what does this symbol mean?

Country of origin marks and label numbers

Made in PRC, Made in Occupied Japan, Nippon, West Germany and the other made-in marks, and the RN and CA numbers on clothing labels: what each one says and when it was used.

Made-in marks 7 symbols

Clothing label numbers 2 symbols

About country of origin marks and label numbers

Most goods imported into the United States carry the name of the country they were made in. US Customs and Border Protection’s rules (19 CFR Part 134) ask for the English name of that country, marked legibly and permanently in a place where the buyer can find it; the requirement dates to the Tariff Act of 1890. Because the rules change when countries do, many of these marks belong to a period.

Names that changed

Nippon, the Japanese name for Japan, was accepted on Japanese exports until 1921. Made in Occupied Japan was ordered on exports from 1947 under the Allied occupation. West Germany and Czechoslovakia stopped being accepted after German reunification in 1990 and the split of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992. Goods from Hong Kong were marked Made in Hong Kong until September 2020, and China since.

Abbreviations

US Customs accepts an abbreviation only where it unmistakably names the country. It has ruled that PRC does not, and asks for China. On goods from Taiwan, R.O.C. is allowed only after the word Taiwan.

Numbers on clothing labels

Clothing labels carry a second kind of identifier, for the business rather than the country. In the US it is the RN, issued by the Federal Trade Commission; in Canada, the CA number, issued by the Competition Bureau. Both stand in for the company’s name, and the country of origin appears on the label as well.

Sources

  1. 19 CFR Part 134, Country of Origin Marking, Code of Federal Regulations, title 19, part 134 (eCFR, current text), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, published by the Office of the Federal Register (eCFR), § 134.11; § 134.45(b)
  2. CBP ruling HQ 734482 (13 February 1992), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, HQ 734482, 13 February 1992, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CROSS rulings database), Law and analysis
  3. CBP ruling HQ 560693 (6 March 1998), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, HQ 560693, 6 March 1998, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CROSS rulings database), Law and analysis
  4. CBP ruling HQ 732917 (11 May 1990), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, HQ 732917, 11 May 1990, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CROSS rulings database), Law and analysis
  5. CBP Dec. 20-15, Country of Origin Marking of Products of Hong Kong, 85 Federal Register 48551 (11 August 2020), FR Doc. 2020-17599, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, published by the U.S. Government Publishing Office, Summary; dates
  6. Texas Historical Commission: A Bit of the East in East Texas (Japanese artifacts at the Rayburn House), Margo McCutcheon, Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site, Texas Historical Commission blog, Texas Historical Commission, Blog post, paragraphs on marking
  7. National Diet Library, Collaborative Reference Database: legal basis of “Made in Occupied Japan”, Collaborative Reference Database (レファレンス協同データベース), entry 1000243990, answered by Osaka Municipal Central Library, National Diet Library (Japan), Answer (回答)
  8. CBP ruling HQ 560978 (24 July 1998), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, HQ 560978, 24 July 1998, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CROSS rulings database), Law and analysis
  9. Office of the Historian: Czechoslovakia (guide to US recognition and relations), U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, “A Guide to the United States’ History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations, by Country, since 1776: Czechoslovakia”, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, Dissolution of Czechoslovakia, 1992
  10. FTC press release, Registered Identification Numbers (RNs) (15 December 1997), Federal Trade Commission press release, 15 December 1997, Federal Trade Commission, Press release text
  11. Competition Bureau Canada, CA Identification Number, Competition Bureau Canada, Competition Bureau Canada (Government of Canada), Page text

Last reviewed October 8, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research