Selling apparel in the US: labelling and safety rules buyers must know

1. Labelling: what every garment needs

Under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act and the FTC’s rules, apparel sold in the US must carry three things on the label. The first is fibre content, using generic fibre names (cotton, polyester and so on) by percentage of weight, in descending order. The second is the country of origin, for example “Made in China”. The third is the responsible company, meaning the manufacturer or another business responsible for marketing the item, shown by name or RN.

The FTC’s Care Labeling Rule also requires a permanent care label with care instructions.

2. Children’s apparel: CPSIA

Products designed or intended primarily for children 12 and under are “children’s products” under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). For apparel, that typically brings three obligations.

Lead limits apply to the product and to paints and surface coatings, and prints count as coatings. Some materials, such as ordinary dyed or undyed textiles, are exempt from third-party lead testing, but metal trims and prints are not. Tracking labels are also required: permanent marks that identify the manufacturer, date and batch. And the importer or domestic manufacturer must issue a Children’s Product Certificate (CPC), based on testing at a CPSC-accepted laboratory. Since 8 July 2026 the certificate data also has to be filed electronically with US Customs (CBP) when the goods are entered, so have it ready before shipment.

3. Drawstrings on children’s outerwear

The CPSC’s rule at 16 CFR Part 1120 treats certain drawstrings on children’s upper outerwear as a substantial product hazard. In sizes 2T to 12, no drawstrings are allowed at the hood or neck. In sizes 2T to 16, waist and bottom drawstrings are restricted in length and must not have toggles or knots at the free ends.

That is why our school and children’s hoodies are made without free-end drawcords.

4. Flammability

General clothing textiles fall under the flammability standard at 16 CFR Part 1610. Some fabrics are exempt from testing, but raised-surface fabrics such as brushed fleece deserve a careful look. Separate, stricter rules apply to children’s sleepwear, though not to daywear such as uniforms.

5. Forced labour: UFLPA

US Customs and Border Protection enforces a rebuttable presumption that goods made wholly or partly in Xinjiang, or by entities on the UFLPA Entity List, are prohibited from entry. Cotton supply chains can be long, so importers of cotton apparel should expect to provide traceability documents that run from the garment back to the fabric, yarn and fibre.

6. State rules

Some states add their own requirements. California Proposition 65, for example, can require warnings for exposure to listed chemicals. Discuss state-level requirements with your compliance advisor.

What to ask your factory for

Ask for fibre content and care instructions for every component, and third-party test reports where required, which means children’s products. For children’s products you also need the tracking-label information. Ask for cotton traceability documents, and written confirmation that children’s styles have no hood or neck drawstrings.

Final thoughts

For adult uniforms, US compliance is mostly correct labelling and supply-chain traceability. For school uniforms and children’s wear, the CPSIA, the drawstring rule and testing come into play. Plan them into the order before sampling, not after the goods are packed.