Choose a trademark class by first listing the specific goods and services offered under the mark, then locating accurate descriptions in the USPTO Trademark ID Manual. Do not choose a class because its title sounds generally related to your industry. Classification follows the particular product or service, and one business may need several classes.
The class number organizes the application and determines how many filing fees are due. The wording of the goods and services is equally important because it helps define the scope of the application.
Start with what customers actually buy
Write the ordinary name of each product and service sold under the mark. Avoid starting with broad labels such as technology, retail, wellness, or consulting. Those terms may cover many differently classified offerings.
Hypothetical example: A bicycle company might sell bicycles, offer repair services, and provide an online retail store featuring bicycle accessories. Those activities may fall into different classes even though they operate under one brand. This example does not establish that any hypothetical name is available.
Use the ID Manual
The USPTO’s Trademark ID Manual instructions explain how to search preapproved identifications and view their assigned classes. Search for the product or service customers would recognize, then read the full entry rather than relying on a keyword match.
- List each current product and service in plain language.
- Search the ID Manual for the common commercial term.
- Read the complete entry and any bracketed fill-in instructions.
- Confirm the entry accurately describes the offering.
- Group accurate entries by class and calculate the filing budget.
- Remove items that the applicant neither uses nor genuinely intends to use.
Selecting an ID Manual entry can reduce identification objections and avoid the current additional fee for using free-form wording. It does not replace legal judgment. A preapproved description can still be too broad, too narrow, or factually wrong for a particular business.
Class headings are not shopping lists
The international system contains 45 classes, generally 34 for goods and 11 for services. The United States uses the current Nice Classification. The USPTO confirms that NCL 13-2026 took effect January 1, 2026.
Class headings summarize broad subject areas. They do not automatically identify every item within a class, and the USPTO generally requires definite descriptions rather than a class heading. TMEP Section 1402 states that an acceptable identification must be understandable, properly classified, and sufficiently definite.
Classes do not determine whether marks conflict
Two marks can conflict even when their goods or services fall in different classes. The likelihood-of-confusion analysis considers relatedness in the marketplace, not only administrative class numbers. Conversely, two offerings in the same class are not automatically related enough to cause confusion.
For examples and limits, read Can Two Businesses Have the Same Name in Different Classes?. A clearance search should examine related offerings and similar marks, as explained in the trademark-search guide.
How classes affect cost
As of November 2026, the base Section 1 or Section 44 application fee is $350 for each class when the application meets the base requirements. Using the free-form identification box adds $200 per affected class. Other fees may apply. Confirm current amounts on the USPTO fee page when filing.
- One class with accurate ID Manual entries: One base class fee, assuming other requirements are met
- Several classes: A separate base fee for each class
- Free-form wording in a class: Current additional per-class fee and closer identification review
- Unnecessary class: Higher cost and a claim the applicant must support
- Omitted business activity: It generally cannot be added later if that would broaden the identification
Why overly broad filing can backfire
An application should cover goods or services the applicant uses or has a bona fide intent to use. Adding speculative items increases cost and can create use, specimen, and intent problems. After filing, an identification generally may be clarified or narrowed, but not broadened to add new scope.
Your next step
Create a two-column inventory: each product or service in the first column, and the best-fitting ID Manual entry and class in the second. Verify that the applicant uses or genuinely plans to use every listed item. Then return to the complete trademark filing guide to confirm the owner, filing basis, and search strategy.
Read next
- What Does Use in Commerce Mean for a Trademark?
- Can Two Businesses Have the Same Name in Different Classes?
- How to Trademark a Business Name
- Browse all trademark articles
This article provides general information about U.S. trademark law, not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.