The four components
A woven neck label carries your brand at the back of the neck. A printed care label carries fibre content, washing instructions and origin. A hang tag carries price and story. A poly bag carries the garment to the customer.
Only the care label is regulated: fibre content and care instructions are mandatory in most markets, and the required wording differs by country.
- Woven neck label: $0.08–0.20 each at 500 pieces, plus a one-time weaving setup.
- Printed care label: $0.03–0.06 each; must state fibre content and care.
- Hang tag: $0.05–0.12 each, usually with a string or plastic pin.
- Poly bag: $0.02–0.05 each, optionally printed.
What to put on the care label
Fibre content as a percentage, country of manufacture, and care instructions. In the US, the FTC textile rules govern the format; in the EU, the regulation differs and additional language requirements may apply.
This is the one place where getting it wrong is a compliance problem rather than a design problem, so confirm the wording for your destination market before printing.
The mistakes that cost a run
Wrong label position (it must sit where the buyer expects), labels sewn through the seam so the text is cut, and care labels printed in a single language for a multi-language market.
Also: approving a digital proof of a woven label. Woven labels look different from a screen proof — ask for a physical sample before the run.
How it runs with the order
Labels are attached on the same production run as the garment, so there is no second trip and no separate freight. That is the practical advantage of ordering private label from the factory rather than from a decorator.
On stocked US blanks, labels cannot be changed — the shirt already has the mill label. Private label therefore starts at the production run, not at 100 pieces from stock.