Class 8: Hand Tools
Class 8 is hand tools, cutlery and razors, and it’s a lot more personal than it sounds. It’s the 32nd most used of the 45, with 13,298 UK registrations between September 2021 and September 2026, which is about 60% fewer registrations than the average class. The top term isn’t a spanner or a hammer. It’s scissors, and grooming tools such as razors, clippers, tweezers and hair straighteners make up a big share of the class.
What class 8 covers
This is the official Nice heading, in full:
Hand-operated hand tools and implements; cutlery; side arms, except firearms; razors.
It’s one of the shortest headings in the classification, and it hides a lot. “Hand tools and implements” covers workshop tools, garden tools and kitchen knives, but also nail clippers, tweezers, eyelash curlers and hair straighteners. Cutlery means knives, forks and spoons. Side arms are swords and bladed weapons, not guns. The word to watch is “hand-operated”: most powered tools belong in class 7.
When you definitely need class 8
- You make or sell hand tools, such as spanners, screwdrivers, hammers or saws
- You sell hand-operated garden tools, such as spades, trowels and secateurs
- You sell cutlery, kitchen knives, pizza cutters or non-electric can openers
- You sell razors, hair clippers, nail clippers, tweezers or manicure sets
- You sell hair straighteners or curling tongs
When you might need class 8 without realising
Beauty and grooming brands are the ones most often surprised by class 8.
- Hair and beauty brands. Hair straighteners and curling tongs are class 8, even though they’re electric. Electric hair straighteners is claimed on 814 registrations and curling tongs on 708.
- Barbers and men’s grooming brands. Beard clippers appears on 1,163 registrations, and razors, electric shavers and trimmers are all here too.
- Nail and lash brands. Nail files, nail clippers, tweezers and eyelash curlers are class 8, alongside manicure sets on 1,264 registrations.
- Kitchen and cookware brands. The knives are class 8, with kitchen knives on 929 registrations, even when the pans and utensils they’re sold with are class 21.
If your brand is going on anything held in the hand to cut, trim, shape or style, class 8 is worth checking before you file.
Not sure whether your product is class 8, 7 or 21? 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 8
These are the terms that turn up most often in recent UK class 8 registrations:
| Term | Marks using it | Share of class 8 | How common |
|---|---|---|---|
| scissors | 2,183 | 16.4% | Most use this |
| cutlery | 2,039 | 15.3% | Most use this |
| hand tools, hand-operated | 1,631 | 12.3% | Most use this |
| knives | 1,424 | 10.7% | Recommended |
| garden tools, hand-operated | 1,298 | 9.8% | Recommended |
| manicure sets | 1,264 | 9.5% | Recommended |
| razors | 1,235 | 9.3% | Recommended |
| beard clippers | 1,163 | 8.7% | Recommended |
| tweezers | 1,158 | 8.7% | Recommended |
| nail files | 1,149 | 8.6% | Recommended |
Scissors lead the class on 2,183 registrations, followed by cutlery on 2,039 and hand tools, hand-operated on 1,631. Look further down and grooming takes over: razors, beard clippers, tweezers, nail files and depilation appliances all sit near the top.
That tells you class 8 is really three markets sharing one class: workshop and garden tools, kitchen cutlery, and personal grooming. If you’re launching a grooming brand, your competition in class 8 includes big personal-care names, not just tool makers.
What class 8 does not cover
Power tools are class 7. The hand drill is class 8; the electric drill is class 7, where power tools appears on 584 registrations and electric drills on 320. Electric knives and electric can openers are class 7 as well. A tool brand with manual and powered ranges needs both classes.
Kitchen utensils other than cutlery are class 21. Knives, forks and table spoons are class 8. Spatulas, tongs, ladles, serving spoons and garlic presses are class 21, where kitchen utensils appears on 7,938 registrations and cookware on 1,873. A kitchenware brand almost always needs both.
Metal fixings, locks and fittings are class 6. A hardware range can have its screwdrivers in class 8 and the screws they drive in class 6, where metal hardware appears on 1,098 registrations.
Selling other brands’ tools is class 35. A tool merchant or DIY store stocking several brands is providing a retail or wholesale service. Class 8 protects your own products, not the shop that sells them.
Where these terms actually live
| Term | Belongs to | Marks using it |
|---|---|---|
| metal hardware | Class 6 | 1,098 |
| power tools | Class 7 | 584 |
| electric drills | Class 7 | 320 |
| hair dryers | Class 11 | 1,594 |
| kitchen utensils | Class 21 | 7,938 |
| cookware | Class 21 | 1,873 |
Each of these is a separate registration. A mark in class 8 does not cover any of them.
The mistake I see most often
The mistake is relying on the word “tool”. How a product works and what it’s for matter more than what it’s called. A manual saw is class 8. A powered saw is class 7. A kitchen container is class 21. A metal fixing is class 6. Four products a customer would happily call “tools” can land in four different classes.
Kitchen ranges show it most clearly. A set of kitchen knives is class 8. The knife block they sit in is class 21, and so are the spatula and tongs sold beside them. The electric carving knife in the same catalogue is class 7. One brand, one product page, three classes.
The practical fix is to split your range by how each item works (by hand or powered) and what it does (cutting, cooking, fixing), then check the class for each group. A UK application can’t have classes added later, so it’s worth getting right at the start.
Is class 8 the right class for you?
If you make or sell hand tools, garden hand tools, cutlery, kitchen knives, razors or grooming implements under your own brand, class 8 is very likely yours. If you also sell powered tools, other kitchen utensils or metal hardware, look at classes 7, 21 and 6 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 8
Are hair straighteners class 8 or class 11?
Class 8. Hair straighteners and curling tongs are class 8, electric or not. Hair dryers are class 11, with hair dryers on 1,594 class 11 registrations. A hair tools brand selling straighteners and dryers needs both classes.
Is a serving spoon class 8 or class 21?
Class 21. It surprises people, because a table spoon is class 8. The UKIPO list puts cutlery for eating in class 8 and serving and cooking utensils, such as serving spoons, ladles and tongs, in class 21. The same goes for chopsticks, which are class 21.
Which class is a pizza cutter?
A hand-operated pizza cutter is class 8, with pizza cutters on 349 registrations. So are non-electric can openers and vegetable peelers. Their electric versions move to class 7.
Are swords and knives for collectors class 8?
Yes. “Side arms, except firearms” covers swords and other bladed weapons, and pocket knives and multi-tool knives are class 8 as well. Firearms and ammunition are class 13.
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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