Trademark class list: all 45 classes explained

What does a trademark class protect?

A trademark identifies the commercial source of goods or services. Classification organises those goods and services for searching and filing, but a class number does not grant ownership of every activity within the class. The wording of the specification, the registered mark, and the governing law determine the scope of protection. A narrowly described registration may leave gaps, while an indiscriminately broad description can create objections, conflict, or vulnerability if it lacks a legitimate basis.

India uses the Nice classification framework through its trademark rules and Registry practice. Classes 1–34 concern goods, and Classes 35–45 concern services. The brief class descriptions below are orientation aids, not filing-ready specifications. Exact classification can depend on function, material, whether software is downloadable, or whether an activity is a service rather than a product. Check the current classification version and Registry guidance before filing because accepted wording and item placement can change.

Trademark class list: what do Classes 1–8 cover?

Class 1 broadly covers chemicals for industry, science, agriculture, and related uses, including specified chemical preparations. Class 2 includes paints, varnishes, colourants, and related protective coatings. Class 3 covers non-medicated cosmetics, toiletries, cleaning, and polishing preparations. Class 4 concerns industrial oils, greases, fuels, and illuminants. These headings are broad: a substance used in medicine, food, cleaning, or industrial manufacture may belong in a different class depending on its characteristics and intended purpose.

Class 5 includes pharmaceuticals, medical and veterinary preparations, dietary supplements, and specified sanitary goods. Class 6 concerns common metals, certain metal building materials, and metal hardware. Class 7 covers machines, machine tools, motors other than those for land vehicles, and specified mechanical equipment. Class 8 includes hand-operated tools, cutlery, and related implements. A powered tool and its hand-operated counterpart can therefore require different classification even when customers use them to perform similar tasks.

Need help with this? Read our guide to Trademark Registration & Trademark Search Online.

Trademark class list: what do Classes 9–17 cover?

Class 9 covers many scientific, electronic, optical, measuring, and computing goods, including downloadable software. Class 10 concerns medical, dental, surgical, and veterinary apparatus. Class 11 includes lighting, heating, cooling, cooking, sanitary, and related installations. Class 12 covers vehicles and apparatus for locomotion. Class 13 concerns firearms, ammunition, explosives, and fireworks. A health-related electronic product needs careful analysis because its medical purpose and technical nature may point to different entries rather than one universal electronics class.

Class 14 includes precious metals, jewellery, and timekeeping instruments. Class 15 concerns musical instruments and specified related goods. Class 16 includes paper, printed matter, stationery, and certain office materials. Class 17 covers rubber, specified insulating and packing materials, and semi-processed plastics or resins. The finished purpose can move a product elsewhere: a plastic toy is not classified as an insulating material simply because both contain plastic. Use specific product descriptions rather than relying on the raw material alone.

Trademark class list: what do Classes 18–26 cover?

Class 18 includes leather, imitations of leather, luggage, carrying bags, umbrellas, and certain animal-related goods. Class 19 concerns non-metal building materials and specified rigid construction products. Class 20 covers furniture, mirrors, picture frames, and certain goods made from specified materials. Class 21 includes household and kitchen utensils, containers, glassware, and cleaning articles. Distinguish ordinary household goods from electrical apparatus, furniture, or goods specially adapted for another purpose before selecting the class.

Class 22 covers ropes, nets, tents, awnings, sacks for specified uses, and raw textile fibres. Class 23 concerns yarns and threads for textile use. Class 24 includes textiles, household linen, and specified fabric goods. Class 25 covers clothing, footwear, and headwear. Class 26 includes lace, embroidery, haberdashery, and certain hair decorations. A fashion business may need several classes because garments, handbags, jewellery, fabrics, and retail services are not all protected by one clothing registration.

Trademark class list: what do Classes 27–34 cover?

Class 27 covers carpets, rugs, mats, floor coverings, and specified wall hangings. Class 28 includes games, toys, sporting articles, and certain amusement goods. Class 29 broadly concerns meat, fish, dairy, preserved produce, and edible oils. Class 30 includes coffee, tea, cereals, bakery goods, confectionery, seasonings, and specified staple foods. Food classification can turn on the product’s composition and nature, so a restaurant menu or grocery catalogue should be reviewed item by item rather than assigned one blanket food class.

Class 31 includes raw agricultural and horticultural products, live animals, fresh produce, and animal food. Class 32 covers beers and specified non-alcoholic beverages and preparations. Class 33 concerns alcoholic beverages other than beers and specified alcoholic preparations. Class 34 includes tobacco, smokers’ articles, and matches, with current entries covering relevant newer products. A beverage brand may need different classes for coffee, juice, beer, and spirits, even though the same logo appears on every bottle or packet.

Trademark class list: what do Classes 35–45 cover?

Class 35 includes advertising, business management, administration, and qualifying retail or wholesale services. Class 36 covers financial, monetary, insurance, and real estate services. Class 37 concerns construction, installation, repair, and specified maintenance services. Class 38 covers telecommunications. Class 39 concerns transport, packaging, storage, and travel arrangement. Class 40 includes treatment of materials and specified processing or custom-manufacturing services. Selling your own branded goods and providing a processing service for someone else are distinct classification questions.

Class 41 covers education, training, entertainment, and sporting or cultural activities. Class 42 includes scientific and technological services, software development, and qualifying software-as-a-service offerings. Class 43 concerns food and drink services and temporary accommodation. Class 44 includes medical, veterinary, beauty, agricultural, and related services. Class 45 covers legal services, specified security services, and certain personal or social services. Professional activities should be described precisely because business consulting, financial advice, technical consulting, and legal advice do not share one universal consulting class.

How do you choose classes for an online business?

Start with a list of what customers actually buy from you. A downloadable application can require Class 9, while providing temporary access to qualifying non-downloadable software can point to Class 42. An education platform may also need Class 41 for courses. Payment, marketplace, communication, or delivery functions require their own analysis when genuinely supplied under the mark. Do not add every class associated with the technology sector merely because those functions appear somewhere in your product roadmap.

For an online clothing brand, Class 25 protects the specified clothing goods, while Class 35 may be relevant to the retail service. Class 35 is not a substitute for protecting the goods themselves. Likewise, a café may need Class 43 for serving food and drinks and separate goods classes for packaged products sold under its brand. Build a realistic expansion plan and prioritise genuine near-term activities rather than paying for unrelated classes with no commercial intention to use them.

How do searches and specifications affect registration?

Search the mark itself, phonetic variants, similar spellings, and relevant related goods or services before filing. An identical result in another class is not automatically harmless, and a clean result within one class does not guarantee registration. Similarity, relatedness, reputation, and statutory prohibitions matter. Also consider whether the mark is descriptive or lacks distinctiveness. Classification cannot rescue a generic product name or remove a conflict created by a deceptively similar brand.

Draft the specification in clear commercial terms that accurately describe the intended goods or services. Avoid using the entire class heading without considering whether it matches the business. Fees are generally assessed per class and relevant applicant or filing category under the current schedule. Multi-class filing can be convenient, but examination issues in one part may affect strategy. Discuss whether separate applications, a word mark, a logo mark, or a combination better suits the protection sought.

What happens if you choose the wrong trademark class?

A wrong or incomplete classification can trigger an objection or leave important business activities outside the claimed specification. After filing, amendments generally cannot substantially expand the original claim; a fresh application may be needed for missing goods or services. Do not assume a later correction will preserve the original filing date for newly added activities. Review the application before submission and check the final filing receipt against the instructions given to the agent.

Registration also requires maintenance and genuine commercial use considerations, not just a certificate. Preserve dated invoices, packaging, advertisements, website captures, and licensing records showing use of the mark for the relevant goods or services. Use the registered symbol only when legally entitled for the registered mark and scope. For objections or opposition, respond within the prescribed process and time limits. IP India’s official material explains the role of registration and the types of marks that may face refusal.