Iron, high temperature
An ISO 3758 iron symbol with three dots, indicating ironing at a high temperature, up to a soleplate of about 200 °C.
What it means
Three dots on the iron allow the hottest setting, used for cotton and linen. These plant fibres tolerate high heat and steam, which is what it takes to press out their deep, sharp creases.
What to do
Select the high (cotton or linen) setting and use steam or iron the fabric while still damp for the crispest finish. Linen presses best slightly wet; let cotton shirts hang to release residual heat before wearing.
How to use this term
Use this ironing symbol before applying heat, steam or pressure to the garment surface.
- Read iron, high temperature with the other symbols on the same care label; the strictest symbol wins.
- Match the instruction to the garment's most fragile part, including trims, lining, prints and finishes.
- If the label, fabric behaviour and stain method disagree, test a hidden area or choose the lower-risk route.
Common mistake
With cotton and linen the failure mode at the hottest setting is scorching, not the melting that ruins synthetics, so heat tolerance can lull you into parking the iron. Left sitting, the plate can scorch these fibres into a yellow-then-brown mark a wash often will not lift. Damp fabric helps only until that patch dries under the soleplate, so keep it gliding and lift between strokes rather than resting it on a seam or collar.
For the broader method, use the How to iron a shirt and then return to this term when the label changes the safe option.
Related terms
Sources
- ISO 3758:2012 Textiles — Care labelling code using symbols — International Organization for Standardization