The Textile Products (Indications of Fibre Content) Regulations 1986

5.—(1) The fibre content of any textile product composed of two or more fibres one of which accounts for not less than 85 per cent. of the weight of the product shall be indicated either—

(a) by the name of the latter fibre immediately preceded or followed by its percentage of the weight of the product; or

(b) by the name of the latter fibre immediately preceded or followed by “85 per cent. minimum”; or

(c) by the names of all the fibres in declining order of their proportion by weight, immediately preceded or followed by their percentages by weight of the product.

(2) The fibre content of any textile product composed of two or more fibres none of which accounts for 85 per cent. or more of the weight of the product, shall be indicated by the names of those fibres which constitute the greatest and next greatest percentage by weight of the product immediately preceded or followed by its percentage of the weight of the product and the names of the other fibres in descending order of their proportion by weight with or without the percentage by weight of those other fibres.

(3) In relation to any product to which sub-paragraph (2) applies, fibres separately accounting for less than 10 per cent. of the weight of the product may be indicated as “other fibres” if the total percentage of weight of those fibres is given.

(4) In relation to any product to which sub-paragraph (2) applies, where the name of a fibre is given and that fibre accounts for less than 10 per cent. of the weight of the product, the name of, and percentage by weight of, every fibre in the product shall be given.

(5) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this paragraph, where a product has a pure cotton warp and a pure flax weft and the weight of the flax is not less than 40 per cent. of the weight of the unsized material the product may be indicated as “cotton linen union” accompanied by “pure cotton warp—pure flax weft” or “pure cotton warp—pure linen weft”.

(6) Subject to the provisions of sub-paragraph (8) below—

(a) in giving, as part of an indication of fibre content required by the foregoing provisions of this paragraph, any percentage in respect of a fibre or fibres, the indicated percentage may differ from the actual percentage in respect thereof by not more than 3 per cent. calculated on the total weight of textile fibres in the finished product on which the indicated percentage was calculated; and

(b) there shall be allowed in relation to any product to which sub-paragraph (2) above applies, in determining the order in which fibres, other than those fibres which constitute the greatest and next greatest percentage by weight of the product, are listed when their percentage by weight is not indicated, a tolerance of 3 per cent.

(7) For the purposes of the preceding provisions of this paragraph there shall be ignored—

(a) fibres which are present in the product if their presence is due to inadvertent impurities arising during manufacture of the product and not to a systematic addition thereto, and the weight of the fibres due to such reasons does not exceed 2 per cent. or, in the case of a product which has been produced by a manufacturing process in which the final formation of fibres before spinning is determined by a carding process, 5 per cent. of the weight of the product;

(b) fibres which are intended purely to produce a decorative effect, which are visible and distinct and the weight of which does not exceed 7 per cent. of the weight of the product; and

(c) fibres which are incorporated into the product to obtain an anti-static effect and the weight of which does not exceed 2 per cent. of the weight of the product:

Provided that in the case of a product described in paragraph 5(5) above, any percentage referred to in (b) or (c) above shall be determined separately in relation to the weight of the warp and the weight of the weft.

(8) The addition of the tolerances referred to in sub-paragraph (6) above and sub-paragraph (7)(a) above shall be allowed only if any inadvertent impurities which are to be left out of account under sub-paragraph (7)(a) above are of the same chemical type as any of the fibres named in the indication of fibre content.