Laundry symbols·Do not tumble dry
Do not tumble dry
Do not tumble dry

Do not tumble dry — laundry symbol meaning

A cross over the square means one thing: do not tumble dry. The standard rules it out, and going ahead anyway is how garments get ruined.

Family
Drying
Base shape
square
Dots
0
Bars
0
Temperature notation
none
Process
normal

The dots are the temperature

For washing, one dot is 30 °C, two 40, three 50, four 60, five 70 and six 95. For ironing, one dot is 110 °C, two 150 and three 200. For tumble drying, more dots simply mean more heat. That single mapping replaces the chart: count the dots and you have the temperature.

The bars are how gentle

No bar is the normal process, one bar is gentle, two bars are very gentle. In a washing machine that means less agitation and a slower spin; in a dryer, less tumbling. Bars only ever appear under washing, tumble drying and professional care — bleaching, ironing and natural drying have no place for them.

Nearby symbols

Tumble drying, no temperature givenTumble drying, no temperature given, gentleTumble drying, no temperature given, very gentleTumble drying, low heatTumble drying, low heat, gentleIroning, no temperature given

Others in the same family

Tumble drying, no temperature givenTumble drying, no temperature given, gentleTumble drying, no temperature given, very gentleTumble drying, low heatTumble drying, low heat, gentleTumble drying, low heat, very gentleTumble drying, medium heatTumble drying, medium heat, gentleTumble drying, medium heat, very gentleTumble drying, high heatTumble drying, high heat, gentleTumble drying, high heat, very gentleLine dryLine dry in the shadeDrip line dryDrip line dry in the shadeDry flatDry flat in the shadeDrip dry flatDrip dry flat in the shadeDo not tumble dry

The standards do not fully agree

ISO 3758, GINETEX and JIS L 0001 write the temperature as a figure inside the tub; North America (ASTM D5489) writes it as dots. The same instruction therefore appears as two different pictures, and both are listed here. Japan switched to the ISO set in 2016, so a garment bought before that carries different pictures. Tumble-dry dots differ too: ISO gives one dot as 60 °C and two as 80 °C, while three dots belong to the North American set. Anything we could not pin down is left out rather than guessed.

Worth knowing

  • The base shape sets the treatment: tub for washing, triangle for bleaching, square for drying, iron for ironing, circle for professional care.
  • The dots set the temperature: washing runs from one dot at 30 °C to six at 95 °C, ironing is 110 °C, 150 °C and 200 °C for one, two and three dots.
  • The bars set how gentle: none is normal, one is gentle, two is very gentle.
  • A cross means do not. Read a ban as permission and one wash is enough to finish the garment.

Common questions

Q. What does Do not tumble dry mean on a label?

A cross over the square means one thing: do not tumble dry. The standard rules it out, and going ahead anyway is how garments get ruined.

Q. How do I read the dots and bars here?

This symbol carries 0 dots and 0 bars. Dots stand for temperature and bars for how gentle the process must be — none is normal, one is gentle, two are very gentle.

Q. Does it differ between standards?

ISO 3758, GINETEX and JIS L 0001 write the temperature as a figure; North America (ASTM D5489) writes it as dots. Japan switched to the ISO set in 2016, so older garments carry different pictures.