Class 10: Medical Devices & Eyewear
Class 10 is medical, dental and veterinary apparatus, and a lot more besides: massage devices, baby-feeding products, orthopaedic goods and adult products all sit here too. It’s the 22nd most used of the 45, with 20,832 UK registrations between September 2021 and September 2026, which is about 35% fewer registrations than the average class. It also changed on 1 January 2026. Spectacles, contact lenses and sunglasses moved into class 10, so any eyewear brand now needs to look here first.
What class 10 covers
This is the official Nice heading, in full:
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.
The common thread is physical things used on or for the body: to diagnose, treat, support, correct or care for it. The substances go elsewhere. A thermometer is class 10; the medicine is class 5. A breast pump is class 10; the baby formula is class 5. That device-versus-substance split runs through the whole class.
When you definitely need class 10
- You make or sell medical, dental or veterinary apparatus and instruments
- You sell spectacles, reading glasses, contact lenses or sunglasses
- You sell massage devices, from handheld massagers to massage guns
- You sell baby-feeding products, such as feeding bottles, breast pumps or dummies
- You sell orthopaedic goods, compression stockings, hearing aids or mobility aids such as crutches
When you might need class 10 without realising
Class 10 catches out a lot of consumer brands that wouldn’t call themselves medical companies.
- Eyewear and fashion brands. Since 1 January 2026, sunglasses and spectacles are class 10. The register hasn’t caught up yet: sunglasses appears on only 219 class 10 registrations so far, because most were filed under the old rules.
- Baby brands. Feeding bottles, dummies and breast pumps are class 10, with breast pumps on 916 registrations, even when the rest of the range is clothing or toys.
- Wellness and fitness brands. Electric massage guns are class 10, on 553 registrations, and so are foam massage rollers.
- Adult and sexual wellness brands. Sex toys and related devices are class 10, as the heading now says in terms, with sex toys on 2,070 registrations.
If your product is used on the body to support, treat or care for it, class 10 is worth checking before you file.
Not sure whether your product is a device or a preparation? The free class tools below show you where businesses like yours actually file, or you can give us a call.
What businesses actually claim in class 10
These are the terms that turn up most often in recent UK class 10 registrations:
| Term | Marks using it | Share of class 10 | How common |
|---|---|---|---|
| massage apparatus | 2,675 | 12.8% | Most use this |
| sex toys | 2,070 | 9.9% | Recommended |
| medical apparatus and instruments | 1,925 | 9.2% | Recommended |
| aesthetic massage apparatus | 1,399 | 6.7% | Recommended |
| orthopaedic articles | 1,331 | 6.4% | Some use this |
| condoms | 1,308 | 6.3% | Recommended |
| medical devices | 1,307 | 6.3% | Recommended |
| love dolls [sex dolls] | 1,205 | 5.8% | Recommended |
| vibromassage apparatus | 1,168 | 5.6% | Recommended |
| body massagers | 989 | 4.7% | Recommended |
Massage leads the class. Massage apparatus is on 2,675 registrations, ahead of medical apparatus and instruments on 1,925. Adult products, condoms and breast pumps all sit near the top too. Class 10 is as much a consumer class as a clinical one.
Expect the table to change. Eyewear only arrived in class 10 this year, and the recent registrations above were mostly filed before the move. Over the next few years, spectacles and sunglasses are likely to become some of the busiest terms in this class.
What class 10 does not cover
Medicines, dressings and medical reagents are class 5. A device company that also supplies the dressings, medicines or test reagents used with its apparatus needs class 5 for them, where pharmaceutical preparations appears on 2,435 registrations and plasters, materials for dressings on 1,334.
Software and non-medical electronics are class 9. A connected-health brand usually has an app. The monitoring device is class 10, but downloadable software is class 9, on 5,410 registrations there, and so are fitness trackers and smartwatches, with wearable activity trackers on 2,350.
Treatment is a class 44 service. A clinic using the same name on a device and on its treatments needs class 44 for the care it provides. Medical services appears on 4,393 class 44 registrations and physiotherapy on 860.
Selling other brands’ medical products is class 35. A distributor or online pharmacy shop running a branded store is providing a retail service. Class 10 protects the devices you make or brand, not the shop that sells them.
Where these terms actually live
| Term | Belongs to | Marks using it |
|---|---|---|
| pharmaceutical preparations | Class 5 | 2,435 |
| plasters, materials for dressings | Class 5 | 1,334 |
| downloadable software | Class 9 | 5,410 |
| wearable activity trackers | Class 9 | 2,350 |
| mobility scooters | Class 12 | 733 |
| walking sticks | Class 18 | 3,075 |
| toothbrushes | Class 21 | 3,176 |
| medical services | Class 44 | 4,393 |
| physiotherapy | Class 44 | 860 |
Each of these is a separate registration. A mark in class 10 does not cover any of them.
The mistake I see most often
The mistake is filing only for the physical device. A connected medical product is rarely just a device any more. It comes with an app, a cloud dashboard for the data, consumables that need replacing, and sometimes a clinical service behind it.
Take a home blood pressure monitor with an app. The monitor is class 10. The app is class 9. The online platform where readings are stored and shared is class 42. Any test strips sold for it are class 5. If a clinician reviews the readings, that’s class 44. File only class 10 and the part patients use every day, the app, isn’t covered.
The practical fix is to map everything that carries your name, from the box to the screen to the clinic, and classify each part. A UK application can’t have classes added later, so it’s worth getting the list right at the start.
Is class 10 the right class for you?
If you make or sell medical, dental or veterinary devices, eyewear, massage devices, baby-feeding products, orthopaedic goods or adult products under your own brand, class 10 is very likely yours. If you also sell medicines, software or treatments, look at classes 5, 9, 42 and 44 as well.
Our free class tools build a specification from wording already accepted on real UK filings, so you can see what businesses like yours claim before you commit.
Common questions about class 10
Which class are sunglasses in now?
Class 10, from 1 January 2026. Spectacles, sunglasses and contact lenses moved out of class 9 in the latest edition of the classification, and spectacle cases moved with them. Older registrations still show them under class 9, but new applications need class 10. Contact lens solution is class 5.
Is a wheelchair class 10?
No. Wheelchairs and mobility scooters are class 12, with vehicles, where mobility scooters appears on 733 registrations. Crutches are class 10. Walking sticks are class 18, with walking sticks on 3,075 class 18 registrations.
Are face masks class 10?
Surgical masks and face masks for medical use are class 10. A cosmetic face mask, the kind you apply to your skin, is class 3. A fashion face covering with no medical purpose sits with clothing in class 25.
Is dental floss class 10?
No. Dental floss and toothbrushes are class 21, with other personal care implements, where toothbrushes appears on 3,176 registrations. Dental apparatus used by dentists is class 10, and dental services are class 44.
About these figures. Last researched 23 September 2026, from UK trademarks registered between September 2021 and September 2026 whose entry in this class is still active. That is current drafting practice rather than the historical register. Terms shown are those most frequently used in that period.
Four FREE ways to build your class 10 terms
Start with whichever you already have. They all live in the same place.
Let us read your websiteBest if your site already describes what you sell.Start this tool →4Free AI toolAnswer a few questionsBest if you are pre-launch, or your site does not tell the whole story.Start this tool →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.
0161 833 5400