INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAW
How to Import Textiles Into the U.S. Legally
Importing textiles legally means satisfying three regimes at once: CBP’s customs entry rules, the FTC’s fiber-content and care labeling rules, and forced-labor screening under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. Textiles are one of the most heavily regulated import categories, and a shipment that clears valuation can still be detained for a mislabeled fiber content or an unverifiable supply chain. This guide explains what each regime requires so your goods enter cleanly.
Start With the Customs Basics
Textiles follow the same core import process as any other goods: you are the importer of record, you classify the product in the HTSUS, you declare its value, and you file entry within the standard CBP deadlines. Apparel and made-up textiles often carry relatively high duty rates, so accurate tariff classification and valuation directly affect your landed cost. CBP also requires a textile declaration identifying the manufacturer for many fiber and apparel entries.
FTC Labeling: Fiber Content, Country, and Identity
Most textile and wool products sold in the U.S. must carry a label that meets the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act and, for wool, the Wool Products Labeling Act, both enforced by the Federal Trade Commission. The label must disclose four things.
| Required disclosure | Detail |
|---|---|
| Fiber content | Each fiber by generic name, in order of predominance, with percentage by weight |
| Country of origin | Where the product was processed or manufactured |
| Identity | The manufacturer, importer, or dealer (often shown as an RN number) |
| Care instructions | Required for most wearing apparel under the FTC Care Labeling Rule |
Labels must be accurate and attached so the consumer can see them at the point of sale. Because the FTC and CBP rules overlap, our broader guide to import labeling requirements is worth reading alongside this one.
Country-of-Origin Marking
Separate from FTC labeling, CBP requires that imported textiles be marked with their country of origin under Section 304 of the Tariff Act (19 U.S.C. § 1304), so the ultimate purchaser can see where the goods were made. For textiles, origin is determined under special rules of origin (19 C.F.R. § 102.21) that generally turn on where the fabric was formed or the garment assembled — not merely where it was finished or shipped from. Origin drives both your marking obligation and your duty treatment, including any trade-preference claims. See our guide to origin marking requirements for the marking standards CBP applies.
Forced-Labor Screening Is Now Central
The biggest compliance shift for textile importers is the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), in force since June 2022. It creates a rebuttable presumption that any goods made wholly or in part in the Xinjiang region of China — or by entities on the DHS UFLPA Entity List — were made with forced labor and are barred from entry under 19 U.S.C. § 1307.
Cotton is one of the highest-risk inputs, which puts apparel and home textiles squarely in the enforcement zone. To overcome a detention, the importer must provide clear and convincing evidence that the supply chain is free of forced labor — typically full traceability from raw fiber to finished good. Build that documentation before you import:
- Map your supply chain to the raw-material level, not just the factory of final assembly.
- Keep purchase records, production records, and transportation documents for every tier.
- Screen suppliers against the UFLPA Entity List and audit for region-of-origin risk.
A Note on Quotas
Importers sometimes assume textiles face strict country quotas. In fact, the global quota system under the WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing expired on January 1, 2005, integrating textiles into normal trade rules. Today the constraints are mainly duties, antidumping or countervailing duties on specific products and countries, and trade-remedy actions — not broad fiber quotas. Always confirm whether your specific product and source country face a current trade-remedy order.
Frequently Asked Questions
What label is legally required on imported clothing?
A label disclosing fiber content (generic names by percentage and predominance), country of origin, the identity of the manufacturer or importer, and — for most apparel — care instructions. These come from the FTC’s Textile Act and Care Labeling Rule, plus CBP’s country-of-origin marking rule.
Are there still quotas on textile imports?
The broad WTO textile quota system ended January 1, 2005. Specific products may still face antidumping or countervailing duties or other trade-remedy orders, so check your exact HTS code and country of origin rather than assuming a quota applies.
How does the UFLPA affect textile importers?
It presumes goods linked to China’s Xinjiang region or to listed entities were made with forced labor and bars them from entry. Cotton is high-risk, so apparel and home-textile importers should maintain full supply-chain traceability to rebut a detention.
How is the country of origin of a garment determined?
By CBP’s textile rules of origin (19 C.F.R. § 102.21), which generally look to where the fabric was formed or the garment assembled — not where it was merely finished, packaged, or shipped from.
Textile compliance is won in the supply chain long before the container reaches the port — in your labeling, your origin documentation, and your forced-labor due diligence. Reidel Law Firm provides import and export compliance counsel for a predictable flat fee: get a flat-fee compliance memo before your next textile shipment.
