Iron Temperature Settings Guide: Fabrics, Dots and Steam

Last updated: 21 October 2026

Quick answer: the dots on a care label and on your iron dial are the same scale. One dot means a maximum soleplate temperature of about 110°C (synthetics such as polyester, nylon and acrylic, plus acetate and viscose). Two dots means about 150°C (wool; silk sits on two dots on some irons and one dot on others, so start on one). Three dots means about 200°C (cotton and linen). A crossed-out iron means do not iron at all. For a blend, iron at the setting for the most heat-sensitive fibre in it. Use steam on cotton, linen and wool, keep it off or on minimum for silk and synthetics, and put a pressing cloth between the iron and anything dark, delicate or shiny.

Every fabric has a temperature above which it will shine, shrink or melt. This guide explains the dot system that care labels and irons share, gives a setting for each common fabric, and covers the two rules that catch people out: blends and pressing cloths.

What do the dots on a care label mean?

The ironing symbols on clothing labels follow an international standard, ISO 3758 (Textiles: care labelling code using symbols). The symbols are managed by GINETEX, the international association for textile care labelling, and the current edition is ISO 3758:2023. The iron symbol carries one, two or three dots, and GINETEX defines each dot as a maximum soleplate temperature.

Label symbol	Maximum soleplate temperature	Typical fabrics
Iron with 1 dot	about 110°C	Acetate, acrylic, nylon, polyester, viscose, elastane
Iron with 2 dots	about 150°C	Wool, many blends (silk on some labels, one dot on others)
Iron with 3 dots	about 200°C	Cotton, linen, denim
Iron crossed out	Do not iron	Some coated, printed, pleated or laminated fabrics
Iron with crossed-out steam cloud	Do not steam	Fabrics that water-spot or lose their finish

These figures are maximums, not targets, so a setting a little below the dot temperature is always safe. If a cotton shirt is labelled with two dots, the maker is telling you something about the dye, trim or finish, so follow the label rather than the fibre.

What do the symbols on my iron dial mean?

Iron makers print the same dots on the dial so you can match the label without knowing any temperatures. Tefal’s manuals describe the thermostat dial as carrying “international markers with dots corresponding to three ironing temperatures”: one dot for synthetics, two dots for wool and silk, three dots for cotton and linen. Philips manuals use the same grouping, with setting 1 for synthetics and silk, setting 2 for wool and setting 3 for cotton, with linen on 3 or MAX depending on the model.

Dots (1, 2, 3): the three care-label temperatures above. Some dials also print fabric names next to the dots.
MAX: the hottest the iron will go, a little above three dots, for heavy linen and damp cotton.
Shaded or coloured band: the steam zone. Tefal states that the two-dot and three-dot settings sit on a shaded background to show that steam is produced in that zone. Below it, the soleplate is not hot enough to flash water into steam quickly, so water leaks through the vents.
Steam slider or dial: turns continuous steam off, low or high. Tefal’s advice for the synthetics setting is to put the steam control on MIN.
Shot-of-steam button: a burst for stubborn creases. Only use it in the steam zone.
Spray button: a fine mist of water for dry ironing or for dampening a stubborn crease on cotton or linen.
Self-clean or calc-clean: a descaling function. See how to descale a steam iron.

The indicator light goes out when the soleplate reaches the set temperature. Wait for it, and sort the pile coolest to hottest (synthetics, silk, wool, cotton, linen) so you only ever turn the dial up.

Fabric-by-fabric iron temperature table

The dot and temperature columns follow the GINETEX scale and the fabric groupings in Tefal and Philips manuals. Where a fabric sits on a boundary, the table says so. The care label always wins over this table.

Fabric	Dots	Approx. soleplate temp	Steam?	Notes
Acetate	1	110°C	No	Melts and shines easily. Iron inside out, dry, with a pressing cloth.
Acrylic	1	110°C	No	Stretches when hot. Iron inside out and let it cool flat before moving it.
Nylon (polyamide)	1	110°C	No	Iron nearly dry on the lowest setting. Avoid the shot-of-steam button.
Polyester	1 (some labels 2)	110°C to 150°C	Low or none	Manuals group it with synthetics on setting 1. Shiny patches are permanent, so use a cloth.
Viscose / rayon	1 (some labels 2)	110°C to 150°C	Low	Iron inside out while slightly damp. Creases badly if left to dry crumpled.
Silk	1 to 2	110°C to 150°C	No	Steam and spray cause water spots. Iron on the reverse, dry, under a cloth.
Wool	2	150°C	Yes, lightly	Hover or press gently with steam under a damp cloth. Pressing hard flattens the pile.
Cotton	3	200°C	Yes	Iron while slightly damp for the smoothest finish. Dark cotton on the reverse.
Linen	3 or MAX	about 200°C	Yes	Needs the most heat and moisture. Many dials put linen on MAX, which is at or just above the three-dot mark. Iron damp, on the reverse for dark colours.
Denim	3	200°C	Yes	It is cotton. Iron inside out to avoid shine on the seams.
Polyester-cotton blend	1 to 2	110°C to 150°C	Low	Set for the polyester, not the cotton. See the blend rule below.
Cotton-elastane (stretch)	1 to 2	110°C to 150°C	Low	Elastane is heat-sensitive, so follow the label and start on one dot. Iron inside out.
Wool-polyester (suiting)	1 to 2	110°C to 150°C	Yes, under a cloth	Always use a pressing cloth. Shine on suiting cannot be removed.
Linen-cotton	3	200°C	Yes	Both fibres take high heat, so treat it as linen.
Viscose-polyester	1	110°C	Low or none	Both fibres are heat-sensitive. Lowest setting, inside out.

Polyester and viscose are the two fabrics most often over-ironed: polyester feels tough, so it gets the cotton setting, and viscose feels like cotton, so it gets ironed dry and hot. Both belong at the low end of the dial.

What is the blend rule?

Iron a blend at the setting for its most heat-sensitive fibre. Philips puts it plainly in its manuals: if the article is made of a mixture of fibres, you must always select the lowest ironing temperature of the composition of those fibres. Tefal’s wording is to set the temperature for the most delicate fabric.

So a 65/35 polyester-cotton shirt is ironed as polyester, on one dot, not as cotton on three. A wool-silk scarf is ironed as silk. A cotton top with 5 per cent elastane is ironed as elastane, inside out on a low setting. The small percentage still matters because it is the fibre that heat damages first.

The exception is the label. Many poly-cotton garments carry a two-dot symbol because the maker has tested that blend at 150°C. If the label says two dots, two dots is fine. If there is no label, start low and go up one step at a time, testing on an inside seam.

When should I use a pressing cloth?

A pressing cloth is a piece of plain cotton (a clean tea towel, a pillowcase or a square of muslin) laid between the iron and the garment. It lets you use enough heat to remove the crease while keeping the soleplate off the fibres, which stops shine, flattened pile, melted trim and dye transfer.

Use one for:

Anything dark or black, especially polyester, viscose and wool suiting, where shine shows most.
Silk, satin, acetate and anything with a sheen.
Wool jumpers and tailored wool, with the cloth slightly damp so the steam carries through.
Printed or embroidered areas, sequins, lace and anything with a plastic or rubber print.
Pleats and creases you want to set sharply without glazing the fold line.

Ironing inside out does a similar job and is quicker for everyday polyester and cotton. Philips advises ironing the reverse side of silk, wool and synthetics to prevent shiny patches. For a formal shirt, see how to iron a shirt.

Which fabrics take steam, and which do not?

Steam needs a hot soleplate, which is why irons only make it in the two-dot and three-dot zone. Cotton, linen and denim want as much steam as the iron can produce. Wool wants steam lightly, through a cloth, with the iron lifted rather than dragged.

On the one-dot setting the plate is too cool to flash water into steam quickly, so a conventional iron drips and leaves water marks on silk, acetate and viscose. Set the steam control to off or minimum for those fabrics, and never use the spray or shot-of-steam buttons on silk. For refreshing rather than pressing, a garment steamer is gentler on silk and knitwear.

What about irons with no temperature dial?

Philips’ OptimalTEMP irons and steam generators, and Tefal’s equivalent on models such as the Access Protect, remove the dial altogether. Philips sets one soleplate temperature and states that it will not burn any ironable fabric, from silk to denim, so you can iron a polyester blouse and then a linen tablecloth without touching a setting. Tefal describes the Access Protect’s single automatic setting as removing the need to choose a temperature or steam level.

They suit mixed loads and take the blend rule out of your hands. The trade-off is less soleplate heat than a conventional iron on MAX, which is why these models lean on steam for heavy linen. The best Philips steam irons guide covers the OptimalTEMP range, and Tefal vs Philips compares the two approaches.

Frequently asked questions

What setting is polyester on an iron?

The one-dot or synthetics setting, about 110°C, with steam off or on minimum. If the care label shows two dots, you can go up to about 150°C. Iron it inside out or under a cloth, because shiny patches on polyester are permanent.

Can you iron viscose?

Yes, on a low setting (one dot, about 110°C, or two dots if the label allows) while the garment is slightly damp. Iron it inside out and do not let it dry crumpled, because set-in creases are hard to remove.

What do the dots on my iron mean?

They match the dots on care labels: one dot is about 110°C for synthetics, two dots about 150°C for wool (silk sits on one or two dots depending on the iron, so start on one), three dots about 200°C for cotton and linen. The shaded band around two and three dots is the steam zone.

Can you use steam on silk?

It is best not to. Steam and water spray leave spots on silk, and at the low temperature silk needs, a conventional iron drips rather than steams. Iron silk dry on the reverse under a pressing cloth, or use a garment steamer.

What temperature for cotton?

Three dots, about 200°C, with steam. Cotton irons most easily while slightly damp. Iron dark cotton on the reverse to avoid shine.

How do I iron a cotton-polyester blend?

Set the iron for the polyester, not the cotton: one dot, or two if the label shows two. Use low steam and iron inside out. A poly-cotton shirt ironed on the cotton setting will glaze.

What is the lowest setting on an iron?

The one-dot or synthetics setting, which GINETEX defines as a maximum soleplate temperature of about 110°C. Most irons do not produce steam at this setting.

Can I iron a garment with a crossed-out iron symbol?

No. The crossed-out iron means the fabric, print or finish will be damaged by any soleplate heat. Hang the garment in a steamy bathroom or use a garment steamer held well away from the fabric.

Iron Temperature Settings Guide: Every Fabric, Dot by Dot