Ski socks

Plenty of people buy new socks before a ski trip. The label on a pair says what it is made of. A few rules set what that label may say, and some of them are about wool.

Every fibre, by weight

The UK's textile fibre rules are set out in Regulation 1007/2011, which applies in the UK. Article 9 says a textile product "shall be labelled or marked with the name and percentage by weight of all constituent fibres in descending order".

So the label on a ski sock must list its fibres from the largest share to the smallest. The government's textile labelling guidance adds that if a product has two or more parts with different fibre contents, the label must show each one.

Article 9 also allows for small amounts. A fibre that makes up to 5% of the weight, or fibres that together make up to 15%, may be listed as "other fibres" with their total percentage, where they cannot easily be stated at the time of manufacture.

When a sock can say "100%" or "pure"

Article 7 says, "Only textile products exclusively composed of the same fibre may be labelled or marked as ‘100 %’, ‘pure’ or ‘all’." A small amount of other fibre is allowed where it is technically unavoidable in good manufacturing practice and is not added routinely. The limit is 2% by weight, or 5% for a product that has been through a carding process.

"Wool", "virgin wool" and "fleece wool"

Annex I of the Regulation gives "wool" as the name for "fibre from sheep's or lambs’ fleeces", or a mixture of that with certain other animal hairs.

Article 8 allows "fleece wool" or "virgin wool" only for wool that has not previously been incorporated in a finished product. It must also not have been through spinning or felting beyond what that product needed, or been damaged by treatment or use. Other fibre in it must not be more than 0.3% by weight.

In a blend, the words can describe the wool only if all of it meets that test and it makes up at least 25% of the total weight. The label must then give the full percentage composition.

Before you go

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) publishes advice on preparing for a winter sports trip abroad.

Cold feet and sore feet

The NHS has pages on frostbite and on blisters. Its frostbite page says frostbite happens when skin freezes after being in very cold temperatures, and to get medical help if you think someone has it.

Useful links