China Apparel Labelling: Chinese-Language Identification and GB Standards

For products produced or sold within China, the Product Quality Law applies. It was amended in 2000, defines products as processed or manufactured goods for sale, and sets general product-identification duties. Article 27 requires a product-quality inspection certificate and a Chinese product name, factory name and address. It also requires Chinese specifications, grade, and principal-component name and content where the product's characteristics and use require them; it does not establish a sequential apparel-labelling hierarchy or address care instructions. ^[1]

That matters for how a China-bound label gets built.

A label that states fibre content accurately but omits the Chinese product name has not met Article 27's basic marking duty. Article 27 also requires the factory name and address to be marked in Chinese. For children's and infant styles, assess the safety requirements that apply to the particular product alongside the general identification duty. For the shared groundwork on label version control, see our garment labelling guide. ^[1]

What must appear on an apparel label sold in China?

Article 27 of the Product Quality Law, as amended in 2018, requires truthful markings on a product or its packaging, including a product-quality inspection certificate and the Chinese product name, factory name and address. Specified naked products that are difficult to mark are excepted. Where a product's characteristics and use requirements make that information necessary, the same article requires the specification, grade, and the name and content of the principal component to be marked in Chinese. Article 27 leaves that to the product's characteristics and use requirements rather than naming apparel, so the extension is a judgement to record for the category rather than a rule the Law states for garments. For a garment, assess the information required by Article 27 for the particular product and any applicable standards or contractual requirements. Article 27's list does not include country of origin; the Law addresses origin separately, by prohibiting a forged one. ^[1]

Consider the cited GB/T 5296.4-2012 standard alongside the general identification duty when preparing garment instructions. ^[2]

Label field	Chinese requirement	Production record to use
Chinese product name	Required by Article 27 of the Product Quality Law, as amended in 2000	Approved Chinese-language artwork
Factory name and address	Required by Article 27 of the Product Quality Law, as amended in 2000	Factory name and address record
Product-quality inspection certificate	Required by Article 27 of the Product Quality Law, as amended in 2000	Confirmed inspection certificate
Specification, grade, principal component	Required where product characteristics and use call for it	Product assessment and supporting specification
Fibre content	Assess under Article 27 and applicable standards	Final fabric and component specification

Is fibre-composition labelling governed by a binding national standard in China?

Assess the cited GB/T 29862-2013 standard and any other applicable requirements when determining how fibre content should be declared for the garment. ^[3]

Assess the cited GB/T 8685-2008 standard and any other applicable requirements before deciding how care instructions should be shown for the garment. ^[4]

Does China require a general country-of-origin mark on apparel?

Article 27 does not list country of origin as a required marking. Where an origin claim is included, match it to the approved sourcing and production record before label artwork is released. ^[1]

Article 27 requires the Chinese product name and the factory name and address. Consider applicable import and product-safety rules separately when allocating responsibilities for a shipment. ^[5]

Forging a product origin, or forging or fraudulently using another party's factory name or address, can result in an order to correct, confiscation of the products, a fine of up to the goods' value, confiscation of illegal proceeds and, where serious, revocation of the business licence. Article 27 does not list country of origin as a required marking. The Law separately prohibits forging product origin, and the Article 53 penalties apply to forged origin. ^[5]

What applies to children's and infant apparel in China?

For children's and infant garment programmes, check whether the cited GB 31701-2015 standard and other safety requirements apply to the particular style, alongside the general product-identification duty. ^[6]

For children's styles with cords or drawstrings, assess the cited GB/T 22705-2019 standard and any other applicable requirements for the particular garment before bulk production. ^[7]

Compliance element	China requirement	Status
Chinese product identification	Article 27 of the Product Quality Law, as amended in 2000	Required
Fibre content declaration	GB/T 29862-2013, assess applicability	Confirm applicable requirements
Care symbols	GB/T 8685-2008, assess applicability	Confirm applicable requirements
Infant/children's textile safety	GB 31701-2015, assess applicability	Confirm applicable requirements
Cords and drawstrings	GB/T 22705-2019, assess applicability	Confirm applicable requirements

Where does a generic export label fall short for a China-bound shipment?

A label that is complete by another market's fibre-and-care baseline can still fail to include Chinese-language product identification, a factory name and address, and a product-quality inspection certificate required by Article 27.

Generic label feature	Why it may not satisfy China's requirement	China-specific action
Accurate fibre content, English only	Chinese product name and specification are required where use calls for it	Add approved Chinese-language product identification
Factory name in Latin script only	Article 27 of the Product Quality Law, as amended in 2000, requires the factory name and address to be marked in Chinese	Confirm the Chinese factory name and address
No product-quality inspection certificate	Product markings must include a product-quality inspection certificate	Document the inspection certificate
Childrenswear treated as adult apparel	Further requirements may apply to the particular style	Confirm applicable requirements before development
Care symbols assumed compulsory	Care instructions should be assessed against applicable requirements	Confirm applicable requirements before printing

How should a China-bound label and compliance file be prepared before bulk?

Before development samples are finalised, identify the requirements that apply to the specific garment, including Article 27 and any applicable product standards. For children's styles, identify applicable safety requirements at the same stage so that the finished label and supporting records can be checked before bulk production.

Approval stage	What to lock	Check on the physical garment
Standard confirmation	Requirements applicable to the category	Documented requirements before bulk
Language review	Chinese product name, factory name and address, specification	Present, legible, on the approved label
Safety review	Applicable requirements for children's or infant styles	Requirements matched to the finished garment
Bulk inspection	Sealed Chinese-language artwork	Correct China variant on the correct style and colourway

The tech pack should name the applicable requirements for the style, where relevant, alongside the label version.

Short FAQ

Is a Chinese-language product name required on every garment sold in China?

Yes. Article 27 of the Product Quality Law, as amended in 2000, requires a Chinese product name and the factory name and address, with specification and component detail added where the product's characteristics and use call for it. ^[1]

Is GB/T 29862-2013 a mandatory fibre-content standard?

Assess the cited standard and any other applicable requirements for the garment. Article 27 separately requires Chinese principal-component name and content where the product's characteristics and use require it. ^[3]

Does China require country-of-origin marking on ordinary apparel?

Article 27 does not list country of origin as a required marking. For styles carrying an origin claim, include the approved origin wording in the sealed label artwork and the production record.

What happens if a China-bound label omits required product identification?

Article 54 of the Product Quality Law, as amended in 2000, provides for a correction order where product markings do not comply with Article 27. Where markings on a packaged product breach the requirements for limited-use dates or warnings in Article 27 and the circumstances are serious, it also provides for production or sales cessation, a fine of up to 30% of the goods' value and confiscation of illegal proceeds. ^[1]

The China label judgement

A China-bound apparel label should include the Chinese-language identification required by Article 27, with specifications and principal-component detail added where the product's characteristics and use require it. Assess fibre content, care instructions, cords and children's-product requirements against the standards and other requirements applicable to the garment. Build that assessment into the critical path before sampling starts.

Placing a China-bound programme

A tech pack, the intended distribution channel, order quantity and label artwork are what we need to quote a China-bound programme with label preparation and approval included in the cost, not added after the fact. For the wider regional picture when a China order sits alongside sourcing from other Asian markets, our East Asia page sets out how the Chinese identification requirement is carried through development into a shipped order. Where the order includes children's styles, our kidswear page covers how a children's range is built to destination-specific safety and labelling rules.