Class 37: Construction, Repair, Cleaning & Trades
Class 37 covers building, installing, repairing and cleaning: construction and renovation, plumbing, electrical and heating work, roofing, painting, vehicle servicing and repair, cleaning services and, more recently, electric vehicle charging. It’s the eighteenth most used of the 45 classes, with 27,170 UK registrations between September 2021 and September 2026, which is about 15% fewer registrations than the average class. Trade names are often local and descriptive, so similar names are common, especially between firms in the same region.
What class 37 covers
This is the official Nice heading, in full:
Construction services; installation and repair services; mining extraction, oil and gas drilling.
It’s a services class for hands-on work done to buildings, equipment and vehicles. If your team builds it, fits it, fixes it, maintains it or cleans it, the service is usually class 37. That covers builders and developers, trades such as plumbers, electricians and roofers, installers of kitchens, boilers and solar panels, garages, and commercial and domestic cleaners.
The mistake I see most often
The mistake is treating design and build as one service. It isn’t. Building, fitting and repairing is class 37, but the professional design work that comes before it, architecture, engineering and interior design, is class 42.
Take a home renovation company that designs extensions, builds them, fits kitchens and offers interior design. The building and fitting are class 37, but the architectural drawings and the interior design are class 42. File only class 37 and the name is protected on the building work, but a competitor could offer design services under a similar name, and design is often where a client first meets the brand.
It’s worth listing every service you offer now and plan to offer, then checking the class for each. A UK application can’t have classes added later. That usually means a new application, which usually means double the cost, and those costs can multiply when you’re dealing with international applications too. That’s why it pays to get your trademark applications right first time.
When you definitely need class 37
- You’re a builder, developer or renovation company
- You’re a plumber, electrician, heating engineer, roofer or painter
- You install or repair kitchens, bathrooms, boilers, solar panels or appliances
- You run a garage that services and repairs vehicles
- You run a cleaning company, from offices and homes to windows and carpets
When you might need class 37 without realising
The businesses I see miss class 37 usually think of themselves as something other than a trade.
- Property developers. Selling and letting homes is class 36, but building them is class 37. Property development services [construction] appear on 790 registrations.
- Cleaning and facilities brands. Cleaning is class 37, not a class of its own. Cleaning services appear on 1,359 registrations and window cleaning on 560.
- Electric vehicle charging networks. Charging an electric vehicle is a class 37 service, on 617 registrations, which surprises most energy and tech start-ups.
- Retailers that also fit what they sell. A kitchen or flooring shop sells goods in other classes, but the fitting service is class 37.
Not sure whether your work is class 37, 42 or 44? 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 37
These are the terms that turn up most often in recent UK class 37 registrations:
| Term | Marks using it | Share of class 37 | How common |
|---|---|---|---|
| building construction | 2,253 | 8.3% | Recommended |
| construction services | 1,953 | 7.2% | Recommended |
| construction | 1,734 | 6.4% | Recommended |
| cleaning services | 1,359 | 5.0% | Recommended |
| construction of property | 1,111 | 4.1% | Recommended |
| building and construction services | 1,099 | 4.0% | Recommended |
| property maintenance | 1,078 | 4.0% | Some use this |
| building construction services | 1,076 | 4.0% | Some use this |
| building construction supervision | 1,046 | 3.9% | Some use this |
| construction consultancy | 936 | 3.4% | Some use this |
Construction dominates the table. Building construction is claimed on 2,253 registrations, followed by construction services (1,953) and construction on its own (1,734). Many applicants list several versions of the same idea, which is a sign of how often people copy wording rather than choosing it.
Below that, the table shows how varied the class is: cleaning services, property maintenance (1,078), renovation of property (835) and trades such as plumbing (685). If you’re a specialist, naming your trade gives you a clearer specification than relying on “construction” alone.
What class 37 does not cover
Building materials you sell under your own brand are class 19. Laying the floor is class 37, but branded tiles, cement, timber or flooring you sell are goods. Non-metal building materials are class 19, where tiles appear on 431 registrations and building timber on 381. A contractor with its own product range needs class 19 as well.
General business management is class 35. Managing the build itself is class 37, but running other businesses’ projects, procurement or administration as a business service is class 35, where business management appears on 14,408 registrations. Most contractors won’t need it, but construction consultancies often do.
Architecture, engineering and design are class 42. Drawing the plans is a professional design service in class 42, where architectural services appear on 1,012 registrations and interior design on 1,649. A design-and-build firm needs both classes.
Removals and storage are class 39. Moving furniture, transporting materials and storing goods are transport services, where removal services appear on 358 class 39 registrations and storage on 647. A building company that also runs a storage or removals arm needs class 39 too.
Where these terms actually live
| Term | Belongs to | Marks using it |
|---|---|---|
| tiles | Class 19 | 431 |
| building timber | Class 19 | 381 |
| business management | Class 35 | 14,408 |
| storage | Class 39 | 647 |
| removal services | Class 39 | 358 |
| interior design | Class 42 | 1,649 |
| architectural services | Class 42 | 1,012 |
Each of these is a separate registration. A mark in class 37 does not cover any of them.
Is class 37 the right class for you?
If you build, renovate, install, repair, maintain or clean buildings, equipment or vehicles under your own brand, or you run electric vehicle charging, class 37 is very likely yours. If you also sell building products, offer design or engineering, manage projects for others, or move and store goods, look at classes 19, 42, 35 and 39 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 37
Is interior design class 37 or class 42?
Interior design is class 42, because it’s a professional design service. Painting and fitting out a room are class 37, because they’re hands-on work. If you design the space and then do the work, you need both classes, and it’s worth claiming both from the start.
Answered by Jonathan Paton, Founder & CEOWhat class is a car garage or vehicle repair business?
Class 37. Vehicle servicing, maintenance and repair, car washing and valeting are all class 37 services. Vehicle maintenance appears on 457 registrations. If the garage also sells cars or parts, that retail service is class 35, and any branded parts you make are goods in their own classes.
Answered by Jonathan Paton, Founder & CEOIs gardening and landscaping class 37?
Usually not. Gardening and landscape gardening are class 44, with other horticulture services. If you also carry out building work in the garden, that construction service is class 37. A landscaping company that does both planting and building work usually needs classes 44 and 37.
Answered by Jonathan Paton, Founder & CEOAre laundry and dry cleaning class 37?
Yes. Laundry and dry cleaning are cleaning services, so they sit in class 37 alongside window, carpet and office cleaning. Dry cleaning appears on 287 registrations. A laundry brand selling its own detergents would need class 3 for those products.
Answered by Jonathan Paton, Founder & CEOAbout 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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