UK trademark classes explained
The part of your trademark most people get wrong
Your trademark does not protect your name. It protects your name for the specific goods and services you claimed when you filed. Get those wrong and you own a right that does not cover what you actually sell. Four free ways to work out yours, none longer than a few minutes.
Why this matters more than the name
Most people choose a name carefully and then pick classes in the last two minutes before paying.
It is the wrong way round. The name is what you are protecting. The classes and terms are the protection itself. A registration is not a fence around your brand, it is a fence around your brand in the categories you named, and nowhere else.
There are 45 classes in total: 34 for goods, 11 for services. Within each class you choose specific terms, and those terms are what you would actually rely on in a dispute. Classes are broad. Terms are the detail. Both carry weight.
And the mistake that costs the most: you cannot add to a filed application.
You can remove classes and terms before or after registration. You cannot add them. If you file in Class 25 and later realise you needed Class 35 as well, the only route is an entirely new application, with a new fee and a new waiting period, while the gap sits open in the meantime.
That is why this page exists, and why we would rather you spent ten minutes here than ten minutes guessing. Just want the list of all 45 classes?
All 45 Trademark Goods & Services Classes and Terms
Not sure which is yours? Each class page explains what it covers, what it does not, and the wording real businesses actually use.
View all 45 classes: Goods, classes 1 to 34
| Class 1: Chemicals | Chemicals for use in industry, science and photography, as well as in agriculture, horticulture and forestry; unprocessed artificial resins, unprocessed plastics; fire extinguishing and fire prevention compositions; tempering and soldering preparations; substances for tanning animal skins and hides; adhesives for use in industry; compost, manures, fertilisers; biological preparations for use in industry and science. |
|---|---|
| Class 2: Paints | Paints, varnishes, lacquers; preservatives against rust and against deterioration of wood; colourants, dyes; inks for printing, marking and engraving; raw natural resins; metals in foil and powder form for use in painting, decorating, printing and art. |
| Class 3: Cosmetics & cleaning | Non-medicated cosmetics and toiletry preparations; non-medicated dentifrices; perfumes; bleaching preparations and other substances for laundry use; cleaning, polishing and abrasive preparations. |
| Class 4: Fuels & lubricants | Industrial oils and greases, wax; lubricants; dust absorbing, wetting and binding compositions; fuels and illuminants; candles and wicks for lighting. |
| Class 5: Pharmaceuticals & supplements | Pharmaceuticals, medical and veterinary preparations; sanitary preparations for medical purposes; dietetic food and substances adapted for medical or veterinary purposes, food for babies; dietary supplements for human beings and animals; adhesive plasters, materials for dressings; material for filling teeth, dental wax; disinfectants; preparations for destroying vermin; fungicides, herbicides. |
| Class 6: Metals | Common metals and their alloys, ores; metal materials for building and construction; transportable buildings of metal; non-electric cables and wires of common metal; small items of metal hardware; metal containers for storage or transport; safes. |
| Class 7: Machines | Machines, machine tools, power-operated tools; motors and engines, except for land vehicles; machine coupling and transmission components, except for land vehicles; agricultural implements, other than hand-operated hand tools; incubators for eggs; automatic vending machines. |
| Class 8: Hand tools | Hand-operated hand tools and implements; cutlery; side arms, except firearms; razors. |
| Class 9: Electrical, software & scientific | Scientific, research, navigation, surveying, photographic, cinematographic, audiovisual, optical, weighing, measuring, signalling, detecting, testing, inspecting, life-saving and teaching apparatus and instruments; apparatus and instruments for conducting, switching, transforming, accumulating, regulating or controlling the distribution or use of electricity; apparatus and instruments for recording, transmitting, reproducing or processing sound, images or data; recorded and downloadable multimedia files, computer software, blank digital or analogue recording and storage media; mechanisms for coin-operated apparatus; cash registers, calculating devices; computers and computer peripheral devices; diving suits, divers' masks, ear plugs for divers, nose clips for divers, gloves for divers, breathing apparatus for underwater swimming; fire-extinguishing apparatus. |
| Class 10: Medical devices | Surgical, medical, dental and veterinary apparatus and instruments; artificial limbs, eyes and teeth; spectacles, contact lenses and sunglasses; orthopaedic articles; suture materials; therapeutic and assistive devices adapted for persons with disabilities; massage apparatus; apparatus, devices and articles for nursing infants; sexual activity apparatus, devices and articles. |
| Class 11: Lighting, heating & sanitary | Apparatus and installations for lighting, heating, cooling, steam generating, cooking, drying, ventilating, water supply and sanitary purposes. |
| Class 12: Vehicles | Vehicles; apparatus for locomotion by land, air or water. |
| Class 13: Firearms & fireworks | Firearms; ammunition and projectiles; explosives; fireworks. |
| Class 14: Jewellery & watches | Precious metals and their alloys; jewellery, precious and semi-precious stones; horological and chronometric instruments. |
| Class 15: Musical instruments | Musical instruments; music stands and stands for musical instruments; conductors' batons. |
| Class 16: Paper & printed matter | Paper and cardboard; printed matter; bookbinding material; photographs; stationery and office requisites, except furniture; adhesives for stationery or household purposes; drawing materials and materials for artists; paintbrushes; instructional and teaching materials; plastic sheets, films and bags for wrapping and packaging; printers' type, printing blocks. |
| Class 17: Rubber & plastics | Unprocessed and semi-processed rubber, gutta-percha, gum, asbestos, mica and substitutes for all these materials; plastics and resins in extruded form for use in manufacture; packing, stopping and insulating materials; flexible pipes, tubes and hoses, not of metal. |
| Class 18: Leather & bags | Leather and imitations of leather; animal skins and hides; luggage and carrying bags; umbrellas and parasols; walking sticks; whips, harness and saddlery; collars, leashes and clothing for animals. |
| Class 19: Building materials | Materials, not of metal, for building and construction; rigid pipes, not of metal, for building; asphalt, pitch, tar and bitumen; transportable buildings, not of metal; monuments, not of metal. |
| Class 20: Furniture | Furniture, mirrors, picture frames; containers, not of metal, for storage or transport; unworked or semi-worked bone, horn, whalebone or mother-of-pearl; shells; meerschaum; yellow amber. |
| Class 21: Household utensils | Household or kitchen utensils and containers; cookware and tableware, except forks, knives and spoons; combs and sponges; brushes, except paintbrushes; brush-making materials; articles for cleaning purposes; unworked or semi-worked glass, except building glass; glassware, porcelain and earthenware. |
| Class 22: Ropes & textiles raw | Ropes and string; nets; tents and tarpaulins; awnings of textile or synthetic materials; sails; sacks for the transport and storage of materials in bulk; padding, cushioning and stuffing materials, except of paper, cardboard, rubber or plastics; raw fibrous textile materials and substitutes therefor. |
| Class 23: Yarns | Yarns and threads for textile use. |
| Class 24: Textiles | Textiles and substitutes for textiles; household linen; curtains of textile or plastic. |
| Class 25: Clothing | Clothing, footwear, headwear. |
| Class 26: Haberdashery | Lace and embroidery, and haberdashery ribbons and bows; buttons, hooks and eyes, pins and needles; artificial flowers; hair decorations; false hair. |
| Class 27: Floor coverings | Carpets, rugs, mats and matting, linoleum and other materials for covering existing floors; wall hangings, not of textile. |
| Class 28: Games & sports | Games, toys and playthings; video game apparatus; gymnastic and sporting articles; decorations for Christmas trees. |
| Class 29: Foods (meat, dairy) | Meat, fish, poultry and game; meat extracts for culinary purposes; preserved, frozen, dried and cooked fruits, vegetables and seaweeds; jellies, jams, compotes; eggs; milk, cheese, butter, yoghurt and other milk products; oils and fats for food. |
| Class 30: Foods (staples, coffee, confectionery) | Coffee, tea, cocoa and substitutes therefor; rice, pasta and noodles; tapioca and sago; flour and preparations made from cereals; bread, pastries and confectionery; chocolate; ice cream, sorbets and other edible ices; sugar, honey, treacle; yeast, baking-powder; salt, seasonings, spices, preserved herbs; vinegar, sauces and other condiments; ice (frozen water). |
| Class 31: Agriculture & animal foodstuffs | Raw and unprocessed agricultural, aquacultural, horticultural and forestry products; raw and unprocessed grains and seeds; fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh herbs; natural plants and flowers; bulbs, seedlings and seeds for planting; live animals; foodstuffs and beverages for animals; malt. |
| Class 32: Beers & soft drinks | Beers; non-alcoholic beverages; mineral and aerated waters; fruit beverages and fruit juices; syrups and other preparations for making non-alcoholic beverages. |
| Class 33: Alcoholic drinks | Alcoholic beverages, except beers; alcoholic preparations for making beverages. |
| Class 34: Tobacco | Tobacco and tobacco substitutes; cigarettes and cigars; electronic cigarettes and oral vaporisers for smokers; smokers' articles; matches. |
View all 45 classes: Services, classes 35 to 45
| Class 35: Advertising, business & retail | Advertising; business management, organisation and administration; office functions. |
|---|---|
| Class 36: Financial & property | Financial, monetary and banking services; insurance services; real estate services. |
| Class 37: Construction & repair | Construction services; installation and repair services; mining extraction, oil and gas drilling. |
| Class 38: Telecommunications | Telecommunications services. |
| Class 39: Transport & storage | Transport; packaging and storage of goods; travel arrangement. |
| Class 40: Treatment of materials | Treatment of materials; recycling of waste and trash; air purification and treatment of water; printing services; food and drink preservation. |
| Class 41: Education & entertainment | Education; providing of training; entertainment; sporting and cultural activities. |
| Class 42: Scientific & technology services | Scientific and technological services and research and design relating thereto; industrial analysis, industrial research and industrial design services; quality control and authentication services; design and development of computer hardware and software. |
| Class 43: Food, drink & accommodation | Services for providing food and drink; temporary accommodation. |
| Class 44: Medical, veterinary & beauty | Medical services; veterinary services; hygienic and beauty care for human beings or animals; agriculture, aquaculture, horticulture and forestry services. |
| Class 45: Legal & personal services | Legal services; security services for the physical protection of tangible property and individuals; dating services, online social networking services; funerary services; babysitting. |
Four FREE ways to build your Goods & Services, Classes and Terms
All four are free, and they all live in the same place. Start with whichever you already have.
Every term we suggest has already been accepted by the UK IPO
If you ask a general AI tool to write your goods and services, it will produce something plausible. That is what those tools do. The problem is that plausible is not the same as acceptable, and an examiner will tell you the difference several weeks later, after you have paid.
Our tools cannot do that, and not because we have asked them nicely.
They do not write terms at all. They select from a list of terms taken from real UK trademark registrations, every mark registered by a UK company or organisation from 2023 onwards, and growing. The tool can only hand you something that a real business has already filed and the IPO has already accepted.
Two deliberate choices sit behind that. We count only marks that reached registration, because a refused application is not evidence of anything. And we count only companies and organisations, which strips out the bulk filers who lodge a dozen marks with identical boilerplate and would otherwise skew every result.
We start at 2023 rather than going back further because examination practice moves. A term accepted a decade ago is weak evidence about what will be accepted now, and the set is refreshed so it keeps pace.
One thing it means in practice: when the tool shows you a term, it can tell you how many marks in your sector use it. That is not a machine’s opinion. It is a count.
What these tools are, and what they are not
These are guidance tools and they are free. They will get you a long way, and for a straightforward business they may well get you all the way.
What they cannot do is know your plans.
They cannot see that you are launching a second product line next spring, that you licence your name to a distributor in Ireland, or that the thing you most need to protect is a service you have not started selling yet. Those decisions change the answer, and they come from a conversation rather than a dataset.
So the tools do the heavy lifting and narrow the field. Before you commit money to an application, we would always recommend a trademark consultation and audit, where somebody looks at your business and signs off the classes and terms with you.
You are welcome to use the tools and file elsewhere. They are free either way.
Classes and terms in other countries
Two routes exist for filing abroad, and classes and terms do not travel cleanly down either of them.
The Madrid Protocol
Through WIPO, one international application that designates the countries you want. We have written about the trade-off in more detail in our piece on the Madrid Protocol.
Directly to each local office
Applying country by country, through a trademark attorney or solicitor in each one. More moving parts, and more local knowledge behind each filing.
What both routes share is that every office has its own quirks about what wording it will accept, how specific it expects you to be, and what it charges. A specification that sails through in the UK can attract an objection elsewhere for reasons that have nothing to do with your business.
Our view is that there is no substitute for local expertise.
A local representative avoids the small mistakes that cause objections, and if your application is opposed they are already appointed, already familiar with the file, and able to handle it. That generally means a higher success rate, less delay, and less money spent fixing things.
The difficulty is that finding, appointing and managing representatives across several countries is a real job in itself, and one most businesses would rather not take on.
That is where we come in. We have an established network of trusted representatives around the world. Because we introduce and manage the client and prepare the legal paperwork ourselves, they extend their rates to us at a discount, which means using us costs you no more than going to them directly. You get local expertise in each country, and one point of contact in the UK, without paying extra for the privilege.
Talk to us about filing abroad
Common questions
The eight we get asked most about classes and terms.
Is your brand name actually free to use?
Classes are half the picture. The other half is whether somebody already holds your name in them. Our free search checks the UK register in seconds, no sign up and nothing to pay.
