Markets
US Law Labels for Filled Bedding: What an Importer Needs Before Selling
A US law label is the white tag stating "UNDER PENALTY OF LAW THIS TAG NOT TO BE REMOVED EXCEPT BY THE CONSUMER", and it is required on filled bedding sold in the states that regulate it: quilts, comforters, duvet inserts, pillows, filled shams, mattress pads and weighted blankets. It declares what the filling is, confirms it is all new material, and carries a registry number identifying the company responsible. Sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases have no filling and do not need one, though they still need the federal textile label.
This guide is for an importer or brand bringing filled bedding into the US: which products are caught, what the label must say, how the registry number works, and what to agree with your manufacturer so the labels are right before bulk rather than fixed after arrival.
Two labels, two sets of rules
Filled bedding sold in the US usually carries two separate sets of information, and mixing them up is the commonest mistake.
| Federal textile label | State law label | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sets it | The FTC, under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act | States that regulate filled bedding and upholstered furniture |
| What it covers | The textile: covering, and filling as fibre content | The hidden filling, and who is responsible for it |
| Applies to | Sheets, covers, pillowcases and filled products alike | Filled products only |
| Must show | Fibre content by percentage, country of origin, the maker or importer's identity, often an RN number | The filling by generic name, form and percentage, "ALL NEW MATERIAL", and a registry number |
The two can sit on one tag or two, but each set of requirements must be met in full. A comforter with a perfect federal label and no law label is still non-compliant in a regulating state.
Which products need a law label
The rule follows the filling. If a product is stuffed or filled with a material the consumer cannot see, it is caught. In a home textile range that usually means:
- Quilts and quilted bedspreads with a filling layer
- Comforters and duvet inserts
- Pillows and filled shams
- Mattress pads and toppers
- Weighted blankets
- Filled cushions and seat pads
Unfilled products are not: flat and fitted sheets, duvet covers, pillowcases, unfilled shams, coverlets woven as single or double cloth with no filling, table linen and towels. A matelassé coverlet, for example, gets its quilted look from the weave, not from a filling, so it needs only the federal label.
Which states require it
Around fifteen US jurisdictions require filled bedding to carry a law label and the company responsible for it to register, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington DC. A product sold nationally is labelled for all of them, because a retailer rarely ships to some states and not others. Check the current list before you launch, as states change their rules and fees.
What the label must say
The law label follows a standard layout, and inspectors check the wording as well as the content.
| Section | What it states |
|---|---|
| The warning | UNDER PENALTY OF LAW THIS TAG NOT TO BE REMOVED EXCEPT BY THE CONSUMER |
| The filling | ALL NEW MATERIAL CONSISTING OF, then each filling by generic name and form, with its percentage by weight, largest first |
| The registry number | REG. NO. followed by the registry number of the company responsible |
| The statement | Certification is made by the manufacturer that the materials in this article are described in accordance with law |
| Origin | The country of manufacture, for example MADE IN INDIA |
Three details are where labels usually fail:
- The form of the filling, not just the fibre. "100% POLYESTER" is incomplete. A quilt's wadding is "POLYESTER FIBER BATTING"; loose fill in a pillow is "POLYESTER FIBER". Trade names are not allowed.
- The registry number line must be filled. A blank "REG. NO." is the single most common fault, and it makes the label non-compliant in every registering state.
- Size and type. The label is black text on white, at least 3 inches from the warning to the country of origin, with type at least 1/8 inch high. "ALL NEW MATERIAL", the registry number and the country of origin are in bold capitals.
The registry number
The registry number, often called a Uniform Registry Number, identifies the company that stands behind the filling. A company registers in one issuing state, which assigns the number, then registers that same number with each other state that requires it, paying each state's fee. One number then appears on every law label, whichever state the product is sold in.
The number belongs to whoever the label names as responsible, the manufacturer or the importer. Most established US brands and importers already hold one, and their number goes on the labels made for them. A brand without one either registers before launch or asks a manufacturer that holds a number to label under it. Decide this before labels are printed, because the number is part of the artwork.
What changes for a first order
Labelling is the importer's legal responsibility, but it is built at the factory, so the information has to reach the factory before bulk.
- Send the registry number and the exact wording with your tech pack, including how you want the filling described.
- State the filling precisely in the specification: fibre, form and weight, so the label matches what is actually inside. If the filling changes, the label changes with it.
- Approve the label artwork on the counter sample, not on a screen, and check the printed size against the 3 inch and 1/8 inch rules.
- Keep the federal and state requirements separate in your checklist, even if they share one tag.
Care instructions are a separate point. The FTC care labelling rule covers clothing, not bedding, so a care label on a quilt is a retailer requirement rather than a federal one, though almost every retailer asks for it.
H & J Exim makes quilts, comforters, duvet inserts, weighted blankets and filled cushions to your specification, and sews in law labels and federal labels to the wording and registry number you supply. See our market page for the US for sizes, shipping and the other rules that apply, private label for sampling and approvals, or get in touch to talk through a filled range.
Common questions
Do duvet covers need a law label?
No. A duvet cover has no filling, so it needs only the federal textile label: fibre content, country of origin and the maker or importer's identity. The duvet insert that goes inside it does need a law label.
Can the law label and the federal label be on the same tag?
Yes. They are often combined on one sewn-in label, as long as every element of each is present and the law label section meets its layout, size and type rules.
Whose registry number goes on the label?
The number of the company the label names as responsible, usually the importer or brand. If you do not hold one, register before launch or label under a manufacturer that does.
Does Canada need the same law label?
No. Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec repealed their provincial stuffed article laws between 2019 and 2021, so filled products sold in Canada follow the federal Textile Labelling Act, with bilingual fibre content, rather than a US-style law label.