The Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2004 amended the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act to impose special requirements for the country of origin labeling for most socks effective March 3, 2006.

The requirements will be applicable to socks included within Harmonized Tariff Schedules Headings 6115.92.90, 6115.93.90, 6115.99.18, 6111.20.60, 6111.30.50, and 6111.90.50, as those provisions were in effect on September 1, 2003.

• Country of origin label must always be placed on the front of the package
• If size information for the product also appears on the front of the package, the country of origin marking must be adjacent to the size information
• If no size information appears on the package or if the size information appears on the back of the package, the country of origin marking must still be placed on the front of the package
• The country of origin marking must be set forth in a manner that is clearly legible, conspicuous, and readily accessible to the consumer, and it must be as indelible or permanent as the nature of the article or package will permit
• Socks that are not fully enclosed in a package, but are banded together by a label or hang tag, the country of origin marking must be placed on the front of the label or tag
• Socks included in a package that also contains other types of goods (e.g., a baby outfit that includes socks as well as other items of clothing) are excepted from these requirements, but such packages of multiple items must comply with other relevant subsections of the Textile Rules

The FTC is not recommending any action be taken against retailers who are selling socks and who fail to meet the new labeling requirements at the time of sale, if the socks were received before March 3, 2006, and are correctly labeled under the old requirements.