Commercial Information Circulars

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref : EIC 111/2

28 May 2008

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 293/2008

US : Informed Compliance Publication on Marking Requirements for Wearing Apparel

The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has recently reviewed without making change to the informed compliance publication (ICP) entitled "What Every Member of the Trade Community Should Know About: Marking Requirements for Wearing Apparel" issued in July 2006. The ICP provides guidance and useful information on the marking requirements for textile and apparel articles imported into the US. For example, the name of the country of origin is required to be marked by means of a fabric label for most wearing apparel items; the country of origin labels must be placed on the "inside center of the neck midway between the shoulder seams" for shirts, blouses, coats, sweaters, dresses and similar apparel or in a conspicuous location such as "the inside of the waistband" for trousers, slacks, jeans and similar apparels; information on fibre contents, by percentage in descending order by weight, and generic fibre names must be provided on labels/marks etc.. Apart from the general requirements, CBP has also included in the ICP some special marking rulings which traders may make reference to.

2. Because of the bulkiness of the ICP, it is not appended to this circular. Interested parties may download the ICP from the CBP's website at:
   http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/trade/legal/informed_compliance_pubs/icp039.ctt/
   icp039.pdf.
   Commercial Information Circular No. 279/2006 dated 24 July 2006 is hereby superceded.

ENQUIRIES

3. For enquiries concerning the content of this circular, please contact Miss S Y TANG at telephone number 2398 5405.

Yours faithfully,

(Miss WONG Ying)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry