Complete Guide to Trademark Classes

To get a trademark, you will need to be able to report which class or classes your trademark will cover. This can change the registration process and fees, but deciphering 45 different divisions can become confusing for many people.

There are 45 different classes of trademarks that cover different categories of goods and services. The first 34 classes cover goods and the last 11 are various services. When registering a trademark, each class of goods or services included under the trademark must be reported.

Now that you know that there are 45 classes of trademarks, let’s go into more detail about each one. Keep reading below!

Trademark Classes

Trademark classes are divided up by good versus services and topical categories. Check out this table for a concise description of each of the 45 classes, what fits in each class, and what some commonly mistaken exceptions are.

Number	Category	Description	Examples	Exceptions to the class (and where it should actually go)
1	Chemicals	Chemicals that are used in industry, science, agriculture, and production	Putties, composts, adhesives, food additives, fire extinguishing	Chemicals for medical/veterinary use (5), household adhesives (16), pesticides and herbicides (5)
2	Paints	Paints, colorants, and preparations for arts, crafts, and industry use	Ink, varnish, lacquer, dye, preservatives against rust/deterioration	Cosmetic dyes (3), stationary ink (16), unprocessed artificial resin (1), laundry blueing (3)
3	Cosmetics and Cleaning	Non-medicated toiletries and cleaning products	Deodorant, room fragrance, polish, laundry bleach	Make-up brushes (21), cleaning rags (21), medicated soaps (5)
4	Lubricants and Fuels	Industrial oils, greases, fuels, and illuminants	Electrical energy, candles, gasoline, wax, leather preservation oil	Leather tanning oils (1), dental wax (5), lighters (34), massage candles (3)
5	Pharmaceuticals	Medical or veterinary pharmaceuticals and other products	Dietary supplements, sanitary preparations, medicated toiletries, diapers	Vitamins and antioxidants (1), bandages (10), diet foods (29,30, or 32)
6	Metal Goods	Common metals, alloys, ores, and items made from those metals	Metal building materials, metal hardware, metal containers, safes	Metals used for their chemical properties (1), electric cables (9), other metal goods classified by their function
7	Machinery	Machines and their tools, motors, engines	Vending machines, incubators, motor parts, electric cleaning machines, non-transportation vehicles	Land vehicles and their motors/engines (12), medical machinery (10), robots (various)
8	Hand Tools	Manually operated tools	Gardening tools, cutlery, hammers, chisels, razors, knives	Surgical knives and tools (10), serving utensils (21), motorized tools (7)
9	Electrical and Scientific Equipment	Instruments, technology, and equipment for scientific, research, and safety purposes	Simulators, navigation instruments, magnifying glasses, traffic lights, alarms, magnets, protective clothing	Laboratory lamps and burners (11), protective clothing for sports (28)
10	Medical Equipment	Medical, surgical, dental, and veterinary instruments	Bandages, contraceptive devices, operating tables, prosthetics, specialized clothing, and furniture for medical purposes	Sanitary products for absorption (5), wheelchairs (12), hospital beds (20)
11	Environmental Control Equipment	Installations for cooking, ventilating, heating, lighting, sanitizing, cooling, water supply, and drying	Air conditioners, ovens, toilets, fountains, electronic equipment for making food, sterilizers, lamps	Generators (7), portable baby baths (21), non-electric cooking utensils (21), medical lamps or heaters (10)
12	Vehicles	Vehicles for the transportation of people or goods across land, air, or water	Motors, engines, transmission, wheels, vehicle parts	Toy remote control vehicles (28), Tricycles, scooters, and toy bikes (28), fire engines (9)
13	Firearms	Firearms; including ammunition, pyrotechnics, and explosives	Flares, air pistols, sporting firearms, hunting firearms, personal defense sprays, fireworks, projectiles	Blades as weapons and sidearms other than firearms (8), matches (34), telescopic sights (9)
14	Jewelry	Precious stones, precious metals, their alloys, and goods made from them	Jewelry (including imitation), key chains, charms, cuff links, clocks, watches, jewelry boxes	Smartwatches (9), works of art made from precious metals (6)
15	Musical Instruments	Instruments, parts, and accessories for creating music	Music stands, conductor’s batons, music boxes, strings, reeds, tuning instruments	Music recording or amplifying devices (9), downloadable sheet music or music recordings (9), metronomes (9)
16	Paper or Printed Goods	Paper goods, cardboard products, and office supplies	Paper clips, pencil sharpeners, envelopes, disposable paper products, photographs, stationery, and accessories	Cigarette paper (34), paper plates/bowls/cups (21), sandpaper (3)
17	Rubber Goods	Insulating materials for manufacturing use	Rubber stoppers, shock-absorbing buffers, rubber for tire repair, tubes, and hoses	Insulating glass (19), fire hose (9), dental rubber (5), rubber erasers (16),
18	Leather Goods	Leather, leather imitations, and goods made from leather materials	Luggage, bags, wallets, saddles, collars, whips, leashes, animal skins	Leather clothing, footwear, belts, or headwear (25), bags classified by what they carry (various)
19	Nonmetallic Building Supplies	Materials used in building and construction, except anything made from metal	Wooden beams/planks, terracotta, roofing supplies, granite, marble, gravestones, asphalt, tar	Preservatives and protections for concrete (1), linoleum (27), lumber that has not been cut or treated (31)
20	Furniture and Unclassified Goods	Furniture and any goods that are not classified by their material or purpose	Blinds, bedding, mirrors, goods made of wicker, bone, shell, wood, reed, cork, or amber	Any goods that can be classified by their function or use (various), laboratory furniture (9), medical furniture (10)
21	Houseware and Glass	Household and kitchen tools, usually small and manually operated	Serving utensils, fly-swatter, combs, toothbrushes, nutcrackers, mortar and pestle	Electric appliances (7), kitchen tools for cutting (8), lice combs (10), mirrors (20)
22	Fiber and Cordage	Raw, fiber materials for making textile products	Ropes, nets, tents, sails, stuffing materials, hammocks, vehicle covers, animal-sourced fibers	Strings for musical instruments (15), strings for sports racquets (28), padding or stuffing made from plastic (17)
23	Yarn and Thread	Natural or synthetics yarns and threads for textiles	Spun silk, cotton, or wool, sewing thread, embroidery thread	Surgical thread (10), elastic thread (17)
24	Fabric	Textiles, linens, and fabrics that are mainly for household use	Sleeping bags, mosquito nets, bedspreads, pillow shams, towels	Horse blankets (18), decorative bead curtains (20), insulating fabric (17)
25	Clothing	Clothing for people; including footwear and headwear	Costumes, sports uniforms, bibs, pocket squares, parts of clothing	Protective clothing, footwear, or headwear (9), clothing for animals (18), doll clothes (28)
26	Fancy and Decorative Goods	Decorative items that don’t fit in other classes designed for adorning a variety of things	Wigs, hair clips and bands, buckles, garlands, zippers, hair curling tools, ribbons, bows	Fake eyelashes (3), eyelash curlers (8), paper ribbons and bows (16)
27	Floor Coverings	Permanent and non-permanent coverings for walls and floors	Carpets, bath mats, rugs, wallpaper, turf, yoga mats	Tile (6), wooden floorboards (19), electrically heated flooring (11), mats for playpens (20)
28	Toys and Sporting Goods	Toys, games, sports equipment, and certain amusement items	Game controllers, fishing rods and tackle, toys, games, video games, sporting equipment, Christmas tree decorations	Christmas tree lights (11), protective sporting equipment (9), diving equipment (9)
29	Meats and Processed Foods	Animal products and foods that have been prepared or preserved in some way	Meat, fish, poultry, game, eggs, milk, cheese butter, jams/jellies, milk substitutes, nuts and seeds, oils, and fats	Baby food (5), dietary supplements (5), salad dressing (30), live animals (31), animal food (31)
30	Staple Foods	Plant-based foods that are processed	Flour, bread, pastries, coffee, tea, ice cream, sugar, yeast, salt, seasonings, condiments, ice, cereal, sandwiches, pies	Fresh herbs (31), raw cereal (31), salt for industrial use (1), food for medical use (5)
31	Natural Agricultural Products	Raw and unprocessed food products and food for animals	Fresh produce, fertilized eggs, live animals, unprocessed nuts, seeds, and grains, animal litter	Rice (30), tobacco (34), animal food that is medicated or has dietary supplements (5)
32	Non-Alcoholic Beverages and Beers	Beverages that do not contain alcohol, and beer	Beer, flavored water, sparkling water, juice, syrups for flavoring, soft drinks	Milk-based beverages (29), lemon juice (29), tomato juice (29), coffee/tea drinks (30)
33	Wine and Spirits	Any alcoholic drink, except beers	Wine, spirits, liqueurs, alcoholic cider, alcoholic fruit extract	Non-alcoholic wine (32), beers (32), mixers for alcoholic drinks (32), liquid medicines (5)
34	Smoking Goods	Tobacco, tobacco substitutes, and items used for smoking	Matches, cigarettes, cigars, vapes, herbs for smoking, flavoring for cigarettes, lighters, ashtrays	Batteries for electronic cigarettes (9), chargers for electronic cigarettes (9), car ashtrays (12)
35	Advertising and Business	Services that involve advertising, managing, operating, or organizing a business	Advertisements, promotions, book-keeping, auditing, legal registrations, scheduling, file management	Financial management services (36), real estate (36), graphic design for advertisements (42), copyright management (45)
36	Insurance and Financial	Services related to finances, banking, real estate, insurance	Financial transactions, appraisals, check verification, loans, credit management	Business transactions and financial records (35), evaluation of wool or timber (42)
37	Building Construction and Repair	Construction, installation, repair, and extraction	Mining, oil drilling, roads, buildings, restoration services, maintenance services, cleaning	Transformations beyond cleaning or restoring (40), installation of computer software (42)
38	Telecommunication	Services that enable communication between parties	Broadcasting, e-mail, radio, phone, videoconferencing, online forums	Radio advertising or telemarketing (35),
39	Transportation and Storage	Packaging, storing, and transporting goods, people, or animals	Operating transportation stations, vehicles, and facilities, packaging goods, loading and unloading goods	Advertising transportation (35), travel insurance (36), vehicle repair (37)
40	Treatment of Materials	Mechanical and chemical processing, transforming or producing goods	Dyeing, preservation treatments, soldering/welding, processing food, quilting, customization	Maintenance and repair (37), painting or plastering (37), anti-rust treatments (37)
41	Education and Entertainment	Services that aim to educate, train, entertain, or amuse	Exhibitions, translations, publication, photography, news, fitness training, sporting events, gambling, online gaming services	Radio broadcasting (38), spa services (44), wedding planning (45)
42	Computer and Scientific	Services that involve technology use, analysis, or research	Engineering, coding, surveying, data security, virus protection, software	Computer file management (35), computer hardware (37), sound engineering (41)
43	Hotels and Restaurants	Services that provide, food, drink, and/or accommodations	Reservations, animal boarding, rental services, personal chef, renting rooms, retirement homes	Business management of hotels or restaurants (35), housekeeping (37), pet sitting (45)
44	Medical, Beauty, and Agricultural	Medical, hygienic, and beauty services for humans or animals, as well as agriculture	Hospital, dentistry, optometry, veterinary, pharmacy, animal grooming, spa, dietary advice, pest control, weed control, floral art	Non-agricultural pest control (37), animal boarding (43), animal training (41), gyms (41)
45	Personal Services	Legal, security, or social services	Investigation, surveillance, personal advocacy, lawyering, social escort, marriage services, funeral services	Escorting travelers (39), security transportation (39), protecting software (42), performances (41)

Class Separation

As you can tell from the table, there are a few different factors that go into other separation and definitions of classes. The biggest division is between goods and services. Classes 1-34 are the goods. These are various items, equipment, and products that are part of the commercial market. Classes 35-45 are all services. These are actions that someone is performing that are bought and sold on the commercial market. The services classes are simply divided by topic.

The 34 goods classes are divided up mainly according to the purpose but also based on the material used to produce the good. A lot of the exceptions are removed from a certain class because they are used for a specific purpose. Class 9 (scientific equipment) and class 10 (medical equipment) have their contents based completely on the use of the good. This is why you can see furniture (20) and hand tools (8) that are actually classified under 9 or 10 because they have a specific use. Materials like metals, plastics, and textiles help define a lot of the other classes, but the ultimate reason that one good is placed in a certain class is because of its purpose.

Why Classes Matter

When you register a trademark with the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office), you will need to register under the correct class, and may even register under multiple classes. Trademarks are protected based on what class they are in, meaning that two separate individuals or companies could have identical trademarks as long as they are in different classes. Before registering a trademark, you will need to do a trademark search in each class you need to register under. Check for any existing trademark that is similar enough to yours to be confusing. Checking with each class of interest will help you ultimately get all the protection you need for your trademark.

It will cost more to register under more classes, but it will also provide more trademark protection. Once you are registered, no one else can register a trademark that is similar to yours in any of the classes you are registered under.