Hang tags and care labels might seem like small details in garment production—but they carry huge branding, legal, and consumer trust value. From material selection to compliance and factory coordination, ordering them correctly ensures smooth bulk production and professional presentation.
The best practices for ordering hang tags and care labels include choosing the right materials, aligning with brand identity, verifying legal requirements (e.g., fiber content, care instructions), checking barcode readability, and coordinating production timelines with garment factories. These small pieces carry your brand's first impression—and legal responsibility.
In this article, I’ll break down the steps we take at Fumao Clothing to help clients create flawless labels and tags that meet market standards while strengthening branding.
What Are the Most Common Types of Hang Tags and Care Labels?
Before ordering, it’s essential to understand the available types of labels and tags and where each one fits in your apparel line.
Popular hang tags include coated paper tags, recycled kraft tags, QR-code swing tags, and die-cut logo tags. Care labels typically include satin printed, woven damask, TPU, or iron-on types.
What’s the Difference Between Hang Tags and Care Labels?
- Hang Tags: External tags usually made from paperboard, used for price, brand story, and barcodes. Removed before wearing.
- Care Labels: Permanent labels sewn into garments containing washing instructions, fiber content, country of origin, and compliance details.
What Are the Standard Dimensions?
| Item Type | Common Size (mm) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hang Tag | 50×80 or 60×90 | Die-cut custom shapes optional |
| Printed Care Label | 25×75 or 30×100 | Depends on language and content |
| Woven Label | 20×60 or 25×80 | Logo-focused, often center-fold |
We provide a template pack with ready-made formats for fast adaptation.
What Information Must Be Included for Compliance?
Different countries have strict rules for what must appear on a care label. This is one of the biggest areas where new brands make costly mistakes.
Your care labels must follow regulations set by your target market, typically including fiber content, care instructions, country of origin, and in some cases, registration numbers or safety warnings.
What Are the Key Rules for the U.S. Market?
Under the FTC Care Labeling Rule, garments must include:
- Fiber content (e.g., 100% cotton)
- Country of origin (e.g., Made in China)
- Care instructions (text and/or symbols)
- Manufacturer identity (brand name or RN#)
The care label must be permanent, legible, and attached at the point of sale.
How About the EU and Canada?
- EU: Requires GINETEX washing symbols, multilingual content optional
- Canada: Requires both English and French, plus dealer ID or full company name
- Australia: Requires standard symbols and fiber breakdown, especially for blends
We help clients build multilingual labels using verified templates and testing from Intertek or SGS.
How to Prepare Design Files and Select Materials?
Design is more than layout. Material, print technique, font size, and color matching all affect production quality. Early preparation reduces back-and-forth and delays.
You should prepare layered vector files (AI or PDF), confirm Pantone colors, define text size limits, and choose materials that match your garment's branding and wash durability.
What File Formats and Layouts Are Best?
- Hang Tags: Vector AI or PDF with 3mm bleed, Pantone codes, and barcode placement
- Care Labels: Black-and-white AI with actual font size marked (min 6 pt for legibility)
- Include fold type (center fold, end fold, loop fold), and orientation
We offer a tech pack-ready label guide with measurement standards and design zones.
What Materials Should You Choose?
| Tag/Label Type | Material Options | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Hang Tags | Coated paper, recycled kraft, textured board | Retail branding |
| Care Labels | Satin, woven damask, TPU, cotton tape | Internal garment use |
| Sustainable Labels | Recycled polyester, PLA film, FSC paper | Eco-conscious brands |
Our factory offers Pantone matching, foil stamping, UV gloss, and embossed logo finishes on tags.
When to Order and How to Align with Garment Production?
Timing matters. A common mistake is finalizing garments while labels are still being printed—or worse, shipping blank garments waiting for labels to arrive separately.
Order care labels and hang tags at least 2–3 weeks before bulk cutting begins. Always align physical label sampling with your pre-production garment samples.
What’s the Ideal Ordering Workflow?
- Approve digital tag and label mockups
- Confirm content and compliance
- Print and review physical samples
- Approve sewn label positions on sample garments
- Proceed with bulk production
We sew care labels and attach hang tags during final QC stage before packaging. For DDP clients, we also apply barcode stickers and carton labeling at origin.
Can You Customize Hang Tag Packaging?
Yes. We offer:
- String and pin types: Cotton cord, elastic string, metal safety pins
- Bundle wrap: Individual polybagging, belly bands, ribbon ties
- Swing tag add-ons: QR codes, size stickers, limited-edition serial numbers
Hang tags can also be designed with scannable NFC chips or tracking QR for smart retail applications.
Conclusion
Great labels do more than tag a product—they certify, protect, and promote it. Whether you're scaling your DTC apparel brand or managing a large OEM program, getting your hang tags and care labels right is essential for compliance, aesthetics, and customer trust.
At Fumao Clothing, we support full-package production including label sourcing, layout guidance, and factory alignment. To build a collection that meets both creative and compliance standards, contact our Business Director Elaine at elaine@fumaoclothing.com and we’ll guide you through every detail.
