# Hong Kong Apparel Labelling Requirements | Surajmal > Source: https://surajmal.com/blog/2026/07/hong-kong-apparel-labelling-requirements [SSL Newsroom](/blog) Compliance # Hong Kong Apparel Labelling: General Rules, Product-Specific Requirements and Trade Descriptions Kolkata · 12 JULY 2026 ·By Surajmal Editorial Team·9 min read Published 12 July 2026 For an ordinary garment sold to a consumer in Hong Kong, These provisions do not specify fibre-composition, size, care or origin as label fields. The Trade Descriptions Ordinance also authorises orders requiring information for specified goods, so applicable product requirements must be checked. SSL prepares Hong Kong label artwork with the fields your sales programme specifies. If origin is stated, it is a trade description and must meet the requirements that apply to such descriptions. [\[1\]](https://www.customs.gov.hk/en/service-enforcement-information/consumer-protection/trade-desc/index.html?print=1 "Source 1: customs.gov.hk: /en/service-enforcement-information/consumer-protection/trade-desc/index.html?print=1") [\[2\]](https://www.customs.gov.hk/en/customs-announcement/press-release/index_id_593.html "Source 2: customs.gov.hk: /en/customs-announcement/press-release/index_id_593.html") The absence of specified ordinary-garment fields does not mean an absence of law. The Trade Descriptions Ordinance, Cap. 362, makes false trade descriptions and misleading omissions in consumer-facing commercial practices offences. The Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance, Cap. 456, requires consumer goods to meet the general safety requirement or an applicable approved standard. Product-specific regimes can impose additional requirements. Treat this brief as three separate questions: what the general provisions specify, what other applicable regimes require, and what a buyer's own programme will still ask for. For the shared groundwork on fibre and care labelling generally, see our [garment labelling guide](/blog/2026/06/garment-labelling-care-label-export-requirements). ## What label fields do the general provisions specify for ordinary apparel? These provisions do not specify fibre, care, size or origin as compulsory label fields for an ordinary garment. The instruments behind that position: Instrument [\[1\]](https://www.customs.gov.hk/en/service-enforcement-information/consumer-protection/trade-desc/index.html?print=1 "Source 1: customs.gov.hk: /en/service-enforcement-information/consumer-protection/trade-desc/index.html?print=1") [\[3\]](https://www.customs.gov.hk/en/service-enforcement-information/consumer-protection/faqs/index.html "Source 3: customs.gov.hk: /en/service-enforcement-information/consumer-protection/faqs/index.html") [\[4\]](https://www.customs.gov.hk/en/service-enforcement-information/consumer-protection/toys-safety/index.html "Source 4: customs.gov.hk: /en/service-enforcement-information/consumer-protection/toys-safety/index.html") What it covers Mandatory apparel label field? Trade Descriptions Ordinance, Cap. 362 Prohibits false or misleading trade descriptions on goods, and misleading omissions in consumer-facing commercial practices The Ordinance does not itself specify a fibre, care, size or origin field; it also permits orders requiring information for specified goods or services Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance, Cap. 456, and its Regulation General product-safety duty for covered consumer goods Where a safety warning or caution is supplied for covered consumer goods, it must be bilingual, legible and conspicuous in the relevant form Toys and Children's Products Safety Ordinance regime Identification of manufacturer, importer or supplier and a Hong Kong address; bilingual safety warnings or cautions Applies to toys and children's products within that specific regime; assess its application separately These general provisions do not prescribe fibre content, care symbols, a size mark or an origin statement as ordinary-garment label fields. Whether other product-specific requirements apply must be assessed for the product concerned. Most exporters include these fields for commercial reasons covered further down. ## Is there any mandatory fibre-composition or care-symbol requirement in Hong Kong? SSL prepares fibre-composition and care-content labels to your buyer specification, including agreed percentage wording and symbol systems. These general provisions do not set a fibre-percentage declaration or an ISO 3758 care-symbol label as an ordinary-clothing requirement. They also do not prescribe a care-symbol system for an ordinary garment, subject to any applicable product-specific requirement. ## What does the Trade Descriptions Ordinance actually prohibit? Cap. 362 prohibits applying a false or misleading trade description to goods in the course of trade or business, and supplying or offering goods to which one is applied. Composition, size and place of manufacture are among the matters that can be trade descriptions. It also prohibits a misleading omission in a commercial practice directed at consumers where the statutory test is met. The Ordinance does not itself specify a fibre, care, size or origin label field for an ordinary garment. Hong Kong Customs enforces the Ordinance: [\[1\]](https://www.customs.gov.hk/en/service-enforcement-information/consumer-protection/trade-desc/index.html?print=1 "Source 1: customs.gov.hk: /en/service-enforcement-information/consumer-protection/trade-desc/index.html?print=1") when a garment is marked or described as originating from a particular place, that description must not be false or misleading. A label that does not state origin, composition or care is not, by that fact alone, contrary to a specified label-field requirement in the Ordinance. However, an omission in a consumer-facing commercial practice can be a misleading omission where it omits or hides material information and causes, or is likely to cause, the average consumer to make a different transactional decision. [\[2\]](https://www.customs.gov.hk/en/customs-announcement/press-release/index_id_593.html "Source 2: customs.gov.hk: /en/customs-announcement/press-release/index_id_593.html") What is printed Legal position under Cap. 362 Nothing on origin, composition, care or size The Ordinance does not prescribe those label fields, but a consumer-facing omission can be misleading where the section 13E test is met An accurate origin, composition, care or size statement Not a false trade description on that basis An inaccurate origin, composition, care or size statement May be a false or misleading trade description, depending on the statutory test ## What does the Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance require, and what is the bilingual rule? A general safety duty attaches to the product itself, separate from anything printed on the label. Cap. 456 does not permit covered consumer goods to be supplied unless they comply with the general safety requirement or, where applicable, an approved standard. Where a warning or caution on the safe keeping, use, consumption or disposal of covered consumer goods is supplied on the goods, their package, a label or a document, the Consumer Goods Safety Regulation requires it to be in both English and Chinese, legible and conspicuous in the form specified. This is not a general bilingual labelling mandate for fibre content, care instructions or size. [\[3\]](https://www.customs.gov.hk/en/service-enforcement-information/consumer-protection/faqs/index.html "Source 3: customs.gov.hk: /en/service-enforcement-information/consumer-protection/faqs/index.html") In 2015, the Customs and Excise Department seized 145 pieces or sets of children's jackets and swimsuits with free-end drawstrings at the hood, neck or hipline. Its notice identified the general safety requirements in Cap. 456 and referred to the National Standard of the People's Republic of China for safety specifications for cords and drawstrings on children's clothing; it did not identify EN 14682. We build children's styles to EN 14682 cord and drawstring rules where your programme calls for it, and to your own construction brief where it does not. [\[5\]](https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201507/31/P201507310661.htm "Source 5: info.gov.hk: /gia/general/201507/31/P201507310661.htm") For a toy or children's product within the Toys and Children's Products Safety Ordinance regime, identification of the manufacturer, importer or supplier and a Hong Kong address is required. Bilingual warnings or cautions are also regulated in that regime. Its application should be checked separately for any product line that could fall within its scope. ## What will a buyer or retailer ask for anyway? A retail buyer sourcing into Hong Kong may specify fibre-composition wording, ISO care symbols, a size chart against its own house standard, and a country-of-origin mark. These are commonly set by the buyer's own group-wide labelling standard or by the requirements of other destination markets, alongside the Hong Kong rules that apply to the product. Label field Hong Kong legal duty Typical buyer or retailer expectation Fibre composition Not specified as an ordinary-garment field by These general provisions Percentage declaration, often to an export-market standard Care instructions Not specified as an ordinary-garment field by These general provisions ISO 3758 care-symbol system Size Not specified as an ordinary-garment field by These general provisions Size chart against the buyer's own standard Country of origin Not specified as an ordinary-garment field by These general provisions; false claims prohibited Accurate origin statement, frequently required Bilingual safety warning Required where a warning or caution is supplied for covered consumer goods Bilingual English/Chinese wording as standard retail practice ## What would we recommend shipping on a Hong Kong order, and why is that not the same as a legal requirement? We recommend a Hong Kong-bound label carry accurate fibre percentages, ISO care symbols, a size chart consistent with the destination collection, and, where origin is stated, a true and specific origin statement instead of a vague one. These elements are not specified as ordinary-garment label fields by These general provisions. Cap. 362 reaches more than a false statement: it also prohibits a consumer-facing commercial practice that omits or hides material information where that omission causes, or is likely to cause, an average consumer to take a transactional decision they would not otherwise have taken. Whether an omission meets that test depends on its context. A bilingual safety notice should be used where a safety caution is warranted by the garment's construction; if it is supplied for consumer goods covered by Cap. 456, the Regulation requires bilingual, legible and conspicuous wording in the relevant form. Field Legally mandatory in Hong Kong Recommended anyway Why Accurate fibre percentage Not specified as an ordinary-garment field by These general provisions Yes Buyers ask for it; once printed it must not be false or misleading under Cap. 362 ISO care symbols Not specified as an ordinary-garment field by These general provisions Yes Standard retail expectation; use accurate symbols Size chart Not specified as an ordinary-garment field by These general provisions Yes, against the destination collection's own standard These general provisions do not identify a Hong Kong size standard Country of origin Not specified as an ordinary-garment field by These general provisions; false claims prohibited Yes, stated accurately and specifically If stated, it must not be false or misleading Bilingual safety warning, where warranted Required if a warning or caution is supplied for covered consumer goods N/A, this is a conditional requirement The Consumer Goods Safety Regulation requires bilingual, legible and conspicuous wording in the relevant form ## How should a Hong Kong-bound label be approved before bulk? Decide which commercial fields to include before the sample stage, confirm whether the garment's construction calls for a safety caution at all, and check every printed trade description against the finished garment before bulk. Approval stage [\[6\]](https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/hk/cap362!en "Source 6: elegislation.gov.hk: /hk/cap362!en") What to lock Check on the physical garment Commercial label decision Which fields to carry: fibre, care, size, origin Label matches the agreed spec and any applicable product-specific requirement Safety-warning review Whether construction warrants a caution Bilingual, conspicuous wording where one is included Accuracy review Composition, size and origin claims, plus care instructions Checked against the finished garment, production specification and approved care method before bulk Bulk inspection Sealed label artwork Correct Hong Kong variant on the correct style and colourway ## Short FAQ **Is fibre-composition labelling mandatory for clothing sold in Hong Kong?** These provisions do not specify fibre composition as an ordinary-clothing label field. Product-specific requirements and buyer specifications should still be checked. **Is care labelling required on a Hong Kong garment label?** These provisions do not specify care content as an ordinary-clothing label field. Product-specific requirements and buyer specifications should still be checked. **Does a Hong Kong label need a country-of-origin mark?** These provisions do not specify an origin mark as an ordinary-clothing label field. Once a garment is marked or described with an origin, that description must not be false or misleading under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance. A consumer-facing omission may also be relevant where the section 13E test is met. **What happens if a Hong Kong-bound label carries an inaccurate claim?** It may be a false or misleading trade description under Cap. 362, depending on the statutory test. Hong Kong Customs can enforce the Ordinance, whose provisions include penalties and forfeiture. This applies even where the field is not specified as an ordinary-garment label field. [\[1\]](https://www.customs.gov.hk/en/service-enforcement-information/consumer-protection/trade-desc/index.html?print=1 "Source 1: customs.gov.hk: /en/service-enforcement-information/consumer-protection/trade-desc/index.html?print=1") **Must a safety warning on a Hong Kong garment be bilingual?** Yes, for a warning or caution supplied on consumer goods covered by Cap. 456. The Consumer Goods Safety Regulation requires it to be in both English and Chinese, legible and conspicuous in the relevant form. This applies to the warning itself, not to fibre, care or size fields generally. [\[3\]](https://www.customs.gov.hk/en/service-enforcement-information/consumer-protection/faqs/index.html "Source 3: customs.gov.hk: /en/service-enforcement-information/consumer-protection/faqs/index.html") ## The Hong Kong label verdict These provisions do not specify fibre, care, size or origin as label fields for an ordinary garment. What is not absent is the Trade Descriptions Ordinance's prohibition on false or misleading claims and on misleading omissions in consumer-facing commercial practices, the Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance's general safety duty, and, where a warning or caution is supplied for covered consumer goods, the requirement that it be bilingual, legible and conspicuous in the relevant form. Product-specific requirements must also be considered. Any printed claim must not be false or misleading; an omission must also be assessed in its consumer-facing context. ## Where a Hong Kong order fits a wider Asia-Pacific programme A collection built for a labelling-mandated destination such as [Japan](/markets/japan) may already carry fibre, care and size information beyond the ordinary-garment fields specified by Hong Kong's general consumer provisions. Once a tech pack, destination markets, order quantity and label artwork are confirmed, we quote a Hong Kong-bound programme with label preparation and approval built into the cost, including accurate claims and any bilingual safety wording required where a warning or caution is supplied for covered consumer goods. Our [private label](/services/private-label) service is where that composition and origin file gets locked before development samples are cut. For how a programme is run where label content is set alongside applicable legal and commercial requirements, see our [East Asia](/markets/east-asia) page. Related pages - [East Asia import guide→](/markets/east-asia) - [Private label→](/services/private-label) Share[](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsurajmal.com%2Fblog%2F2026%2F07%2Fhong-kong-apparel-labelling-requirements) [](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsurajmal.com%2Fblog%2F2026%2F07%2Fhong-kong-apparel-labelling-requirements&text=Hong%20Kong%20Apparel%20Labelling%3A%20General%20Rules%2C%20Product-Specific%20Requirements%20and%20Trade%20Descriptions) [](https://wa.me/?text=Hong%20Kong%20Apparel%20Labelling%3A%20General%20Rules%2C%20Product-Specific%20Requirements%20and%20Trade%20Descriptions%20https%3A%2F%2Fsurajmal.com%2Fblog%2F2026%2F07%2Fhong-kong-apparel-labelling-requirements) [](mailto:?subject=Hong%20Kong%20Apparel%20Labelling%3A%20General%20Rules%2C%20Product-Specific%20Requirements%20and%20Trade%20Descriptions&body=https%3A%2F%2Fsurajmal.com%2Fblog%2F2026%2F07%2Fhong-kong-apparel-labelling-requirements) SSL Surajmal Editorial Team The Surajmal Editorial Team writes from inside a working textile export house in Kolkata, drawing on experience manufacturing garments, fabrics, and yarns for global retail buyers since 1968. Every article is reviewed by practitioners who source, sample, and ship the products they write about. On this page - [What label fields do the general provisions specify for ordinary apparel?](#what-label-fields-do-the-general-provisions-specify-for-ordinary-apparel) - [Is there any mandatory fibre-composition or care-symbol requirement in Hong Kong?](#is-there-any-mandatory-fibre-composition-or-care-symbol-requirement-in-hong-kong) - [What does the Trade Descriptions Ordinance actually prohibit?](#what-does-the-trade-descriptions-ordinance-actually-prohibit) - [What does the Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance require, and what is the bilingual rule?](#what-does-the-consumer-goods-safety-ordinance-require-and-what-is-the-bilingual-rule) - [What will a buyer or retailer ask for anyway?](#what-will-a-buyer-or-retailer-ask-for-anyway) - [What would we recommend shipping on a Hong Kong order, and why is that not the same as a legal requirement?](#what-would-we-recommend-shipping-on-a-hong-kong-order-and-why-is-that-not-the-same-as-a-legal-requirement) - [How should a Hong Kong-bound label be approved before bulk?](#how-should-a-hong-kong-bound-label-be-approved-before-bulk) - [Short FAQ](#short-faq) - [The Hong Kong label verdict](#the-hong-kong-label-verdict) - [Where a Hong Kong order fits a wider Asia-Pacific programme](#where-a-hong-kong-order-fits-a-wider-asia-pacific-programme) More from the newsroom - [Compliance · 9 min Sweden Apparel Labelling: EU Textile-Labelling Rules](/blog/2026/09/sweden-apparel-labelling-requirements) - [Compliance · 10 min Spain Apparel Labelling: Spanish-Language Rules and the Manufacturer ID Field](/blog/2026/09/spain-apparel-labelling-requirements) - [Compliance · 9 min Netherlands Apparel Labelling: The Warenwet Route to the EU Fibre Rule](/blog/2026/09/netherlands-apparel-labelling-requirements) START A CONVERSATION ## Ready to source with _confidence?_ Send a brief and we'll reply within 24 hours, with a first sample in 4 to 10 days. 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