Trademark Class Search - Find Your Nice Class Before You File

Every application is examined by the Trade Marks Registry, under the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM), DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The Registry checks your chosen class and your goods/services description against what your business actually does. Get it wrong, and you don't just face an objection; your registration may not cover what you sell, and the government fee is non-refundable.

What is a Trademark Class?

The Nice Classification organizes all goods and services into 45 classes, making it easier for businesses to identify the correct category and for examiners to assess applications.

• Classes 1 to 34 for goods
• Classes 35 to 45 for services

For example, if your business deals with clothing, footwear, or headgear, it falls under Class 25.

When you apply, you must select the class that matches your business activity. Filing under the wrong class can draw an objection at examination, or leave you with protection that doesn't cover what you actually sell.

Worth knowing: Not every goods or services description accepted globally under the Nice Classification is automatically accepted by IP India. Examiners in India apply their own interpretation of acceptable wording, so a term that's fine internationally can still draw an objection here. This is exactly why checking your specific class against India's own accepted terminology, not just the global list, matters before filing.

A trademark class defines the category your trademark protects. Your mark itself still needs to be unique within that class; check whether your brand name is already taken before you file.

How to Find Your Trademark Class in 5 Steps

Use RegisterKaro's Trademark Class Search to find the right class for your business:

1. Enter your goods or services: Type the name of the product or service you sell in the search bar, for example, clothing, software, or food services.
2. Review suggested classes: The tool matches your input to the relevant class under the Nice Classification.
3. Check class descriptions: Read the details to confirm your goods or services genuinely fall within that category.
4. Identify single or multiple classes: Decide whether your business needs one class or multiple classes.
5. Get expert validation: If your business spans multiple categories, RegisterKaro's trademark experts can validate your class selection before you file.

What Changed in the Nice Classification for 2026 (NCL 13)

The 13th edition of the Nice Classification, NCL (13-2026), came into force on 1 January 2026 and moved several everyday goods between classes. If you researched your class before 2026, check this list:

Smart glasses stay in Class 9 — only corrective spectacles, sunglasses and contact lenses moved to Class 10.

The change is not retrospective. Applications filed before 1 January 2026 continue under the 12th edition. All class descriptions on this page reflect NCL (13-2026).

Who Should Use This Trademark Class Search Tool?

Class selection is straightforward for most businesses. These three situations are where it goes wrong most often:

• Businesses selling both products and services: A clothing brand that also runs its own store needs Class 25 and Class 35.
• Software and technology businesses: The Class 9 vs Class 42 split is the most common misfiling in India, and many products need both.
• Anyone who researched their class before 2026: NCL 13 moved eyewear, electrically heated clothing, and rescue vehicles into different classes.

Browse All 45 Trademark Classes

Classes 1–34 cover goods; 35–45 cover services. Find the class that matches what your business actually sells.

Classification of Goods

Classification of Services

Want examples, exclusions, and filing guidance for a specific class? See our complete trademark class list for 2026.

Commonly Searched Trademark Classes in India

Some trademark classes are used more frequently because they cover a broad range of commonly traded goods and services. The most often used trademark classes include:

• Trademark Class 25, for clothes, footwear, headgear, etc.
• Trademark Class 35, for services such as advertising, business management, marketing, and retail services.
• Trademark Class 9, for downloadable software, computers, electronics, and digital products.
• Trademark Class 42, for IT services, software development, and technology-related services.

Class 9 vs Class 42 — where software belongs

This is the most common classification confusion in India. Class 9 covers software as a product: downloadable apps, recorded software, mobile applications a customer installs. Class 42 covers software as a service: SaaS, software development, platform hosting, and IT consulting.

A downloadable mobile app belongs in Class 9. A cloud-based subscription platform belongs in Class 42. Many software businesses genuinely need both, and filing in only one leaves half the business unprotected.

Class 35 — what it does and doesn't cover

Class 35 is India's most over-filed class. It covers advertising, business management, and retail services provided for the benefit of others — bringing together a range of third-party goods so customers can view and buy them.

It does not automatically cover selling your own manufactured goods. If you make and sell T-shirts, your protection comes from Class 25, not Class 35. You'd add Class 35 if you also run a store or marketplace selling other brands' products alongside your own.

What Does It Cost to File in Each Class?

Government fees are charged per class, per mark, so the number of classes you file in directly determines your cost.

Fees are paid on Form TM-A under the First Schedule of the Trade Marks Rules, 2017, and are non-refundable regardless of the outcome.

A company filing in three classes pays ₹27,000 in government fees alone, before professional fees. That's why confirming your classes before you file matters more than most applicants assume.

Why Not Just Use IP India's Class Search?

IP India doesn't host a Class Search filter. The "Search Goods & Services Classification" link in IP India's own Trade Marks menu redirects to TMclass, run by the EU Intellectual Property Office. TMclass is an excellent database, but it reflects EU examiner practice, not the wording Indian examiners accept. That's the gap this tool is built to close.