By the Digital Empire Regulatory Research Team (EntryProof Analysis Team) · Reviewed by Andy Gaber, Founder, Digital Empire Holdings LLC · Published August 30, 2026 · Last updated August 30, 2026
Not legal advice. This is a general educational reference on the FTC textile-labeling rules at 16 CFR Part 303 for U.S. apparel and home-textile importers. It is not legal advice for your specific products, entity, or supply chain. Consult qualified counsel or a textile-labeling compliance specialist for compliance decisions on specific SKUs.
The Textile Fiber Products Identification Act (15 USC 70 through 70k) and the FTC's implementing regulations at 16 CFR Part 303 govern what has to appear on the label of nearly every apparel item, home textile, and made-up textile article sold in U.S. commerce: fiber content by generic name and percentage, country of origin, and the identity of the responsible U.S. party. The rules are administered by the FTC, not CPSC, but they intersect the CPSC eFiling and CBP entry workflow for any importer moving textile goods across the U.S. border. This guide is a 2026 educational reference for that importer.
Sections 303.15 and 303.16 of the FTC textile rules require every covered textile fiber product to carry a label with four mandatory elements. First, the fiber content, expressed by generic name and by percentage by weight, per 16 CFR 303.7 and 303.29. Second, the country where the product was processed or manufactured, per 16 CFR 303.33. Third, the identity of the manufacturer, importer, or other responsible party, either as a full business name or as an RN (Registered Identification Number) issued by the FTC per 303.20. Fourth, format that is legible, conspicuous, permanently attached, and in English (multilingual labels are permitted only if the English text is present and equally prominent), per 303.15 and 303.16.
These four elements travel together on the same label surface. FTC enforcement has historically treated them as a single label integrity check: any one of them missing, incorrect, or improperly formatted is a violation of the Act, and multiple defects on the same label typically get bundled together in a consent-order settlement. Importers who staple product to a wholesale line-sheet without physically inspecting the labels on production samples are the most common source of the recurring FTC textile-labeling actions.
Fiber content is declared by generic name (not by brand name) and by percentage by weight in descending order. The list of accepted generic names lives in 16 CFR 303.7 and covers the standard fiber families (cotton, wool, silk, linen, polyester, nylon, acrylic, spandex, and about two dozen more). Branded fiber names such as Lycra or Dacron may appear on the label only if paired with the corresponding generic name in equal typographic prominence. Novel fibers without an existing generic name require the manufacturer to petition the FTC for a new generic-name designation under 303.8; the FTC maintains an accepted-names list that is updated periodically.
Percentages must add to 100 percent, and per 303.29 they must be accurate within a five-percent tolerance for fibers present at 5 percent or more of the total weight, with the tolerance narrowing for smaller fractions. A fiber present at less than 5 percent by weight may be declared as an aggregate "other fiber" entry rather than by generic name, per 303.7(b), unless the fiber has a functional significance the label discloses (for example, spandex declared for its stretch functionality even at 2 percent). Rounding is to the nearest whole percent; the mathematically obvious rule that the percentages must sum to exactly 100 percent is the most common single arithmetic defect FTC catches in filings.
Reused or recycled fiber content triggers additional disclosure under 303.24: the label must identify the fiber as reused, recycled, or reprocessed with the corresponding generic name (for example, "100% recycled polyester"). Undeclared reused content is a specific FTC enforcement target and appears in several recent consent orders.
Every covered textile product must identify a responsible party on the label. The label may carry the full business name of the manufacturer, importer, or distributor, or it may substitute an FTC-issued identification number in place of the name. Two number series exist: RN (Registered Identification Number, current) and WPL (Wool Products Labeling number, legacy but still valid). Both are interchangeable for identification purposes; new applicants receive RNs.
Applying for an RN takes about ten minutes at rn.ftc.gov. The FTC issues the number free of charge, typically within the same session; the applicant supplies business identity information (legal name, address, business form, and role in the textile supply chain). Overview of the number system is on the FTC Textile Fiber Products Identification Act page at ftc.gov/enforcement/rules/rulemaking-regulatory-reform-proceedings/textile-fiber-products-identification-act-rn.
The RN is the identifying string U.S. Customs uses to trace the responsible party on an imported textile good, and the number FTC uses to correlate enforcement actions to a specific business. Importers who share an RN across multiple corporate entities (or who let a private-label customer use their RN improperly) create traceability problems that surface in enforcement actions.
Country-of-origin labeling for textile products under 16 CFR 303.33 distinguishes three scenarios. A product wholly manufactured in the United States from U.S. materials is labeled "Made in USA." A product manufactured in the United States from wholly or partly imported materials is labeled with a qualified U.S.-origin statement: "Made in USA of imported fabric," "Sewn in USA of imported components," or similar language that discloses the imported-input reality. A product manufactured entirely outside the United States is labeled with the specific country of manufacture: "Made in Vietnam," "Made in Bangladesh," "Made in Italy."
The country-of-origin statement on the FTC textile label runs in parallel with CBP's separate country-of-origin marking rules at 19 CFR Part 134, which apply to all imported goods (not only textiles) under Section 304 of the Tariff Act. The two regimes overlap and reinforce each other: CBP checks marking at entry, and FTC checks the textile label content and format for consumer-facing accuracy. An imported textile with a missing or wrong country-of-origin marking can be detained by CBP under 19 CFR 134.51 pending corrective marking regardless of whether the FTC ever inspects the label.
Unqualified "Made in USA" claims on textiles that use any imported inputs are separately deceptive under the FTC's Made in USA Labeling Rule at 16 CFR Part 323, which requires "all or virtually all" U.S. content and manufacture. That rule sits on top of 303.33 and adds a second exposure surface for domestic cut-and-sew operations tempted to use the bare U.S.-origin claim.
The Section 303.15 format rules require the label to be legible, conspicuous, permanently attached, and in English. Legibility is judged against the consumer's ability to read the label at ordinary reading distance. Conspicuousness is judged against whether the consumer can find the label without unusual effort at the point of purchase. Permanence means the label remains attached and legible through normal use and washing conditions typical for the product category. English-language content is required; multilingual labels are permitted only when the English text is present and no less prominent than the other languages.
Placement varies by product but is not left to the manufacturer's convenience. Section 303.15 requires the required disclosures to appear on a label attached to the product itself, not only on the packaging or the hangtag. For a garment, the label typically sits at the neck seam or the side seam; for a home-textile item like a sheet set or a comforter, the label attaches to the item itself with a durable stitched-in label. Hangtags may repeat the disclosures but cannot substitute for the sewn-in label. Removable labels (peel-off stickers, string-tied hangtags) do not satisfy the permanence requirement.
Care instructions (a separate label required under the FTC Care Labeling Rule at 16 CFR Part 423) are often combined onto the same physical label as the fiber-content and country-of-origin disclosures. Combining is permitted so long as each mandatory disclosure remains legible and no disclosure is displaced by the combination. The care-labeling rule is a distinct FTC rule and outside the scope of this guide; importers should treat it as parallel to Section 303 rather than derived from it.
Section 303.45 exempts a defined list of textile products and components from the Section 303 labeling requirements. The exempt list includes certain upholstery stuffing and filling materials not intended to be seen in the finished product, coated fabrics used as backings or interlinings that do not affect the fiber-content representation of the finished product, certain trims and findings below defined weight or surface-area thresholds, and a handful of narrowly defined product categories (secondhand articles, certain non-textile products with incidental textile components, and so on).
The exemption list is finite and specific. Most consumer-facing apparel, home textiles, and made-up textile articles are not exempt. An importer relying on a claimed exemption should confirm the exemption in the current text of 303.45 rather than relying on trade lore or historical practice, because the exemption categories have narrowed over time as FTC has tightened the regulation. Even for exempt components (a non-visible interlining, for example), the finished product's dominant fiber content still gets declared on the finished-product label.
Reading through the FTC's public enforcement library at ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/cases-proceedings and filtering for textile and wool actions, a small set of recurring defect patterns account for most enforcement:
Fiber-content arithmetic errors. Percentages that do not sum to 100 percent. The most mechanical and most common single defect.
Non-generic fiber names. Branded fiber names used alone, without the required generic-name pairing under 303.7. "Lycra" alone instead of "spandex (Lycra)" or the equivalent.
Missing or incorrect country of origin. Label reads "Made in USA" on an imported garment, or reads only the country of assembly when the fabric was produced elsewhere and the applicable substantial-transformation test does not put origin at the assembly country.
Missing RN or WPL number and missing full business name. Neither identifier appears, or the label carries a distributor name without the required manufacturer or importer identifier.
Non-permanent labels. Peel-off stickers or paper hangtags carrying the disclosures instead of a sewn-in permanent label. Fails the 303.15 permanence requirement in normal use.
Undeclared reused or recycled fiber. Recycled polyester declared as virgin polyester, or reprocessed wool declared without the required "reprocessed" qualifier under 303.24.
English-language failures on multilingual labels. Non-English labels without the required English text, or English text less prominent than the other languages.
FTC enforcement typically resolves these defects through consent orders with monetary settlement, corrective-label injunctions, and periodic-reporting obligations, rather than through litigation. The pattern is to bundle multiple defects across an importer's SKU line into a single settlement rather than pursue individual defects.
Textile labeling under 16 CFR Part 303 sits in the FTC lane; CPSC eFiling under the Consumer Product Safety Act sits in the CPSC lane; CBP marking under 19 CFR Part 134 sits in the CBP lane. All three converge on the same event: the entry filing for an imported textile shipment. A children's sleepwear import, for example, needs a compliant Section 303 textile label (fiber content, RN, country of origin, format), a compliant CPSC Children's Product Certificate with third-party test reports supporting 16 CFR 1615 or 1616 flammability compliance, and compliant CBP country-of-origin marking on both the label and the packaging.
Failures in one lane do not automatically create exposure in the other, but the entry event holds them all. A label defect that CBP catches at marking review can delay the entry and hold the CPSC-compliant certified goods along with the non-compliant labels; a CPSC test-report gap can hold a shipment whose FTC labels are perfect. Importers who split the compliance workstreams across separate vendors (a textile-labeling vendor for FTC compliance, a CPSC filing platform for the Registry, a customs broker for CBP marking) need to synchronize the three at the SKU level so a defect in any one lane does not silently propagate.
Partner-Government-Agency (PGA) flags on the CBP entry filing surface FTC and CPSC involvement at entry. The CPSC PGA flag triggers Registry cross-reference for certified products; the FTC does not typically place PGA flags on textile entries as such, but CBP's own marking checks under 19 CFR Part 134 effectively enforce the FTC country-of-origin content at entry.
Step 1: get an RN. Apply at rn.ftc.gov before the first shipment lands. Free, ten minutes, single form.
Step 2: build a labeling spec per SKU. For each SKU, document the fiber content by generic name and percentage, the country of origin, the RN, and the required care instructions. Cross-check the percentages sum to 100 and every fiber name is on the 303.7 generic list.
Step 3: send the spec to the manufacturer for pre-production label proofing. The manufacturer sews sample labels to production samples; the importer inspects the actual production label physically (not only a PDF proof) for legibility, permanence, and correctness against the spec. Approve or reject before the production run.
Step 4: run a random-sample label audit on the first production shipment. Pull 5 to 20 units from the first landed shipment, inspect every label element, compare against the spec, log any defects. The FTC enforcement pattern is that early defects propagate through production runs; catching them on the first landed shipment lets the importer fix the production line before more shipments compound the exposure.
Step 5: keep the labeling records. Retain the labeling spec, production label proofs, RN registration confirmation, and audit logs. FTC does not require records to be filed proactively, but produces them on request in the event of an inquiry.
Step 6: synchronize with CPSC and CBP workstreams. For SKUs that are also CPSC-regulated (children's textile products, for example) run the CPSC certification and Registry filing in parallel to the FTC labeling; for all imports, coordinate with the customs broker on CBP country-of-origin marking so the same origin statement flows to the label, the packaging, and the entry documentation.
EntryProof is a CPSC-facing tool, not an FTC-facing tool. It does not audit textile labels for 16 CFR Part 303 compliance directly. Where a textile SKU is also a CPSC-regulated product (children's sleepwear under 16 CFR 1615/1616 is the canonical example), EntryProof handles the CPSC side of that SKU: the Children's Product Certificate data, the third-party test-report references, the Product Registry eFiling submission. The FTC textile label (fiber content, RN, country of origin, format) is a parallel workstream the importer runs separately, typically with a labeling vendor or the manufacturer's own labeling team.
For a textile SKU that is not CPSC-regulated (adult apparel, most home textiles, most made-up articles), EntryProof has no involvement; the FTC labeling and CBP marking checks stand alone at entry. This guide exists so an importer working the CPSC side of a mixed textile portfolio understands the FTC labeling lane running alongside.
For the third-party testing requirement for children's textile products, see Children's Product Third-Party Testing (2026 Guide). For the General Certificate of Conformity that applies to non-children's consumer products, including many adult textile products under CPSC-adjacent rules, see General Certificate of Conformity Explained. For how to handle a CPSC warning letter (analogous to how an FTC warning letter would arrive on textile labeling), see How to Respond to a CPSC Warning Letter. For the CSV-based HTS classification workflow that runs alongside FTC labeling at entry, see the cross-property guide at TariffWatch CSV Import HTS Guide (2026).
EntryProof is a data preparation and readiness-assessment tool for the CPSC Product Registry. EntryProof is NOT a customs broker, NOT a testing laboratory, and NOT a legal-advice service. Compliance decisions remain the responsibility of the importer. EntryProof does not guarantee that any classification, packet, or filing will be accepted by CPSC or CBP.
EntryProof is not affiliated with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Amazon, Shein, Temu, or TikTok Shop. This page is a general educational reference on the FTC textile-labeling rules at 16 CFR Part 303. It is not legal, compliance, or regulatory advice for any specific product, entity, or supply-chain arrangement. Consult qualified counsel or a textile-labeling compliance specialist for compliance decisions on specific SKUs.
It is an FTC rule. The Textile Fiber Products Identification Act (15 USC 70 through 70k) is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, and the implementing regulations sit at 16 CFR Part 303 within FTC’s title of the Code of Federal Regulations. CPSC has no jurisdiction over textile-fiber content labeling as such. However, CBP enforces both FTC labeling rules and CPSC safety rules at the port of entry, so a U.S. textile importer typically confronts both regimes in the same entry filing. This page treats textile labeling as adjacent context for CPSC eFiling users because textiles are a common product category and CBP holds the shared enforcement surface at entry.
Sections 303.15 and 303.16 together require four mandatory elements on the label of every covered textile fiber product: the fiber content by generic name and by percentage by weight (Section 303.7 and Section 303.29), the country where the product was processed or manufactured (Section 303.33), the identity of the manufacturer or of a marketer using an RN or WPL identification number (Section 303.16 and Section 303.20), and format that is legible, conspicuous, permanent, and in English (Section 303.15 and Section 303.16). Missing any one of these four elements is a violation of the Act; the FTC has treated most of the enforcement history around Section 303 as a set of small compounding label defects rather than a single catastrophic one.
An RN (Registered Identification Number) is a number issued by the FTC to a U.S. business that manufactures, imports, distributes, or otherwise deals in textile, wool, or fur products, in lieu of using the full business name on the label. Any covered business can apply for a free RN at rn.ftc.gov and typically receives it within minutes. The RN then appears on the label (in place of the full business name) to identify the responsible party. Older WPL (Wool Products Labeling) numbers issued before the FTC unified the identification-number system are still valid and interchangeable with RNs for labeling purposes; new applicants receive RNs.
Country-of-origin labeling on textiles under 16 CFR 303.33 distinguishes three cases. A product wholly made in the United States from U.S. materials is labeled "Made in USA." A product cut and sewn in the United States from imported fabric or components is labeled with a qualified U.S.-origin statement such as "Made in USA of imported fabric" or "Sewn in USA of imported components." A product manufactured outside the United States is labeled with the specific country of manufacture, for example "Made in Vietnam." The qualified U.S.-origin claim is the correct choice for domestic cut-and-sew operations that source fabric abroad; using an unqualified "Made in USA" claim in that scenario is a labeling defect under Section 303.33 and separately a potentially deceptive claim under the FTC’s Made in USA Labeling Rule at 16 CFR Part 323.
Yes. 16 CFR 303.45 exempts a defined list of textile products from the Section 303 labeling requirement, including certain upholstery stuffing, coated fabrics, backings and interlinings not intended to affect the fiber-content representation of the finished product, and several narrow categories of trims and findings below defined thresholds. The exemption list is finite and specific; most consumer-facing apparel, home textiles, and made-up articles are covered. Even for exempt components, the finished product’s dominant fiber content still gets declared. Importers should confirm exemption status against the current text of 303.45 rather than relying on trade lore.
CBP enforces both FTC labeling rules and its own country-of-origin marking requirements at 19 CFR Part 134 at the port of entry. A textile shipment presented for entry with missing or wrong country-of-origin marking, missing fiber-content statement, or missing manufacturer/RN identification can be detained, refused entry, or released on redelivery notice for corrective marking under CBP supervision. Labeling violations at entry do not typically create CPSC exposure per se, but they hold the shipment, add carrying cost, and create a paper trail that follows the importer’s subsequent entries. CPSC eFiling for children’s textile products (children’s sleepwear, for example) runs alongside these FTC and CBP marking checks in the same entry event.
The recurring violation patterns visible in FTC consent orders and closing letters cluster around a handful of defects: fiber-content percentages that do not add to 100 percent, non-generic fiber names (branded fiber names used without the required generic-name pairing under 303.7), missing or wrong country-of-origin statements, missing RN/WPL numbers, non-permanent labels that fall off in normal use, English-only rule violations on multilingual labels, and undeclared reused/recycled fiber content that Section 303.24 requires to be identified. Individually these are small defects; the enforcement pattern is typically to accumulate several across an importer’s SKU line and settle as a bundle. The FTC enforcement library at ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/cases-proceedings is the primary source for reading actual consent orders.
EntryProof is a data-preparation tool for the CPSC Product Registry eFiling regime, not an FTC textile-labeling review service. Textile labeling under 16 CFR Part 303 falls under FTC jurisdiction and is a separate compliance workstream from CPSC certification. For a textile SKU that is also a CPSC-regulated children’s product (children’s sleepwear under 16 CFR 1615/1616, for example), EntryProof handles the CPSC certificate and Registry filing side; the FTC textile label (fiber content, RN, country of origin, format) is prepared separately by the importer or the importer’s labeling vendor. This guide is educational context so an importer working the CPSC side of a textile SKU understands the parallel FTC labeling rules.
EntryProof handles the CPSC eFiling side of your textile SKUs; FTC textile-label review is a parallel workstream this guide references.