Class 7: Machinery Products
Class 7 is machines: machine tools, power tools, motors and engines, and a surprising number of things in your kitchen and utility room. It’s the 24th most used of the 45, with 19,032 UK registrations between September 2021 and September 2026, which is about 40% fewer registrations than the average class. And the single most claimed term isn’t anything industrial. It’s vacuum cleaners.
What class 7 covers
This is the official Nice heading, in full:
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.
The simplest way to read it: class 7 is for machines that do physical work. They cut, mix, wash, drill, pump, print or move things. That’s why a food processor, a lawnmower, a 3D printer and an industrial robot all sit together here. Two phrases in the heading matter a lot: “power-operated” (hand tools are elsewhere) and “except for land vehicles” (car engines are elsewhere).
When you definitely need class 7
- You make or sell machines, machine tools or industrial equipment
- You sell power tools, such as electric drills, saws or pressure washers
- You sell vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, washing machines or electric food processors
- You make engines, motors, pumps or gearboxes that aren’t for cars and other land vehicles
- You sell 3D printers, industrial robots, vending machines or sewing machines
When you might need class 7 without realising
A lot of consumer brands sit in class 7 without ever thinking of themselves as machinery companies.
- Home appliance brands. Vacuum cleaners leads the class on 2,011 registrations, and kitchen machines, electric is on 802.
- Garden brands. Lawnmowers and hedge trimmers are class 7 when they’re powered; a hand-operated hedge trimmer is class 8. Lawn mowers appears on 409 registrations.
- Makers and craft brands. 3D printers are class 7, on 845 registrations, and so are sewing machines.
- Vending and self-service businesses. The machine itself is class 7, with vending machines on 354 registrations. Renting vending machines out is a class 35 service.
If your product has a motor and does physical work, it’s worth checking class 7 before you file.
Not sure whether your appliance is class 7 or class 11? 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 7
These are the terms that turn up most often in recent UK class 7 registrations:
| Term | Marks using it | Share of class 7 | How common |
|---|---|---|---|
| vacuum cleaners | 2,011 | 10.6% | Recommended |
| electric vacuum cleaners | 1,064 | 5.6% | Recommended |
| industrial robots | 909 | 4.8% | Recommended |
| machine tools | 907 | 4.8% | Recommended |
| dishwashers | 854 | 4.5% | Recommended |
| robotic vacuum cleaners | 847 | 4.5% | Recommended |
| 3d printers | 845 | 4.4% | Recommended |
| hand-held vacuum cleaners | 839 | 4.4% | Recommended |
| kitchen machines, electric | 802 | 4.2% | Recommended |
| cordless vacuum cleaners | 801 | 4.2% | Recommended |
Vacuum cleaners dominate the top of the table. Between vacuum cleaners, the electric, robotic, hand-held and cordless versions, and the brushes and bags that go with them, household cleaning machines take up a big share of the list. The industrial side, industrial robots on 909 and machine tools on 907, sits alongside them.
That matters if you’re launching a consumer appliance. Class 7 isn’t just factories and workshops. It’s also one of the busiest classes for home appliance brands, so your name may be competing with household names as well as industrial ones.
What class 7 does not cover
Metal fittings and general hardware are class 6. A machinery maker that also sells metal fittings, pipes or brackets on their own needs class 6 for them, where metal hardware appears on 1,098 registrations.
Hand-operated tools are class 8. The power tool is class 7; the manual version is class 8. Hand tools, hand-operated is claimed on 1,631 class 8 registrations. A tool brand selling both needs both classes.
Controls, sensors and software are class 9. Modern machines rarely come without them. Sensors appears on 1,725 class 9 registrations, and downloadable software on 5,410. An automation company branding its control systems and apps needs class 9 as well as class 7.
Engines for cars and other land vehicles are class 12. Class 7 covers engines for boats, aircraft and machinery. The engine for a car, van or motorbike is class 12, where engines for land vehicles appears on 504 registrations.
Where these terms actually live
| Term | Belongs to | Marks using it |
|---|---|---|
| metal hardware | Class 6 | 1,098 |
| hand tools, hand-operated | Class 8 | 1,631 |
| electric hair clippers | Class 8 | 871 |
| downloadable software | Class 9 | 5,410 |
| sensors | Class 9 | 1,725 |
| air fryers | Class 11 | 1,565 |
| electric kettles | Class 11 | 933 |
| engines for land vehicles | Class 12 | 504 |
| toothbrushes, electric | Class 21 | 1,632 |
Each of these is a separate registration. A mark in class 7 does not cover any of them.
The mistake I see most often
The mistake is calling the whole system “machinery”. Modern equipment rarely stops at the machine. It comes with an app, a control panel, sensors, spare hand tools, and sometimes a vehicle-specific part. Each of those is classified separately.
A robotics start-up is a good example. The robot arm is class 7. The software that runs it and the sensors that guide it are class 9. The robot itself can move into class 9 too, if it’s a humanoid or AI-driven robot rather than an industrial one. If the brand only files class 7, the part customers interact with most, the software, isn’t covered.
The practical fix is to list every component that carries your brand, including the app and the controls, and classify each one. A UK application can’t have classes added later, so it’s worth getting the list right at the start.
Is class 7 the right class for you?
If you make or sell machines, power tools, engines (other than for land vehicles), household appliances that do mechanical work, or industrial equipment under your own brand, class 7 is very likely yours. If you also sell hand tools, software or vehicle parts, look at classes 8, 9 and 12 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 7
Which kitchen appliances are class 7 and which are class 11?
A good rule of thumb: machines that mix, chop or wash are class 7, and appliances that heat or cool are class 11. Food processors, electric blenders and dishwashers are class 7. Kettles, coffee machines, toasters, microwaves, air fryers and fridges are class 11, where electric kettles appears on 933 registrations and air fryers on 1,565.
Are hair clippers class 7 or class 8?
Class 8, even the electric ones. Hair clippers, shavers and similar grooming tools are listed in class 8, with electric hair clippers on 871 registrations. Hair dryers are class 11, because they heat. It’s one of the places where the “powered means class 7” idea breaks down.
Is an electric toothbrush class 7?
No. Electric toothbrushes are class 21, with other toothbrushes, even though they have a motor. Toothbrushes, electric is claimed on 1,632 class 21 registrations.
Is a robot class 7 or class 9?
It depends on the robot. Industrial robots, the kind used in manufacturing, are class 7. Humanoid robots with artificial intelligence and telepresence robots are listed in class 9. Robotic vacuum cleaners and robotic lawnmowers stay in class 7 with the machines they replace.
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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