Questions and a label glossary for CNFans Spreadsheet readers
Ten editorial questions about reading garment labels, followed by Chinese terms and routes for checks this guide cannot complete.
Questions readers send about Chinese tags
These are the frequently asked ones. Each gets a short reply here and a pointer to the page that covers it properly. They come from the questions a label reader runs into on a first warehouse photo.
A tag with no safety class at all
On a garment sold in China, a missing class is one of the gaps the label-set standard counts as serious. On a piece bought through an agent it means the garment declares nothing about chemistry. See blank tags.
Class C printed on a T-shirt
A tee rests on the skin, so the safety code's floor is class B. A tag claiming only C is claiming less than the floor for that garment.
GB 5296.4 on one tag and GB/T 5296.4 on another
Same standard. It was converted from mandatory to recommended on 23 March 2017; the record now reads GB/T, the document still prints GB.
Top grade, so the piece is safer
No. Grades describe performance in a product standard; safety is a separate class from the mandatory code. See grade words.
A letter after a child's size
The children's size standard has no body letter. A letter there is a maker's own code; read the two figures.
An OEKO-TEX mark with no number
Without a label number, the Label Check has nothing to search. Treat it as an unsupported claim until a number turns up.
Converting 175/92A into a letter size
This guide does not convert sizes. The line describes the wearer's height, chest and build; a garment chart describes the garment.
Asking CNFans to check a certificate
The agent can photograph the card. Only the scheme's register can confirm the number, and you can run that lookup yourself.
An English-only tag on a piece from China
Often an export label. It is not a defect by itself, but it carries none of the Chinese lines this guide reads.
Shoes and bags with no standard number
Both are outside the label-set standard and the safety code, so no class or label set is expected on them.
Where each answer lives
| Question about | Page |
|---|---|
| Missing or low safety class | Safety classes |
| GB and GB/T forms | Standard numbers |
| Grades and safety | Grade words |
| Children's sizes, conversion | Size notation |
| Marks without numbers | Certificate marks |
| English-only or blank tags | Blank tags |
| What the agent can check | Warehouse photos |
| Shoes and bags | The label set |
A glossary of tag words, Chinese and English
The words below are the ones printed most on Chinese hang tags and sewn labels, with the English this guide uses for them. Copy a word from your photo into a search to find it here.
- 合格证
- Certificate of conformity: the paper hang tag, required by article 27 of the product quality law.
- 吊牌
- Hang tag or swing tag, the card on a string.
- 水洗标 / 耐久性标签
- Care label, the permanent label sewn into a seam; carries size, fiber and care.
- 号型
- Size line: height / girth plus body letter, such as 170/88A.
- 体型
- Body letter Y, A, B or C, from the chest minus waist difference.
- 执行标准
- The product standard the maker states it follows.
- 安全类别
- Safety class A, B or C under the national textile safety code.
- 婴幼儿用品
- Infant product: the wording that replaces a class letter on baby pieces.
- 优等品 / 一等品 / 合格品
- Top, first and pass grade, defined in each product standard.
- 成分 / 面料 / 里料
- Fiber content; shell fabric; lining.
- 检验 / 检验员
- Inspection; inspector number or stamp.
- 制造商 / 产地
- Maker; place of origin.
Help when a label question goes beyond this guide
Some questions this guide cannot answer, and it is better to say where the answers are. For an order already placed with CNFans, the support address printed on its maintenance notice is the channel the operator gives. For the text of a standard, the national full-text system holds it, free to read.
For an account or order question, use the contact route in the current official CNFans notice. This independent guide cannot access orders.
This guide gives no legal advice and runs no tests. It reads documents and tells you which ones it read, and when.