and fur: separate statutes, higher bars
Wool products fall under the Wool Products Labeling Act — finer distinctions (wool vs recycled wool) and stricter content statements. Fur runs under the Fur Products Labeling Act: animal name, origin, and whether dyed or treated must all be disclosed. Knitwear, coats and fur-trimmed products cannot borrow the general fiber approach.
The price of a failed label: not a reprint
At the border, non-compliant labeling means: detention while you prove correction; rework and relabeling — unpacking, unpicking, re-sewing, re-packing at US labor rates that routinely exceed the product’s margin; and penalties plus a record with the FTC and CBP, after which your exam selection rate deteriorates.
The traps Taiwanese makers hit
- Trademark as content: the yarn supplier’s brand name goes on the label — the law wants the generic name
- Content percentages drifted: substitute yarns after order confirmation, label never updated — the US side does send garments to the lab
- Chinese-only care labels: domestic labels shipped as-is; the US market needs English or compliant symbols
- Unverifiable RN: printing a customer-supplied RN without confirming the registered company is actually this shipment’s importer or distributor
- Origin mismatch with entry documents: hangtag says Made in Taiwan, entry papers say otherwise — the fastest-caught red flag at examination, and a direct reasonable care problem for the importer
Where SKYCARGO fits
SKYCARGO INC’s pre-shipment document review covers the labeling face: fiber content, origin, RN, care label, and their consistency with entry documents — problems get stopped and fixed in Taiwan, not reworked in a US warehouse. B2B shipments, talk to us. (Personal parcels: Shiptw.)
Textile labeling requirements follow current FTC rules and CBP enforcement practice. Reference only.
