Guides

Decoding clothing labels

CVC, tri-blend, Triexta, Tencel, "bamboo", Supplex, Repreve: what the words on a fabric label actually mean. Each entry shows how TruTag labels it.

What a label has to say

In the US, clothing labels must list each fiber by its generic name and its percentage by weight, largest first. A fiber under 5% can be listed as "other fiber", unless it clearly does a job at that amount, like 4% spandex for stretch.^1,2 So the percentages are the part to trust, more than the title or photos.

Stretch

Spandex, elastane, Lycra

The same stretchy synthetic fiber. "Spandex" is the US name and "elastane" the international one, and US labels may use either.² LYCRA is a trademarked brand of spandex.³ A few percent is normal in jeans and leggings.
🛢️ 100% spandex/elastane · 🌿 95% cotton, 5% spandex/elastane (up to 5% counts as a little stretch)

Made from plants, but processed

Rayon, viscose

Two names for the same fiber: cellulose, usually from wood pulp, dissolved and spun back into a fiber.^4,5 It starts as a plant but is heavily processed, so it's neither natural nor synthetic.
🧪 100% rayon/viscose

Modal

A type of rayon. "Modal" is an international name that US labels are allowed to use.²
🧪 100% modal

Lyocell, Tencel

Lyocell is rayon made with a specific solvent process, and US rules allow it to be labeled "lyocell".⁴ TENCEL is Lenzing's brand name for its lyocell and modal fibers.⁵
🧪 100% lyocell/tencel

"Bamboo"

Most "bamboo" fabric is really rayon made from bamboo. The FTC says it must be labeled "rayon (or viscose) made from bamboo" unless it's made of actual bamboo fiber.⁶ In 2022 Kohl's and Walmart paid $2.5 million and $3 million in penalties over rayon sheets, towels and other textiles marketed as bamboo.⁷
🧪 100% bamboo

Polyester in disguise

PTT, Triexta

PTT is a kind of polyester. Since 2009 the FTC has let it be labeled "triexta" instead of "polyester".⁸
🛢️ 100% polyester

PBT, and "PPT"

PBT is another polyester.⁹ We also see "PPT" in listings; it isn't a fiber name, and it appears to be a typo for PTT or PBT.
🛢️ 100% polyester

Microfiber

Extremely fine synthetic fibers, usually polyester, nylon or both. It describes how thin the fiber is, not what it's made of.¹⁰
🛢️ 100% polyester · TruTag assumes polyester, the most common case

Recycled polyester, rPET

Still polyester. Most recycled polyester is made from plastic bottles, not old clothes.¹¹
🛢️ 100% polyester · the product page panel adds "(recycled)"

Blend shorthand

CVC

"Chief Value Cotton": a cotton and polyester blend with more cotton than polyester, often 60/40. Look for the actual percentages.^12,13
🛢️ 60% cotton, 40% polyester · from the listed percentages

Poly-cotton, PC

A polyester and cotton blend, in any proportion. The percentages tell you which one is the main fiber.
🛢️ Polyester, cotton

Tri-blend

Three fibers, usually polyester, cotton and rayon, often 50/25/25.¹²
❓ Fabric not listed · unless the listing gives the fibers and percentages

"Cotton blend"

Cotton plus something else, in unknown amounts. There's no minimum amount of cotton implied, so assume it's not mostly cotton until you see a number.
❓ Cotton · Blend, other fibers not listed

Cotton claims

Organic cotton

A label may call specific fibers organic when they're certified organic, and textiles certified to GOTS may be sold as organic in the US. Only products certified to USDA organic rules may use the USDA organic seal.¹⁴ GOTS's "organic" label requires at least 95% certified organic fiber, and "made with organic materials" at least 70%.¹⁵
🌿 100% cotton · TruTag reads the fiber, not the certification

BCI cotton, Better Cotton

Cotton from the Better Cotton Initiative, a program for better farming practices. It isn't organic, and most of it is tracked with "mass balance" bookkeeping, so a product may not physically contain any of it.^16,17 It's still cotton.
🌿 100% cotton

Recycled cotton

Cotton recovered from scraps or old textiles and spun again. It's still cotton, and TruTag counts it as cotton ("95% cotton, 5% recycled cotton" is 100% cotton).
🌿 100% cotton · the product page panel adds "(recycled)", and TruTag Pro can skip recycled cotton

Plastic look-alikes

Vegan leather, faux leather, PU

Usually a plastic coating, polyurethane (PU) or PVC, over a fabric backing.¹⁸
🛢️ faux leather (PU)

Acrylic, modacrylic

Synthetic fibers often used to imitate wool. Modacrylic is a modified acrylic.⁴ See Is it really wool?
🛢️ 100% acrylic

Brand names you'll see

Some labels and listings use a brand instead of, or next to, the fiber. A brand name on its own isn't a fiber name, so the percentages still matter.

These always mean one fiber

SUPPLEX, TACTEL

Nylon, from The LYCRA Company. Supplex is made to feel like cotton; Tactel is fine and silky.^19,20
🛢️ 100% nylon

ECONYL

Regenerated (recycled) nylon from Aquafil, made from waste like old fishing nets and carpet.²¹
🛢️ 100% nylon · the product page panel adds "(recycled)"

Sorona

A polyester-family fiber (PTT, also called triexta) that is 37% plant-based.²²
🛢️ 100% polyester

THERMOLITE

Polyester fiber and insulation from The LYCRA Company, made for warmth.²³
🛢️ 100% polyester

Dacron, Orlon

Old DuPont brands you'll see on vintage labels: Dacron is polyester, and Orlon is acrylic (discontinued in 1990).^24,25
🛢️ 100% polyester · 🛢️ 100% acrylic

LENZING ECOVERO

Viscose (rayon) from Lenzing, made from wood pulp with a lower-impact process.²⁶
🧪 100% rayon/viscose

TENCEL Modal, MicroModal, Lenzing Modal

Modal from Lenzing; MicroModal is the finer version. (Plain "TENCEL" can mean lyocell or modal.)^5,27
🧪 100% modal

Naia

Cellulose acetate from Eastman.²⁸
🧪 100% acetate

Bemberg

Cupro from Asahi Kasei, a silky fiber made from cotton linter, the short fuzz left on cotton seeds.²⁹
🧪 100% cupro

These don't tell you the fiber

REPREVE

Unifi's recycled fiber, usually recycled polyester but sometimes recycled nylon.³⁰
❓ Fabric not listed · unless the listing names the fiber, like "Repreve polyester"

COOLMAX

A moisture-wicking fiber brand, usually polyester, though some versions are nylon.³¹
❓ Fabric not listed

CORDURA

Tough, abrasion-resistant fabrics, usually nylon, but some (like NYCO) blend nylon with cotton.³²
❓ Fabric not listed

Polartec, PrimaLoft

Fabric and insulation brands, mostly polyester, but some versions include wool or down.^33,34
❓ Fabric not listed

Dri-FIT

Nike's name for its sweat-wicking fabric, not a fiber. Nike's help page describes it as a polycotton (polyester and cotton) fabric, and the mix varies by product, so check the label.³⁵
❓ Fabric not listed