Fibre content labelling means stating the fibres in a textile product by their legal names and their percentage by weight, in descending order. Most markets allow a small tolerance between the declared composition and the lab result, generally around 3 percent in the EU for the main fibres, with specific rules for fibres present in small amounts, while the United States applies its own tolerance under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act. Because the exact rules, permitted fibre names and treatment of decorative threads differ, your compliance team or a testing lab should confirm the wording before you print labels.
How the EU and UK approach it
The EU textile labelling regulation sets out the permitted fibre names, the order in which they appear and when a single fibre may be described as 100 percent or pure. A manufacturing tolerance is allowed between the stated figures and the analysed figures, and there are separate allowances for fibres that make up only a small share of the product and for decorative threads that may be left out of the declaration under set conditions.
The UK carried the same framework into its own law after leaving the EU. The label must be in the language of the country where the product is sold, and the fibre names must be the regulated terms, so the composition line reads cotton even when the fibre is organic cotton; the organic claim goes elsewhere on the label.
The United States and Canada
Under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act, administered by the FTC, most household textiles must show the generic fibre names and percentages, the country of origin and the identity of the manufacturer or importer, usually by a registered identification number. The rule allows a tolerance for the stated percentages and has its own treatment of ornamentation and small amounts of fibre.
Fibre names must be the FTC generic names, so a product labelled viscose in Europe is typically labelled rayon in the United States. Canada's rules are similar in structure but require French as well as English and have their own dealer identity requirements.
How to avoid a labelling dispute
- Have the fibre composition of the bulk fabric tested at a lab before the labels are printed, not after the goods have shipped.
- Test blends every time, because a mill's stated cotton-polyester ratio can drift between lots even when the fabric quality looks the same.
- Write the composition into the purchase order with the tolerance you will accept, so the mill knows a lab result is coming.
- Keep the test report in the shipment file, since customs or a retailer can ask for it long after delivery.
- Agree in advance what happens if the result falls outside tolerance: relabel, reprice or reject.
How we check fibre content
We cut sealed samples from the bulk fabric and send them to an NABL-accredited lab for composition testing, then check the label artwork against the report before it goes to print. We inspect the labels on the finished goods before loading and send weekly updates while the order runs. If you want help setting a tolerance for a new product, we offer a free 20-minute sourcing review.