Somebody asked me this the other day and realized I did not have a clear answer. Owned dozens of uniforms over the years with them but what exactly are they? Often describe simply as size tags, which they are, were they attached to the pieces of a garment at the factory prior to assembly of the whole piece so they were not mismatched? Did all factories engage in this or were only some and were they in theory supposed to be removed prior to shipment to the military? Thanks!

I believe they are used to ensure that garments were constructed using cloth from the same dye lots. Otherwise the cloth might fade differently, or even start out a different shade.