EU Textile Fibre Names Regulation
Also searched as: Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011, EU textile labelling regulation, Textile Regulation, Annex I fibre names, EU fiber names regulation, TFNR
Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011, the EU law that fixes permitted textile fiber names and requires fiber-composition labeling or marking of textile products placed on the EU market.
In detail
Adopted on 27 September 2011 and applicable from 8 May 2012, the Regulation replaced earlier directives with a single instrument that applies directly in every member state. Only the names listed in its Annex I may be used to describe fiber composition, and trade names cannot stand in for them. Products must carry a label or marking giving the full fiber composition in those names, and the Regulation adds rules on multi-fiber products, tolerances and the declaration of non-textile parts of animal origin. Further annexes set out methods for quantitative analysis of fiber mixtures, and the Commission can amend the annexes by delegated act.
The science and numbers
Annex I is a numbered table pairing each name with a description of the fiber, using compositional definitions for manufactured polymers that follow an approach similar to ISO 2076. Natural names include wool, silk, cotton and flax (or linen); manufactured names include viscose, modal, lyocell, cupro, polyester, 'polyamide or nylon' and elastane. A producer seeking a new name submits a technical file to the Commission, and a delegated act can then add it; Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/122 is one amendment that updated Annex I. For verification, the analysis annexes rely mainly on selective dissolution: a reagent dissolves one component, the residue is dried and weighed, and a correction factor compensates for slight mass loss of the undissolved fiber.
A practical example
An EU retailer sources a jacket shell that its supplier calls 'high-performance eco-nylon.' For the composition label, that description has to be translated into Annex I vocabulary, which offers 'polyamide or nylon' for this polymer class, with a percentage. A good exercise is to rewrite several supplier descriptions into Annex I names and notice how much promotional language falls away once only the regulated names remain.
What to distinguish
The Regulation governs fiber names and composition, not environmental claims, origin or care symbols. Words such as 'organic' or 'recycled' are not Annex I fiber names; claims of that kind fall under other EU and national rules, including the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive as amended by Directive (EU) 2024/825. Labels must also be provided in the official language or languages of the member state where the product is sold.
Origins and history
Before 2011, EU textile naming rested on directives that each member state had to transpose into national law, most recently Directive 2008/121/EC on textile names, alongside Directives 73/44/EEC and 96/73/EC on methods for analyzing fiber mixtures. Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 repealed all three and, by using a regulation instead of a directive, made one text directly applicable across the Union and gave a faster route for adding names for new fibers.
Related terms
Sources & further reading
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 on textile fibre names and related labelling
- EUR-Lex: Consolidated text of Regulation 1007/2011 (15 February 2018)
- EUR-Lex: Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/122
Technical references reviewed 2026-09-22. Examples are illustrative. Industry organizations and manufacturers describe their own fields; their references are not independent product endorsements. Figures are approximate and depend on the stated test conditions.