Class 13: Firearms & Fireworks
Class 13 covers firearms, ammunition, explosives and fireworks. It’s the 45th most used of the 45, the quietest class of all, with 865 UK registrations between September 2021 and September 2026, which is about 95% fewer registrations than the average class. Most businesses will never need it. The ones that do are usually firework sellers, shooting and country-sports suppliers, and specialist manufacturers, and the main risk is putting the wrong products in it.
What class 13 covers
This is the official Nice heading, in full:
Firearms; ammunition and projectiles; explosives; fireworks.
Four words, and the class is almost exactly that narrow. Real firearms and their ammunition, explosives, and fireworks of every kind, from rockets and sparklers to signal flares. A few related goods sit here too, such as gun cases and personal defence sprays. Almost everything that merely looks like it belongs here, such as toy guns, party poppers or shooting accessories, sits in another class.
When you definitely need class 13
- You make or sell fireworks, sparklers or pyrotechnics
- You make or sell firearms or ammunition for sporting or hunting use
- You supply explosives for industrial or professional use
- You sell signal flares or other pyrotechnic safety products
- You sell gun cases under your own brand
When you might need class 13 without realising
Because the class is so specialist, the surprises tend to run the other way. But a few businesses do end up here.
- Party and event suppliers selling sparklers. Sparklers are fireworks, so they’re class 13, with sparklers [fireworks] on 47 registrations, even when the rest of the range is balloons and decorations.
- Marine and outdoor safety brands. Pyrotechnic distress flares are class 13, not with the rest of the safety kit.
- Country-sports and outdoor retailers with their own label. A branded gun case is class 13, with gun cases on 63 registrations.
- Personal safety brands. Sprays for personal defence purposes sit in class 13, on 63 registrations.
Not sure whether your product is class 13 or class 28? 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 13
These are the terms that turn up most often in recent UK class 13 registrations:
| Term | Marks using it | Share of class 13 | How common |
|---|---|---|---|
| firearms | 194 | 22.4% | Most use this |
| fireworks | 168 | 19.4% | Most use this |
| ammunition and projectiles | 119 | 13.8% | Most use this |
| ammunition | 101 | 11.7% | Recommended |
| explosives | 99 | 11.4% | Recommended |
| rifles | 70 | 8.1% | Recommended |
| air gun pellets | 69 | 8.0% | Recommended |
| rifle ammunition | 66 | 7.6% | Recommended |
| ammunition for guns | 63 | 7.3% | Recommended |
| gun cases | 63 | 7.3% | Recommended |
The numbers are small across the board. Firearms leads on 194 registrations and fireworks is close behind on 168. That’s tiny compared with most classes, and it usually means less crowding for a new name.
Low volume doesn’t mean low stakes, though. This is a heavily regulated area, and the brand is often only one part of what a business needs to get right. A trademark protects the name; it doesn’t license the business or the product, which is a separate matter entirely.
What class 13 does not cover
Toy and replica weapons sold as playthings are class 28. Toy guns, water pistols and paintball guns are toys or sports equipment, not firearms, where toy guns appears on 1,230 class 28 registrations. Party poppers and Christmas crackers are class 28 too, with Christmas crackers on 942.
Knives and other side arms are class 8. Class 8 covers “side arms, except firearms”, so swords and knives sit there, where knives appears on 1,424 registrations. An outdoor brand with knives and ammunition needs both classes.
Optics and sights are class 9. Rifle scopes and telescopic sights are class 9 goods, not class 13. Ear defenders are different again: the UKIPO list puts them in class 10. A shooting-equipment range often needs classes 9 and 10 as well as class 13.
Selling other brands, and running displays or ranges, are service classes. A specialist dealer or firework shop is providing a class 35 retail service. Putting on fireworks displays is class 41, and so is providing gun firing range facilities.
Where these terms actually live
| Term | Belongs to | Marks using it |
|---|---|---|
| knives | Class 8 | 1,424 |
| confetti | Class 28 | 1,800 |
| toy guns | Class 28 | 1,230 |
| christmas crackers | Class 28 | 942 |
Each of these is a separate registration. A mark in class 13 does not cover any of them.
The mistake I see most often
The mistake is putting every shooting or fireworks-related product in class 13. The class is narrow. The firearm, the ammunition and the fireworks are class 13, but the optics, the protective kit, the knives, the toy versions, the training and the shop around them all sit elsewhere.
A fireworks business is a good example. The fireworks are class 13. The party poppers and confetti it also sells are class 28. Putting on displays at weddings and events is class 41. The online shop is class 35. File only class 13 and the display business, often the part with the best-known name, isn’t covered.
The practical fix is to list every product and service the brand carries, and check each one. It’s quick in a class this small, and a UK application can’t have classes added later.
Is class 13 the right class for you?
If you make or sell fireworks, sparklers, firearms, ammunition, explosives, signal flares or gun cases under your own brand, class 13 is very likely yours. If you also sell toys, optics, knives or ear protection, or run displays or a shop, look at classes 28, 9, 8, 10, 41 and 35 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 13
Are party poppers class 13 like fireworks?
No. Party poppers and Christmas crackers are class 28, as party novelties, even though they go bang. Confetti is class 28 too, on 1,800 registrations. Sparklers are the exception: they count as fireworks, so they’re class 13.
Which class is a fireworks display company?
Class 41. Putting on fireworks displays is an entertainment service. If the company also sells fireworks under its own name, it needs class 13 for the goods as well.
Are paintball guns and archery bows class 13?
No. Paintball guns, paintballs, archery bows and arrows are class 28, as sports equipment. The UKIPO list does put crossbows as weapons in class 13, while crossbows as sporting apparatus are class 28, so the wording matters.
Does a trademark in class 13 mean I can sell firearms or fireworks?
No. A trademark protects your brand name. Selling or storing firearms, ammunition, explosives or fireworks is governed by separate licensing and safety rules, and registering a trademark doesn’t grant any of those permissions.
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.
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