A woven container can clear production on schedule and still get held at the port over a label. US import rules for apparel are not complicated, but they are specific, and every one of them is cheaper to solve at the tech-pack stage in Bandung than at a customs exam in Los Angeles. This is the plain-English version we give US brands: what the labels must say, who carries the duty to get them right, and what each rule costs when it is missed.
The short answer: imported apparel needs three label elements, country of origin (“Made in Indonesia”), fiber content with a manufacturer identification (an RN number works), and a permanently attached care label. Importers carry these duties alongside the factory, and all three belong in the tech pack, not the packing list.
What labels does US law require on imported apparel?
Three, and each comes from its own rule:
- Country of origin, under the Tariff Act’s marking statute (19 U.S.C. 1304, enforced through 19 CFR Part 134).
- Fiber content and manufacturer identification, under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act and 16 CFR Part 303.
- Care instructions, under the FTC’s care labeling rule, 16 CFR Part 423.
Nothing exotic hides in the list; the failures come from treating labels as a print-shop afterthought instead of a tech-pack line. A brand that specifies the three elements in the tech pack gets labels sourced, sewn, and checked as part of production, and the container arrives boring, which is the goal.
What does the country-of-origin rule require?
The garment must be marked with its country of origin in English, legibly, indelibly, and in a conspicuous place, so the ultimate purchaser in the United States knows where it was made. For our programs that phrase is simple: “Made in Indonesia.” The marking goes on the finished garment, not just the carton, and the country name has to be complete under 19 CFR 134.45; abbreviations do not qualify.
The line brands miss is the cost of getting it wrong. Under the marking rules, the importer can be required to export, mark, and re-enter the goods at their own expense, or a 10 percent marking duty applies. Either way, the fix costs more than the label.
What goes on the care label?
The care labeling rule (16 CFR Part 423) requires a permanent care label with regular care instructions, attached or affixed so it does not separate from the garment, before it reaches the purchaser. The rule’s definition of who it covers matters for importers: manufacturers and importers of textile wearing apparel are covered, including any person who directs or controls manufacture or importation. In practice that means the US brand importing the container shares the obligation, even though the factory sews the label in.
Regular care instructions mean washing, bleaching, drying, ironing, and dry-cleaning guidance the garment can survive. The instructions have to have a reasonable basis, which is why the fabric testing step in the FOB program matters here: care guidance is written against the fabric actually in the garment, not against a guess.
What about fiber content and the RN number?
The textile labeling rules require three facts on the label: fiber content by generic name and percentage in descending order of predominance, the country of origin, and the manufacturer or dealer identification. The identification can be the company name or an RN number, and RNs are issued only to US firms, so for most brands importing from Indonesia the RN is theirs, not the factory’s. Fiber content claims carry a 3 percent tolerance, which is one more reason fabric testing happens before cutting: the label’s percentages should describe the cloth, not the purchase order.
Who fixes labeling, the factory or the importer?
Both carry duties, so the practical answer is a split that belongs in writing. We source and sew the labels to the tech pack’s specification and check them through the production stages; at the final inspection, your SGS, Intertek or QIMA inspector can verify label text against the compliance file before the container closes; the importer holds the compliance file, the RN, and the care-instruction basis. That split is also why labeling specified from the start is the cheap version: the labels move through the same production stages the garment already passes through.
What does duty have to do with labeling?
The same entry that checks labels calculates duty, and duty runs on the garment’s HTS line. Woven apparel classifies under Chapter 62, garment by garment: woven cotton men’s trousers, for one, carry a 16.6 percent general rate. There is no US–Indonesia free trade agreement, and the American Apparel & Footwear Association reports US apparel imports faced an average effective tariff rate of 24.6 percent in 2025, so the duty line belongs in the landed cost from the first quote. And since the de minimis exemption was suspended in August 2025, sample parcels pay duty and processing too; the sampling program is a freight-and-duty line, not a rounding error.
Kidswear carries a second layer entirely: CPSIA testing, tracking labels, lead limits, and drawstring rules. That map has its own page, the back-to-school clothing manufacturer guide.
US apparel import labeling: the quick answers
What labels are required on apparel imported into the US?
Country of origin in English, fiber content in descending order with a manufacturer identification (an RN number works), and a permanently attached care label. All three belong in the tech pack.
Is “Made in Indonesia” enough for country of origin?
Yes, when it is complete, legible, indelible, and conspicuous on the garment itself. Otherwise the importer can be required to export, mark, and re-enter the goods at their own expense, and a 10 percent marking duty applies.
Who is responsible if a label is wrong?
The rule covers manufacturers and importers, including anyone who directs or controls the importation, so both sides carry it. The factory sews to spec; the importer holds the compliance file and the RN.
What does the care label have to say?
Regular care instructions for washing, bleaching, drying, ironing, and dry cleaning, on a permanent label with a reasonable basis, which fabric testing supports.
Do samples go through the same rules?
Sample parcels have paid duty and processing since the de minimis exemption was suspended in August 2025. Plan the sampling program as a real freight line.
Bring the label spec with the tech pack and the labels move inside the same production run. Start a clothing manufacturer quote, or price the duty first on the landed cost guide, and plan both lines on the production calendar.