Wash at 50 °C, gentle cycle
Machine wash up to 50 °C on a gentler cycle with reduced agitation (one bar). Like the plain 50 °C tub, it is absent from GINETEX's list for ISO 3758:2023 and turns up on older and North American labels.
What to do
Use the synthetics or easy-care programme at 40 °C (most machines skip 50 °C) with a reduced load and a gentle spin.
- Maximum temperature
- 50 °C (122 °F) wash water
- Family
- Washing (tub)
- ISO 3758 name
- Washing, maximum 50 °C, mild process
- Distinguishing mark
- 50 + 1 bar
On US and Canadian labels
North American version: three dots with one bar, called the permanent-press setting.
Often confused with
Machine wash in water up to 50 °C on a normal cycle. The list GINETEX publishes for the current ISO 3758:2023 edition has no 50 °C tub, so you will mostly meet this limit on older labels and on North American labels, where it is drawn as three dots.
Other washing symbols
Wash at 95 °C95Wash at 70 °C70Wash at 60 °C60Wash at 60 °C, gentle cycle60 + 1 barWash at 50 °C50Wash at 40 °C40Wash at 40 °C, gentle cycle40 + 1 barWash at 40 °C, very gentle cycle40 + 2 barsWash at 30 °C30Wash at 30 °C, gentle cycle30 + 1 barWash at 30 °C, very gentle cycle30 + 2 barsHand washhandHand wash in cool waterhand + 1 barDo not washcrossMachine wash, any temperatureempty tub · USDo not wringcrossed twist · US
Sources
- Government of Canada, Office of Consumer Affairs — Guide to Apparel and Textile Care Symbols (North American system) — checked 2026-09-22
- GINETEX — Care symbols (existing care symbols under ISO 3758:2023) — checked 2026-09-22
Meanings are paraphrased from these sources, not quoted, and checked on the date shown.