What to do
- Find the material symbol paired with it: leather, coated leather, textile, or other materials.
- The upper's material decides your entire care routine — suede, smooth leather, mesh, and synthetics each clean differently.
- The material shown must make up at least 80% of the upper's surface; below that, the two main materials are shown.
What happens if you ignore it
Misreading the upper material is how shoes get ruined: soaking suede like it's canvas, or conditioning a synthetic like it's leather. The upper takes the weather and the scuffs — get its material right first.
Where you'll see it
On the sewn-in tongue label, the inside of the tongue, or the shoe box — usually the first row of the three-part material grid.
Common questions
Why doesn't the upper symbol include the sole?
Because the label rates each part separately — upper, lining and insole, and outer sole each get their own row, since they're often different materials.
My shoe label has no symbols at all — why?
US-sold shoes often skip the EU pictogram system and use text instead, like “ALL MAN-MADE MATERIALS” or “LEATHER UPPER.” Same information, different format.
Related symbols
- Lining & Insole — this marks the lining and sock
- Outer Sole — this marks the outer sole
- Leather — the marked part is genuine leather
- Textile — the part is made of textile
Or just scan the tongue tag
CareLabl scans shoe labels too. Point your camera at the tongue tag and get the upper, lining, and sole materials plus a care routine — then scan the outside for cleaning steps matched to the condition you're actually looking at. Try Pro free for 3 days, no credit card needed.