Class 6: Metal Products
Class 6 is metal: common metals and alloys, metal building materials, and the huge range of small metal hardware that holds everything else together. It’s the 30th most used of the 45, with 14,162 UK registrations between September 2021 and September 2026, which is about 55% fewer registrations than the average class. The trap in class 6 is the word “metal” itself. Plenty of things made of metal belong somewhere else, because most finished products are classified by what they do, not what they’re made of.
What class 6 covers
This is the official Nice heading, in full:
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.
Think of it as raw metal, metal for building, and the metal fixings, fittings and containers that don’t have a more specific home. Nails, screws, hinges, locks, pipes, gates, fencing, metal sheds and safes all sit here. A finished metal product with a clear job of its own, such as furniture, a tool or a machine part, usually doesn’t.
When you definitely need class 6
- You make or sell ironmongery, screws, bolts, hinges or other metal hardware
- You sell non-electric locks, padlocks or keys
- You make metal building materials, pipes, gates or fencing
- You make metal sheds, garages or other transportable metal buildings
- You sell safes, metal boxes or metal containers for storage or transport
When you might need class 6 without realising
A few businesses end up in class 6 without thinking of themselves as metal companies.
- Furniture makers selling fittings on their own. The furniture is class 20, but fittings of metal for furniture is class 6, claimed on 819 registrations.
- Bike and outdoor brands. A non-electric bike lock is class 6, with bicycle locks on 253 registrations. A smart or electronic lock is class 9.
- Sign makers working in metal. Signboards of metal is class 6, on 326 registrations. The same sign in wood or plastic is class 20.
- Artists and makers. Statues and sculptures of common metal sit in class 6, with sculptures of metal on 194 registrations.
If your brand is going on a metal fixing, fitting, lock or container, it’s worth checking class 6 before you file.
Not sure whether your product is classed by its material or its job? 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 6
These are the terms that turn up most often in recent UK class 6 registrations:
| Term | Marks using it | Share of class 6 | How common |
|---|---|---|---|
| metal hardware | 1,098 | 7.8% | Recommended |
| screws of metal | 1,017 | 7.2% | Recommended |
| small items of metal hardware | 993 | 7.0% | Recommended |
| ironmongery | 944 | 6.7% | Recommended |
| fittings of metal for furniture | 819 | 5.8% | Recommended |
| common metals and their alloys | 788 | 5.6% | Recommended |
| metal building materials | 754 | 5.3% | Recommended |
| door handles of metal | 750 | 5.3% | Recommended |
| non-electric cables and wires of common metal | 725 | 5.1% | Recommended |
| bolts of metal | 708 | 5.0% | Recommended |
Hardware leads the class. Metal hardware is on 1,098 registrations, screws of metal on 1,017 and ironmongery on 944. No single term dominates, which is typical of a class full of specific, practical products.
That spread is useful to know. Specifications in class 6 tend to list the actual items a business sells, such as door handles of metal or bolts of metal, rather than leaning on one broad word. It makes the protection clearer, and it shows exactly where your brand trades.
What class 6 does not cover
Non-metal building products are class 19. A building-products group can have its metal doors in class 6 and its wooden or uPVC doors in class 19. Doors, gates, windows and window coverings, not of metal is claimed on 261 class 19 registrations. The same split applies to pipes, sheds and fencing.
Metal furniture is class 20. Furniture is classified by its function, whatever it’s made from. Metal furniture appears on 1,324 class 20 registrations, and metal shelving is class 20 too. A fabricator making both fittings and finished furniture needs both classes.
Machines and machine parts are class 7. A components business can sell general hardware in class 6 but a part designed for a machine, such as valves [parts of machines] on 356 class 7 registrations, belongs elsewhere.
Making metal items to order for others is class 40. A foundry or fabricator working to a customer’s design is providing a service. Welding and metal fabrication for others are class 40, even though the finished pieces are metal goods.
Where these terms actually live
| Term | Belongs to | Marks using it |
|---|---|---|
| valves [parts of machines] | Class 7 | 356 |
| key rings | Class 14 | 1,929 |
| doors, gates, windows and window coverings, not of metal | Class 19 | 261 |
| metal furniture | Class 20 | 1,324 |
Each of these is a separate registration. A mark in class 6 does not cover any of them.
The mistake I see most often
The mistake is classifying every metal object by its material. Class 6 covers metals and general hardware, but a lot of finished products follow their function instead. Metal furniture is class 20. Metal hand tools are class 8. Metal key rings are class 14. A metal water bottle is class 21.
It’s an easy mistake because the business really is a metal business. The workshop, the suppliers and the processes are all about metal. The classification doesn’t care about the workshop. It asks what the finished product is for.
The practical fix is to take each product line and ask one question: would a customer describe it by its material or by its job? If it’s the job, check the class for that job before you file. A UK application can’t have classes added later, so it’s worth doing at the start.
Is class 6 the right class for you?
If you make or sell metal hardware, locks, metal building materials, metal buildings, safes or metal containers under your own brand, class 6 is very likely yours. If you also make furniture, tools, machine parts or work to order, look at classes 20, 8, 7 and 40 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 6
Is a metal key ring class 6 or class 14?
Class 14. Key rings and key chains sit in class 14 whatever they’re made of, including metal ones. Key rings is claimed on 1,929 class 14 registrations. It’s a good example of a metal product that follows its function, not its material.
Are smart locks class 6 or class 9?
Class 9. A traditional lock or padlock is class 6, but electronic locks, smart locks and fingerprint padlocks are class 9 with other electronic apparatus. A security brand selling both needs both classes.
Which class is a metal garden shed?
Class 6, as a transportable building of metal. A wooden or other non-metal shed is class 19. If you sell sheds in more than one material under the same name, you’ll want both classes, and the same goes for gates and fencing.
Do I need class 6 for metal signs?
Yes, for signs made of metal. Signboards of metal is class 6. Wooden and plastic signboards are class 20, and illuminated or electronic signs are class 9. A sign maker working in several materials often needs more than one class.
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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