RN number

How to read it

Under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act, the Wool Products Labeling Act and the Fur Products Labeling Act, these products carry a label giving the fibre or fur content, the business name of the manufacturer, importer, distributor or seller, and the country of origin. A business located in the United States may use an RN instead of its name. The FTC issues one RN per company, free of charge, and doesn’t require one. Under 16 CFR 303.20 an RN may be used only by the business it was issued to and can’t be transferred, and it can be cancelled if the FTC isn’t told of a change of name, address or legal status.

Also searched as: registered identification number, rn number, rn number lookup, rn on clothing label, what does rn mean on clothing, wpl number.

What does RN mean on a clothing label?

It identifies the business responsible for the product in the US. The FTC lets that be the maker or a distributor or retailer marketing it in the United States, so the RN can name a store rather than the factory. It doesn’t say where the item was made: the label gives the country of origin separately.

Looking up an RN

The FTC keeps a public RN database for finding who holds a number. When it put the database online in December 1997, the FTC said the RN system had been in place since the 1940s, that the database held more than 100,000 entries, and that some of the information may be outdated because it still reflects the holder’s original application.

WPL numbers

Many years ago the FTC issued WPL numbers to makers of wool products under the Wool Products Labeling Act. It no longer issues them, but many are still in use, in the same way as RNs.

RN or CA number?

RNs are only for businesses in the United States. Canada’s equivalent is the CA number, and the FTC says a CA number can’t stand in for a business name or RN on a US label.