What Is an RN Number on Clothing Labels? (How to Get and Use One)

If you look closely at the care or content label on many garments, you’ll often see a small number labeled RN. An RN number on clothing labels stands for “Registered Identification Number,” which is issued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to identify businesses involved in manufacturing, importing, distributing, or selling textile, wool, or fur products in the United States.

Clothing brands frequently use RN numbers on woven labels, printed care labels, hang tags, and tagless heat transfers as a way to identify the responsible company without listing a full business name.

How to Look Up an RN Number

If you see an RN number on a clothing label and want to know which company it belongs to, you can perform an RN number lookup using the Federal Trade Commission’s online database. Simply enter the RN number and the system will display the registered business associated with that garment label.

You can access the official RN Number Lookup tool through the Federal Trade Commission website.

Are RN Numbers Required on Clothing Labels?

RN stands for “Registered Identification Number,” and it is issued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). These numbers identify businesses in the United States that manufacture, import, distribute, or sell textile, wool, or fur products.

Contrary to what many new clothing brands believe, RN numbers are not required. The FTC allows businesses to list either their company name or their RN number on garment labels and tags.

Many apparel companies choose to use RN numbers because they keep clothing labels cleaner and shorter, especially when space is limited on woven labels, printed care labels, or hang tags.

RN numbers can be incorporated into all types of clothing labels like woven labels, care/content printed labels, hangtags and Tagless heat transfers. You can use the same RN number for all different items that you may produce. You don’t need a new RN for every style, color, size of your garments. RN numbers are free to obtain and typically take only a few days to be assigned.

If you’d like a deeper explanation of how RN numbers work and how to search them, read our full guide to RN and CA numbers for clothing labels.

Helpful links:

Federal Trade Commission – Frequently asked questions about RN numbers.

RN lookup

Apply for an RN number