Iron, high heat
The item can be ironed at a high temperature, up to 200°C (390°F).
Easily confused with
How to read it
Three dots in the iron mean a highest sole plate temperature of 200°C, the cotton and linen setting in both GINETEX's guide and the Canadian government's. Two dots allow 150°C and one dot 110°C.
Where a garment's own label or its manufacturer says otherwise, that takes precedence.
How well people know it
The iron is the best-known care symbol. In a survey of 6,000 people in six European countries, carried out by IPSOS for GINETEX in December 2016, 97% of people understood the ironing symbol.
Read next
More laundry symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with curves and waves.
Sources
- Textiles — Care labelling code using symbols, ISO 3758, ISO, Abstract (ISO 3758:2023)
- Standard Guide for Care Symbols for Care Instructions on Textile Products, ASTM D5489, ASTM International, section 4.6 (ASTM D5489-25)
- Textile Care Symbols, GINETEX, the International Association for Textile Care Labelling, p. 8
- Guide to Apparel and Textile Care Symbols, CAN/CGSB-86.1-2003, Office of Consumer Affairs, Government of Canada, p. 5
- A barometer for textile care labelling in Europe, IPSOS study for GINETEX, December 2016, GINETEX, the International Association for Textile Care Labelling
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 24, 2026. How we research
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