Chile Apparel Labelling: The Sewn-In Label and Four-Process Care System

Apparel sold in Chile is governed by Decreto Supremo N° 26/1984 of the Ministry of Economy, as amended by Decreto N° 236/1984, Decreto N° 104/1991 and Decreto N° 75/1995. It is an older, highly prescriptive national system, and its prescriptiveness runs to the physical label itself, not only its content: for covered new garments made from woven, knitted or nonwoven fabrics, the label has to be sewn firmly inside the garment, not attached as a loose hangtag. Imported used clothing has a separate attachment rule. ^[1]

Chile's care-labelling system is also its own: the decree requires four care processes, washing, chlorinated bleaching, ironing and dry cleaning, rather than the five-process structure some other national systems use, because it does not include a separate drying process. A Chile-bound label built to a five-process template will not automatically fail on that basis, but it should be checked against the decree's own four-process wording rather than assumed equivalent. For the shared groundwork on label version control, see our garment labelling guide.

What must appear on an apparel label sold in Chile?

For garments made from woven, knitted or nonwoven fabrics, Decreto N° 26 requires: ^[1]

Label field	Chilean requirement	Production record to use
Manufacturer or importer identity	Name, business name, or registered trademark	Legal entity or trademark record
Country of manufacture	Required	Confirmed origin record
Size code	Required	Approved size chart
Fibre composition	Generic fibre names and percentages for the principal fabric	Final fabric and component specification
Special finish information	Where applicable, information about characteristics resulting from special finishing processes, e.g. "no encoge" (does not shrink), "inarrugable" (crease-resistant)	Final finish specification
Care processes	Four processes: washing, chlorinated bleaching, ironing, dry cleaning	Confirmed care treatment
Language	Spanish, easily legible characters	Approved Spanish-language artwork

When does the label have to be sewn into the garment?

For covered new garments within the decree's scope, the label must be sewn firmly to the fabric on the inside of the garment. It must be compatible with the fabric, embroidered or printed, and have wet- or dry-wash fastness of grade 3–4 as appropriate to the garment. Imported used clothing is subject to a separate rule: its label may be printed, embroidered or attached by an adhesive label, provided its information is maintained throughout commercialisation. Article 23(e) also requires information, where applicable, about garment characteristics resulting from special finishing processes, such as "no encoge" or "inarrugable". ^[1]

Hosiery is excluded from this garment-specific title, so a hosiery programme for Chile should have its labelling requirement checked separately, not assumed to follow the same sewn-in-label rule as woven, knitted or nonwoven garments.

How does Chile's fibre-composition rule work?

A "100%" claim for a single fibre is permitted, tolerating unavoidable impurities of up to 2%, or 5% for carded yarn. Where one fibre makes up at least 90% of the fabric, only that fibre may be named, without the word "100%," unless the remaining share changes the appropriate care treatment for the garment. Below the 90% threshold, each fibre and its percentage must be listed in descending order. The decree's woven-fabric provisions also set a negative tolerance of 1.5%. ^[1]

Composition scenario	Chilean treatment
Single fibre, claimed "100%"	Permitted, unavoidable impurities up to 2% (5% for carded yarn)
One fibre at 90% or more	That fibre named alone, without "100%," unless care treatment differs
Below 90%	Each fibre and percentage listed, descending order
Woven-fabric finished width	Declared in centimetres, with a negative tolerance of 1.5% accepted. This applies to fabric sold by the roll or piece, not to a garment's fibre-composition declaration

What special-finish information must appear on the label?

For covered new garments, Article 23(e) requires information, where applicable, about characteristics resulting from special finishing processes, such as "no encoge" (does not shrink) or "inarrugable" (crease-resistant). The requirement follows the presence of a characteristic resulting from a special finishing process; it is not limited to a finish description chosen for advertising. This information forms part of the required apparel-label content alongside the manufacturer or importer identity, country of manufacture, size code, principal-fabric composition and care information. It must appear in Spanish in easily legible characters. Truthfulness requirements and consumer remedies apply in addition to this labelling duty. ^[1]

What does the four-process care system require?

Decreto N° 26, Article 1 and Article 23, require care information for washing, chlorinated bleaching, ironing and dry cleaning, presented either in Spanish text or through the prescribed symbols. The operative Chilean reference standard is NCh1209, whose later official edition adopted terminology aligned with an established international symbol approach, though the decree itself still expressly requires the four named processes. A Chile-bound care label should be built around these four processes as the confirmed legal baseline, with the specific symbol edition checked against INN or the Ministry of Economy before artwork is finalised for a shipment relying on symbols rather than Spanish text. ^[2]

Is imported used clothing labelled differently in Chile?

Yes. Imported used clothing carries its own separate labelling requirement under the decree: the country from which the garment was imported, the importer's name or business name, the words "Ropa Usada" (used clothing), and a size code. The decree also fixes where each sits: the country at the top of the label, the importer at the bottom, and "Ropa Usada" centred in clearly prominent characters. Its label may be printed, embroidered or attached by an adhesive label, provided the information is maintained throughout commercialisation; it does not have to be sewn to the fabric. This is a distinct category from new garments and should not be built on the same label template as a new-garment order. ^[1]

Does Chile require pre-market certification for apparel?

We prepare Spanish label copy, four-process care copy and production records for a Chile-bound apparel programme. For covered new garments, this includes sewn-in label preparation; imported used clothing uses its separate attachment rule. We hand over approved artwork and garment-level checks for your importer and sales team to use in their shipment and retail process.

SERNAC enforces the consumer-information obligations that flow from the decree and can investigate or bring cases before the competent courts. Consumer remedies can also arise separately from the labelling duty itself, where the materials in a garment differ from what its label specifies, which is a further reason to keep the label content matched precisely to the finished garment, not to an earlier development-stage specification. ^[2]

What applies to children's apparel in Chile?

We prepare Chile label artwork and care information for each children's style from the final bill of materials, product category and customer brief. 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. Before bulk cutting, we hand over the approved construction specification, drawstring placement measurements and pre-production sample checks for functional cords or drawstrings.

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

A label that is accurate on fibre content and complete by another market's care-symbol system can still miss what Chile's decree checks specifically.

Generic label feature	Why it may not satisfy Chile's requirement	Chile-specific action
Loose hangtag with full content	Covered new garments require the label sewn firmly inside the garment; imported used clothing may use a printed, embroidered or adhesive label that maintains its information throughout commercialisation	Build the new-garment label attachment into construction; use the separate used-clothing rule where applicable
Five-process care system assumed	Chile's decree specifies four processes, no separate drying process	Confirm care copy against the four-process wording
"100%" claimed with no impurity allowance considered	Chile permits unavoidable impurities up to 2%, or 5% for carded yarn	Confirm actual composition against the tolerance
Used clothing labelled as new	Imported used clothing carries a distinct labelling requirement	Apply the used-clothing label set, including "Ropa Usada"

How should a Chile-bound label be approved before bulk?

For a covered new garment, confirm the sewn-in label construction, its fabric compatibility, whether it is embroidered or printed, and the applicable grade 3–4 wet- or dry-wash fastness before development samples are finalised. For imported used clothing, specify instead whether the label is printed, embroidered or adhesive and ensure that its information is maintained throughout commercialisation. Check fibre composition against the 90% and descending-order rules, and the care copy against the decree's four-process wording, at the same stage.

Send the factory destination-specific label artwork with the style number, colourway and revision date. Hold bulk label printing until the garment sample confirms the declared fibre blend, special-finish information and care instructions.

Approval stage	What to lock	Check on the physical garment
Label construction	For covered new garments: sewn-in placement, fabric compatibility, embroidery or printing, grade 3–4 wet- or dry-wash fastness. For imported used clothing: printed, embroidered or adhesive attachment that maintains the information throughout commercialisation	Check on the finished garment, not only the artwork
Composition review	Fibre percentages against the 90% and tolerance rules	Matches the approved bill of materials
Care copy	Four-process wording or NCh1209 symbols	Confirmed against the current Chilean reference
Bulk inspection	Sealed Spanish-language artwork	Correct Chile variant on the correct style and colourway

The tech pack should name the confirmed label construction and the Chile label version.

Short FAQ

When does a Chile-bound garment label have to be sewn into the garment?

For covered new woven, knitted or nonwoven garments within Decreto N° 26's scope, the label must be sewn firmly to the fabric on the inside of the garment. It must be compatible with the fabric, embroidered or printed, and have wet- or dry-wash fastness of grade 3–4 as appropriate to the garment. Imported used clothing may instead use a printed, embroidered or adhesive label that maintains its information throughout commercialisation. ^[1]

How many care processes does Chile's system require?

Four: washing, chlorinated bleaching, ironing and dry cleaning. The decree does not include a separate drying process. ^[2]

Is hosiery covered by Chile's garment-labelling decree?

No. Hosiery is excluded from the garment-specific title of Decreto N° 26 and should be checked separately.

What happens if a Chilean apparel label is missing or false?

Under DFL N° 3/2021, Article 29, anyone obliged to label goods or services who fails to do so, makes a false statement in the labelling, conceals it or alters it may be fined up to 300 UTM. ^[3]

The Chile label judgement

A Chile-bound apparel label is a construction task as much as a content one. For a covered new garment, it has to be sewn firmly to the fabric on the inside of the garment, be compatible with the fabric, be embroidered or printed, and have the applicable grade 3–4 wet- or dry-wash fastness. Imported used clothing may instead use a printed, embroidered or adhesive label that maintains its information throughout commercialisation. The label must also carry Spanish-language content built around the decree's own four care processes and composition rules, including, where applicable, information about characteristics resulting from special finishing processes, such as "no encoge" or "inarrugable". Set the label placement, material, marking method and applicable fastness during development, and include the special-finish information with the other required label content where such a characteristic applies.

Placing a Chile-bound programme

A tech pack, destination confirmation, order quantity and label artwork are what we need to quote a Chile-bound programme with the correct label preparation and approval built into the cost. For covered new garments, the decree requires the applicable grade 3–4 wet- or dry-wash fastness, a label material compatible with the fabric, embroidered or printed marking, and sewn-in attachment. Imported used clothing may use a printed, embroidered or adhesive label that maintains its information throughout commercialisation. For the wider regional picture, our Latin America import guide covers the region a Chile order typically sits alongside, and our private label programme is where the correct label construction and Spanish-language artwork for a Chile-bound order are set before development samples are cut.