Vintage Label Lookup: Date Clothing by Label, RN and Union Tag

Last reviewed 2026-10-04 by the AntiqueCostume editorial team · Sources · How we research

This is a one-page cheat sheet for dating a garment from its labels. Read every label you can find (neck, side seams, hems), look each clue up in the tables below, and take the latest date you find: that is the earliest year the garment could have been made. Each table links to the full guide that explains the exceptions.

Quick answer

Sewn-in care instructions on a US garment: 1972 or later. Care symbols only, no words (US): 1997 or later. See care labels.
RN number: 1952 or later. WPL number: 1941 or later. Neither tells you the exact year. See RN and WPL numbers.
ILGWU label in red, white and blue with "Made in U.S.A.": 1974 to 1995. "AFL-CIO" in the wording: 1955 or later. See union labels.
Five-digit ZIP code in the address: July 1963 or later. Postal zone ("New York 18, N.Y."): 1943 to the mid-1960s.
Fiber content label on a US garment: usually 1960 or later, except wool, which could carry one from 1941.

How to use this sheet

Find every label. Before the 1970s, labels were not always at the center back neck. The Vintage Fashion Guild advises checking side seams and hems (date by labels).
Look up each clue in the tables below.
Take the latest clue. Labels show the earliest possible date, because brands kept label designs and used up old label stock for years.
Treat absence as weak evidence. Labels were cut out, wore away or were never sewn in, and garments made for other countries follow other rules.
Cross-check with the zipper and seams (date by zippers, date by construction).

US labeling laws

From date by labels:

Law or rule	What changed on labels	Date in force
McKinley Tariff Act	Imports start marking country of origin	1891
Wool Products Labeling Act of 1939	Wool items must show fiber content; WPL numbers issued	1941
Fur Products Labeling Act	Furs must be named accurately	August 1952
RN numbers	Registered Identification Numbers can replace a company name	First used 1952
Textile Fiber Products Identification Act	Fiber content required on most textiles	March 1960
FTC Care Labeling Rule	Permanent care instructions required on apparel	July 3, 1972
Care Labeling Rule amendment	Clarified washing and drycleaning instructions	1983
Textile Act amendment	"Made in U.S.A." required on domestic garments	1985
FTC conditional exemption	ASTM care symbols allowed in place of words	1997

In the early 1960s fiber content was often on a paper hang tag, so a 1962 dress with no fiber label is normal.

RN and WPL numbers

From RN and WPL numbers:

Clue	What it proves	What it does not prove
RN number	Made in 1952 or later	Any particular decade after 1952
WPL number	Made in 1941 or later	That the item is from the 1940s; WPLs were used for decades
CA number	Made or sold through Canada	A US date; Canada has its own system
No RN or WPL	Nothing on its own	That the item is pre-1952

Why there is no RN-to-year table here: we have found no official FTC table of issue years. The charts online were put together by collectors, and an RN shows when the company registered, not when the garment was made. Instead, look the number up in the FTC RN database, find the company, and bracket the date from its trading history.

Union labels

From union labels:

Label	Date range
Prosanis (Joint Board of Sanitary Control)	1924 to 1929
NRA Blue Eagle	1933 to 1935
Consumers' Protection label (coat and suit industry)	1935 to about 1959/1960
ILGWU label, AFL era (no "CIO" in the wording)	Before 1955
ILGWU label with "AFL-CIO"	1955 to 1963 (more likely late 1950s to early 1960s)
ILGWU redesign emphasising "union made" (blue and white)	1963 to 1974
ILGWU red, white and blue with "Made in U.S.A."	1974 to 1995
UNITE	1995 or later

Men's clothing (ACWA labels):

ACWA label detail	Date range
1949 design without the registered mark (R in a circle)	1949 to 1962
1949 design with the registered mark	1962 to 1976
ACTWU label	1976 to 1995

Other labels you may see: the FOGA (Fashion Originators Guild) label points to the 1930s and very early 1940s; the New York Dress Institute / New York Creation label was created in 1941; one United Hatters (UHCMW) millinery design ran from 1934 to 1983, so it dates a hat only loosely. Canadian ILGWU labels follow their own designs, so the US chart can mislead you on them.

Care labels

From care labels:

What you see	Reading
Permanent sewn-in care instructions, words only (US)	1972 or later
"Drycleanable" or "Commercially dryclean"	Probably printed before the 1983 rules applied
Full washing, drying, bleach and ironing steps	Suggests 1983 or later
Care symbols only, no words (US garment)	1997 or later
Green, amber and red care symbols	Canadian label, 1970 or later
Fahrenheit temperature on a Canadian colored label	Suggests before about 1979
European washtub and iron symbols	In use from the 1960s, so a weak clue on European garments
No care label	Fits pre-1972 but proves nothing

Shoes, gloves and hats are not covered or are exempt, and neckties are excluded, so a 1970s hat or tie with no care label is normal.

Fiber names

From date by labels. Nothing can be older than the fiber it is made from:

Name on the label	First commercial use (US unless noted)
Rayon (the name)	Coined 1924 (fiber made in the US from 1910)
Acetate / Celanese	1924
Nylon	1939; little clothing other than stockings until after WWII
"Sanforized"	1930 or later
Acrylic (Orlon, Acrilan)	1950
Polyester (Dacron)	1953 in clothing
Triacetate (Arnel)	1954
Spandex (Lycra)	1959
Antron nylon	1960
Olefin	1961
Woolmark symbol	1964
Qiana nylon	1968
Lyocell	1993

Address and country wording

From date by labels:

Wording on the label	Date
City and state only ("Dallas, Texas")	Any period
City with a postal zone number ("Chicago 6, Ill.")	May 1943 or later; most likely before the mid-1960s
Five-digit ZIP code	July 1, 1963 or later
Two-letter capitalized state code ("NY")	October 1963 or later
"Made in Occupied Japan"	September 2, 1945 to April 28, 1952
"Made in West Germany"	May 23, 1949 to October 3, 1990
No origin line on a US maker's garment	Fits the decades before 1985

Size labels

From vintage sizing:

What you see	Reading
Large size number for small measurements (32-inch bust labeled 14 or 16)	Mid-century or earlier
Small size number for large measurements (36-inch bust labeled 6)	Recent decades
Odd sizes (5, 7, 9, 11)	Junior sizes; not a date on their own
Half sizes (12 1/2, 14 1/2) or bust-numbered women's sizes	Mild sign of an older garment
Separate size tag in a hat	Common in the 1930s and 1940s
Shoe widths in letters (AAAA to DDD)	Usually before the 1970s

Zipper clues

From date by zippers, for checking a label's story against the hardware:

What you see	Reading
Any zipper in a woman's dress or skirt	Usually 1930s or later
Metal zipper in the left side seam	Late 1930s to 1960s
Long center-back zipper	Mostly late 1950s onward; most dresses from the 1970s
Nylon coil zipper	1960 or later (unless replaced)
Concealed zipper	1958 or later; not proof of the 1970s
YKK on an American-made garment	Most likely 1960 or later
"Talon" on the pull	In use by 1932; not a pre- or post-1937 test

Traps to avoid

Labels move. Designer labels get unpicked and sewn into other garments, and care labels can be added later. Different stitching or old needle holes deserve a second look (designer label fakes).
Reproductions copy old labels. A garment sold as 1950s with a modern symbols-only care label is not from the 1950s (reproduction vs antique).
US rules apply to US-market garments. A garment made and sold in Europe will not have a US care or fiber label even if it is from 1980.
Home-sewn garments usually have no maker's label and need no care label.

For the cut and silhouette that narrow a label date further, use the era guides, such as 1950s and 1960s.

Frequently asked questions

Can an RN number tell me the exact year my clothing was made?

No. An RN identifies the company responsible for the garment and proves only that it was made in 1952 or later. Look the company up in the FTC RN database and date the garment from the company's history (RN and WPL numbers).

Does a garment with no care label date from before 1972?

Not necessarily. Owners often cut care labels out, hats, gloves, shoes and neckties are exempt or excluded, and the rule does not cover home sewers, so a missing care label fits a pre-1972 date but proves nothing (care labels).

How do I date an ILGWU union label quickly?

Check the colors first: red, white and blue with "Made in U.S.A." means 1974 to 1995. Then look for "AFL-CIO" with a magnifier, which means 1955 or later, and a large "union made" on a blue-and-white label points to 1963 to 1974 (union labels).

What does a ZIP code on a vintage label mean?

Five-digit ZIP codes started on July 1, 1963, so a label with one is very hard to explain on anything earlier. A city with a postal zone number points to 1943 to the mid-1960s, though old label stock was used after ZIP codes arrived (date by labels).