Helpful resources / Trademark basics
Trademark classes explained
The USPTO sorts every product and service into 45 classes, and your registration covers only the ones you file in. Here is the full list, how to pick, and what extra classes cost.
Written by Trademarky. Last checked September 4, 2026. 8 min read.
What a class is
Trademark rights attach to a mark used for particular goods or services, not to a word in the abstract. To organize millions of records, trademark offices around the world sort goods and services into the 45 classes of the Nice Classification, an international system the USPTO adopted in 1973. Classes 1 to 34 are goods; classes 35 to 45 are services.
Your application lists the goods or services you use the mark for and the class each falls in. The class sets the fee, and the list sets the scope: your registration protects the mark for those goods and services and for anything a court would consider related. Classes are administrative, so two marks can conflict across a class boundary (a coffee brand and a cafe, say) and two marks can share a class without conflicting when the goods are unrelated.
The 45 classes
Short headings for each class. The USPTO's Trademark ID Manual has the full, accepted wording for specific goods and services, and the free check suggests classes from a plain-English description of what you sell.
| Class | Covers |
|---|---|
| 1 | Chemicals for industry, science and agriculture |
| 2 | Paints, varnishes and colorants |
| 3 | Cosmetics, soaps and cleaning preparations |
| 4 | Industrial oils, lubricants, fuels and candles |
| 5 | Pharmaceuticals, supplements and medical preparations |
| 6 | Common metals and metal goods |
| 7 | Machines and machine tools |
| 8 | Hand tools and cutlery |
| 9 | Electronics, computers, downloadable software and scientific devices |
| 10 | Medical and surgical instruments |
| 11 | Lighting, heating, cooking, refrigeration and plumbing apparatus |
| 12 | Vehicles |
| 13 | Firearms, ammunition and fireworks |
| 14 | Jewelry, watches and precious metals |
| 15 | Musical instruments |
| 16 | Paper goods, printed matter and office supplies |
| 17 | Rubber, plastics and insulating materials |
| 18 | Leather goods, bags and luggage |
| 19 | Non-metal building materials |
| 20 | Furniture, mirrors and picture frames |
| 21 | Housewares, kitchen utensils and glassware |
| 22 | Ropes, nets, tents and sacks |
| 23 | Yarns and threads |
| 24 | Fabrics and textiles |
| 25 | Clothing, footwear and headwear |
| 26 | Lace, ribbons, buttons and hair accessories |
| 27 | Carpets, rugs and floor coverings |
| 28 | Toys, games and sporting goods |
| 29 | Meat, fish, dairy and processed foods |
| 30 | Coffee, tea, bakery goods and staple foods |
| 31 | Fresh produce, live plants and animals |
| 32 | Beer and non-alcoholic drinks |
| 33 | Wine and spirits |
| 34 | Tobacco, smokers' articles and vaping products |
| Class | Covers |
|---|---|
| 35 | Advertising, business management and retail store services |
| 36 | Insurance, financial and real estate services |
| 37 | Construction, installation and repair services |
| 38 | Telecommunications |
| 39 | Transport, packaging, storage and travel arrangement |
| 40 | Treatment and processing of materials, custom manufacturing |
| 41 | Education, training, entertainment and sporting events |
| 42 | Scientific and technological services, software as a service |
| 43 | Restaurants, cafes, catering and lodging |
| 44 | Medical, veterinary, beauty and agricultural services |
| 45 | Legal, security, personal and social services |
How to pick your classes
- Write down what you sell in plain words, as a customer would say it. 'Cold brew coffee in cans' and 'a cafe' are two different things.
- Separate goods from services. Goods are things you make or sell (classes 1 to 34); services are things you do for others (classes 35 to 45). A bakery sells bread (class 30) and runs a shop (class 35) or a cafe (class 43).
- Find the class for each. The headings above get you close; the USPTO's Trademark ID Manual gives the exact accepted wording, and using it avoids a $200 per class surcharge for custom descriptions.
- Keep only the classes where you use the mark now, or will within the intent-to-use window of up to three years after allowance. Aspirational classes cost fees and need specimens you do not have.
- Think about where the business is going. If the merchandise line launches next spring, class 25 may belong in this application rather than a second one later.
- Run the free check. Describe what you sell and it suggests the classes that fit, then screens U.S. trademark records in those classes, where the conflicts that matter live.
Multi-class applications and fees
One application can cover several classes, and it usually should when the classes belong to one mark. The USPTO charges $350 for each class in the application, so two classes cost $700 in government fees and three cost $1,050. Later fees, such as the Statement of Use and the Section 8 and Section 9 maintenance filings, are per class as well. How much does a trademark cost? has the full table.
Trademarky's $450 attorney fee covers the application whatever the class count, and a second mark in the same order is $300. Each class adds the USPTO fee, and your attorney confirms the final list with you before anything is filed. The pricing page shows the arithmetic.
Each class needs its own proof of use. If one class runs into a problem during examination, it can hold up the whole application; the USPTO lets you divide the application so the clean classes register while the other is sorted out, for a divisional fee.
Common pairs
Certain classes travel together because certain businesses do. Using the invented brands from our sample reports:
- Class 25 with class 35: a clothing label such as Northwind Outfitters that sells its jackets through its own online store. The garments are goods in 25; the retail store service is 35.
- Class 9 with class 42: a software product such as Loopwell that ships a downloadable app (class 9) and runs the service behind it in the browser (class 42, software as a service). Most software businesses today need both.
- Class 43 with class 30: a cafe such as Hazel & Rye that serves coffee on the premises (class 43) and sells bagged beans to take home (class 30).
- Class 41 with class 9: a course, podcast or event brand (class 41) that also sells downloadable recordings or an app (class 9).
- Class 3 with class 44: a skincare line (class 3) sold by the salon that applies it (class 44).
Mistakes to avoid
- Filing in the class that sounds right rather than the one your goods fall in. Software is the usual casualty: a downloadable app is class 9; the same app used online without a download is class 42.
- Forgetting the service side of a product business, or the product side of a service business. The shop, the subscription and the merchandise each have a home.
- Listing goods you do not sell and will not sell. Claims of use you cannot back up can put the whole registration at risk later.
- Splitting one application into several to save on attorney fees. It rarely saves money and it multiplies the paperwork.
- Assuming a clear class means a clear mark. Conflicts are judged on related goods, not class numbers, which is why the check screens neighboring classes too.
Describe what you sell and the free check suggests the classes, then screens the records in them. Check my trademark for free
Questions about this topic
Can I add a class to my trademark application after filing?
No. Once an application is filed you can delete goods, services or whole classes, but you cannot add any. New classes need a new application with its own filing date and fees. That is why the classes are worth settling before filing, not after.
Does registering in one class stop others from using my name in a different class?
Not automatically. Your rights extend to the goods and services you registered and to anything related enough that customers would assume a connection, whatever the class number. A registration for coffee would likely reach a cafe; it would probably not reach industrial chemicals. Only very famous marks reach across every market.
Which class is software in?
Downloadable software and mobile apps are goods in class 9. Software you provide online, without a download, is a service in class 42. Many apps do both and file in both. If the software is really a way of delivering another service, such as banking, that service's own class may apply as well.
Related guides
- How much does a trademark cost?: What a U.S. trademark costs: the $350 USPTO fee per class, attorney fees, the later filings that keep a registration alive, and what is refundable.
- Word mark vs logo vs icon mark: Word marks, logos and icon marks explained: what each protects, which to file first, why a brand set is several applications, and when to claim color.
- Trademark specimens: what the USPTO accepts and what it refuses: What a trademark specimen is, the difference between specimens for goods and services, examples the USPTO accepts and refuses, and how to prepare one.
This guide is general information to help you understand the process. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice on your own mark, talk to an attorney on a free call.
Contact
Trademarky, LLC, 78 SW 7th St, 5th FL, Miami, FL 33130. (305) 562-6800, hello@trademarky.io. Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm ET. Available by appointment.
This free check is an AI-assisted preliminary screening against known U.S. trademark records. It is not a comprehensive clearance search and not legal advice. Only a licensed attorney can advise you on whether to file.