Bed linen and towels for EU shops: labels, chemical limits and price per set

Importers in France, Czechia and the wider EU keep asking for bed linen and towels. The law is mostly about the label and two chemical limits: fibre composition in the local language, azo dyes and, for bed linen, the REACH restriction on CMR substances. Cotton bedding sets start around US$5–20 a set FOB and hotel bath towels around US$2–5.

Numbers checked 2026-11-06

The request

Bed linen, towels, cushion covers and baby blankets for retail in the EU, seen repeatedly on public buying-request boards in autumn 2026 (Czechia, France and others).

Short answer

  • Every piece needs a fibre composition label (for example "100% cotton") using the official fibre names, in the language of the country where it is sold.
  • Dyed textiles that touch the skin for long, which includes bed linen and towels, must not release banned aromatic amines from azo dyes above 30 mg/kg.
  • Since 1 November 2020 REACH also restricts 33 CMR substances, formaldehyde among them, in clothing and in other textiles that touch the skin the way clothing does. Ask the lab whether your item is in scope.
  • Care labels and OEKO-TEX are not legal requirements in the EU, but most retail buyers ask for both.

Rules that decide the spec

  • Textile Labelling Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011: fibre names from Annex I, percentages by weight in descending order, "100%" only for single-fibre products, label durable and legible, in the official language of the Member State where the product is sold. source
  • REACH Annex XVII entry 43: azo dyes that can release listed aromatic amines above 30 mg/kg are banned in textiles with direct and prolonged skin contact, such as bed linen and towels. source
  • Regulation (EU) 2018/1513 (REACH Annex XVII entry 72): restricts 33 CMR substances, including formaldehyde, in clothing and skin-contact textiles from 1 November 2020. source
  • Baby blankets and other children's textiles also fall under the General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988, for example on cords and small parts. source

What it costs

  • Cotton or poly-cotton bedding set: ≈US$5–20 per set FOB
  • Hotel-grade cotton sateen set (250–500 TC): ≈US$30–100 per set FOB
  • 100% cotton bath towel: ≈US$2–5 each FOB
  • Usual minimum order: 50–1,000 sets or pieces

Price ranges from public factory listings on Made-in-China in November 2026, not a quote. Size, thread count and GSM move the price a lot; ask for the spec behind any number.

How to check a factory

  • Spec sheet with size, thread count or GSM, and fibre content, then a lab check of the fibre content on the pre-production sample.
  • Test report for azo amines and formaldehyde on your colours, not a generic report for the factory.
  • OEKO-TEX certificate number, checked on the OEKO-TEX website, and whether it covers the article and the factory that will make it.
  • Label and insert artwork in the right language (Czech, French and so on), approved before printing.

Common traps

  • "Cotton" sets that test as poly-cotton. The label then breaks Regulation 1007/2011, and the importer answers for it.
  • Very wide price ranges (for example US$0.10–4.50 per towel) that hide the size and weight you would actually get.
  • An OEKO-TEX logo on the product page with no certificate number, or a number that belongs to another company.