A trademark protects a name only for the goods and services you list, in the classes you file. This page tells you which of the 45 classes your business belongs in, what each class covers and what is commonly confused with it, what the government charges per class, and how the application runs from search to certificate. The classification is the 13th edition, 2026 version that the Trade Marks Registry applies to applications filed from 1 January 2026.
Most filed classes:
Four things that make the class list easier to read.
The Trade Marks Registry sorts every application into one of 45 boxes, the classes of the Nice Classification. Your registration protects the name only for the goods and services you list inside the classes you file. The same name can be registered by someone else in a class you did not file, unless the trades are so close that customers would be confused.
Classes 1 to 34 are products: a packet of biscuits (30), a kurta (25), a mobile app as downloaded (9). Classes 35 to 45 are services: running a restaurant (43), teaching (41), building software for others (42), lending money (36). Many businesses are both, and file in both.
Selling things is a service in class 35, whatever is sold. A brand that makes garments and sells them on its own site files 25 for the garments and 35 for the shop. A marketplace that sells other people's goods files 35 as its main class.
The Fourth Schedule of the Trade Marks Rules 2017 adopts the international classification, updated every January. Applications from 1 January 2026 use the 13th edition, 2026 version. Fees are per class and one Form TM-A can cover several classes.
Pick the closest business type, tick what applies, and the plan lists the classes to file, why, and the government fee for your applicant type.
Results update as you change the answers.
Pick a business type, or tick what applies, and the classes appear here.
59 common Indian business types, the classes each must file and the ones worth adding when the description fits. Click a class to read what it covers.
Each class has what it covers, the Indian businesses that file in it, what is commonly confused with it and belongs elsewhere, the official heading, and the changes in the 2026 edition.
Goods, classes 1 to 34
Physical products. The class follows what the product is, not who buys it or where it is sold.
Chemicals for use in industry, science, photography, agriculture, horticulture and forestry; unprocessed artificial resins and plastics; fire-extinguishing and fire-prevention compositions; tempering and soldering preparations; tanning substances; adhesives for industry; putties and fillers; compost, manures and fertilisers; biological preparations for industry and science.
Paints, varnishes, lacquers; preservatives against rust and against deterioration of wood; colourants, dyes; inks for printing, marking and engraving; raw natural resins; metals in foil and powder form for use in painting, decorating, printing and art.
In NCL 13-2026 essential oils are classified by purpose: cosmetic and fragrance use stays in class 3, medicinal use is in class 5 and food flavouring use is in class 30.
Non-medicated cosmetics and toiletry preparations; non-medicated dentifrices; perfumery, essential oils; bleaching preparations and other substances for laundry use; cleaning, polishing, scouring and abrasive preparations.
Industrial oils and greases, wax; lubricants; dust-absorbing, wetting and binding compositions; fuels and illuminants; candles and wicks for lighting.
Essential oils for medicinal use sit here from NCL 13-2026; cosmetic essential oils stay in class 3.
Pharmaceuticals, medical and veterinary preparations; sanitary preparations for medical purposes; dietetic food and substances adapted for medical or veterinary use, food for babies; dietary supplements; plasters, materials for dressings; material for stopping teeth, dental wax; disinfectants; preparations for destroying vermin; fungicides, herbicides.
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.
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.
Hand tools and implements, hand-operated; cutlery; side arms, except firearms; razors.
NCL 13-2026 moved eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses and their cases to class 10. Smart glasses stay in class 9. Rescue and emergency vehicles moved to class 12.
Scientific, research, navigation, surveying, photographic, cinematographic, audiovisual, optical, weighing, measuring, signalling, detecting, testing, inspecting, life-saving and teaching apparatus and instruments; apparatus for conducting, switching, transforming, accumulating, regulating or controlling electricity; apparatus for recording, transmitting, reproducing or processing sound, images or data; recorded and downloadable media, computer software, blank storage media; mechanisms for coin-operated apparatus; cash registers, calculating devices; computers and computer peripheral devices; diving equipment; fire-extinguishing apparatus.
NCL 13-2026 brought eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses and their cases into class 10 from class 9, and moved electric toothbrushes and tongue scrapers out to class 21.
Surgical, medical, dental and veterinary apparatus and instruments; artificial limbs, eyes and teeth; orthopaedic articles; suture materials; therapeutic and assistive devices adapted for persons with disabilities; massage apparatus; apparatus, devices and articles for nursing infants; sexual activity apparatus, devices and articles; eyeglasses, sunglasses and contact lenses.
NCL 13-2026 moved electrically heated clothing to class 25.
Apparatus and installations for lighting, heating, cooling, steam generating, cooking, drying, ventilating, water supply and sanitary purposes.
Rescue and emergency vehicles moved from class 9 to class 12 in NCL 13-2026.
Vehicles; apparatus for locomotion by land, air or water.
Firearms; ammunition and projectiles; explosives; fireworks.
Precious metals and their alloys; jewellery, precious and semi-precious stones; horological and chronometric instruments.
Musical instruments; music stands and stands for musical instruments; conductors' batons.
Paper and cardboard; printed matter; bookbinding material; photographs; stationery and office requisites, except furniture; adhesives for stationery or household purposes; drawing materials and materials for artists; paintbrushes; instructional and teaching materials; plastic sheets, films and bags for wrapping and packaging; printers' type, printing blocks.
Unprocessed and semi-processed rubber, gutta-percha, gum, asbestos, mica and substitutes for all these materials; plastics and resins in extruded form for use in manufacture; packing, stopping and insulating materials; flexible pipes, tubes and hoses, not of metal.
Leather and imitations of leather; animal skins and hides; luggage and carrying bags; umbrellas and parasols; walking sticks; whips, harness and saddlery; collars, leashes and clothing for animals.
Materials, not of metal, for building and construction; rigid pipes, not of metal, for building; asphalt, pitch, tar and bitumen; transportable buildings, not of metal; monuments, not of metal.
Furniture, mirrors, picture frames; containers, not of metal, for storage or transport; unworked or semi-worked bone, horn, whalebone or mother-of-pearl; shells; meerschaum; yellow amber.
Electric toothbrushes and tongue scrapers moved here from class 10 in NCL 13-2026.
Household or kitchen utensils and containers; cookware and tableware, except forks, knives and spoons; combs and sponges; brushes, except paintbrushes; brush-making materials; articles for cleaning purposes; unworked or semi-worked glass, except building glass; glassware, porcelain and earthenware.
Ropes and string; nets; tents and tarpaulins; awnings of textile or synthetic materials; sails; sacks for the transport and storage of materials in bulk; padding, cushioning and stuffing materials, except of paper, cardboard, rubber or plastics; raw fibrous textile materials and substitutes therefor.
Yarns and threads for textile use.
Textiles and substitutes for textiles; household linen; curtains of textile or plastic.
Electrically heated clothing moved from class 11 to class 25 in NCL 13-2026.
Clothing, footwear, headwear.
Lace, braid and embroidery, and haberdashery ribbons and bows; buttons, hooks and eyes, pins and needles; artificial flowers; hair decorations; false hair.
Carpets, rugs, mats and matting, linoleum and other materials for covering existing floors; wall hangings, not of textile.
Games, toys and playthings; video game apparatus; gymnastic and sporting articles; decorations for Christmas trees.
Meat, fish, poultry and game; meat extracts; preserved, frozen, dried and cooked fruits and vegetables; jellies, jams, compotes; eggs; milk, cheese, butter, yogurt and other milk products; oils and fats for food.
Essential oils used as food flavourings sit here from NCL 13-2026.
Coffee, tea, cocoa and artificial coffee; rice, pasta and noodles; tapioca and sago; flour and preparations made from cereals; bread, pastries and confectionery; chocolate; ice cream, sorbets and other edible ices; sugar, honey, golden syrup; yeast, baking powder; salt, seasonings, spices, preserved herbs; vinegar, sauces and other condiments; ice.
Raw and unprocessed agricultural, aquacultural, horticultural and forestry products; raw and unprocessed grains and seeds; fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh herbs; natural plants and flowers; bulbs, seedlings and seeds for planting; live animals; foodstuffs and beverages for animals; malt.
Beers; non-alcoholic beverages; mineral and aerated waters; fruit beverages and fruit juices; syrups and other preparations for making non-alcoholic beverages.
Alcoholic beverages, except beers; alcoholic preparations for making beverages.
Tobacco and tobacco substitutes; cigarettes and cigars; electronic cigarettes and oral vaporisers for smokers; smokers' articles; matches.
Services, classes 35 to 45
Things you do for a customer. Retail, marketplaces, advertising and consultancy all sit in class 35.
NCL 13-2026 places opticians' retail services in class 35 and repair of spectacles in class 37; the medical eye examination stays in class 44.
Advertising; business management, organisation and administration; office functions.
Financial, monetary and banking services; insurance services; real estate services.
Repair of spectacles is expressly in class 37 under NCL 13-2026.
Construction services; installation and repair services; mining extraction, oil and gas drilling.
Telecommunications services.
Transport; packaging and storage of goods; travel arrangement.
Treatment of materials; recycling of waste and trash; air purification and treatment of water; printing services; food and drink preservation.
Education; providing of training; entertainment; sporting and cultural activities.
Scientific and technological services and research and design relating thereto; industrial analysis, industrial research and industrial design services; quality control and authentication services; design and development of computer hardware and software.
Services for providing food and drink; temporary accommodation.
Under NCL 13-2026 opticians' services are split: eye examination stays here, retail of eyewear is class 35 and repair of spectacles is class 37.
Medical services; veterinary services; hygienic and beauty care for human beings or animals; agriculture, aquaculture, horticulture and forestry services.
Legal services; security services for the physical protection of tangible property and individuals; dating services, online social networking services; funerary services; personal and social services rendered by others to meet the needs of individuals.
Per class, per mark, under the First Schedule of the Trade Marks Rules 2017. The reduced rate needs proof: a DPIIT recognition certificate, a Udyam certificate, or an application in an individual's own name.
| What | Individual, startup or small enterprise | Others |
|---|---|---|
| New application (Form TM-A), per class, per mark | ₹4,500₹5,000 on paper | ₹9,000₹10,000 on paper |
| Expedited examination (Rule 34), per class, e-filing only | ₹20,000e-filing only | ₹40,000e-filing only |
| Notice of opposition or counter-statement (Form TM-O), per class | ₹2,700₹3,000 on paper | ₹2,700₹3,000 on paper |
| Renewal every 10 years (Form TM-R), per class | ₹9,000₹10,000 on paper | ₹9,000₹10,000 on paper |
| Late renewal surcharge, within 6 months after expiry, added to the renewal fee | ₹4,500₹5,000 on paper | ₹4,500₹5,000 on paper |
| Restoration and renewal, 6 to 12 months after expiry, added to the renewal fee | ₹9,000₹10,000 on paper | ₹9,000₹10,000 on paper |
| Recording an assignment or transfer (Form TM-P), per mark | ₹9,000₹10,000 on paper | ₹9,000₹10,000 on paper |
| Extension of time, certified copy and other requests (Form TM-M) | ₹900₹1,000 on paper | ₹900₹1,000 on paper |
| Search and certificate for a copyright application (Form TM-C) | ₹9,000₹10,000 on paper | ₹9,000₹10,000 on paper |
Government fees under the First Schedule of the Trade Marks Rules 2017. The lower rate applies when the applicant is an individual, a DPIIT-recognised startup or a small enterprise with a Udyam registration; a company or LLP without startup or Udyam status pays the higher rate. BizExpress's professional fee is separate and shown on the service page.
What happens after Form TM-A goes in. Eight to eighteen months is typical when nobody opposes.
Day 0
Search the public register on ipindiaonline.gov.in for the word, phonetic variants and the same classes. A clear search does not guarantee registration, but a conflicting mark found now saves the filing fee and a year of waiting.
Day 1 to 3
One application can cover several classes; the fee is per class. Choose the applicant carefully: the company that will own the brand, not a founder personally, unless there is a reason. From the filing date you can use the TM symbol and you have a priority date.
Weeks 1 to 4
Logos are coded for their figurative elements. The Registry checks the form, the power of attorney, the user claim and the specification. A formality objection must be fixed within 30 days.
Month 1 to 6
An examiner raises objections, usually under Section 9 (descriptive or non-distinctive) or Section 11 (conflicts with earlier marks). With expedited processing the report ordinarily comes within three months. A reply is due within 30 days of the report; a hearing may follow if the examiner is not satisfied.
Month 4 to 12
An accepted mark is published. Anyone can oppose within four months of publication. Most applications are not opposed; those that are take a year or more to resolve on evidence and hearing.
Month 8 to 18
With no objection or opposition pending, the certificate issues and you can use the R symbol. Registration runs ten years from the application date and is renewable every ten years. A registered mark not used for five continuous years from the date it entered the register can be removed on a third party's application under Section 47.
Eight rules that decide most filings. The short answer: the class of what you charge for, plus 35 if you sell direct, plus 9 and 42 if there is software.
File first in the class that describes how you earn: the goods you make or the service you charge for. A clothing brand needs class 25 before anything else; a restaurant needs class 43; a software startup needs 9 and 42. Everything else is protection around that core.
Retail and online retail are services in class 35, separate from the goods you sell. A brand with its own website, app or stores files 35 alongside its goods class, describing the retail by the goods sold. Marketplaces, advertising agencies and consultancies file 35 as their main class.
The app that a customer downloads is a class 9 product. Developing, hosting and providing it as a service is class 42. Then add the class of what the software does: 36 for payments or lending, 41 for courses or games, 44 for telemedicine, 39 for delivery or rides, 38 for messaging, 35 for a marketplace.
A class filed now carries today's priority date. Adding a class later is a new application with a new date, open to anyone who filed in between. Budget for the classes you plan to trade in within three to five years, not just this quarter, because after five years of non-use a registration can be removed under Section 47.
Do not claim the whole class heading or 'all goods in class X'. The Registry objects to vague specifications and competitors oppose broad ones. List what you actually sell or plan to sell in plain terms: 'ready-made garments, t-shirts, kurtas, footwear' rather than 'clothing, footwear, headwear' alone.
The government fee per class halves for individuals, DPIIT-recognised startups and Udyam-registered small enterprises. A startup with recognition pays 4,500 rupees a class instead of 9,000. Get the recognition or the Udyam certificate before filing a multi-class application.
A word mark protects the name in any font or colour. A logo mark protects that design. On a tight budget file the word first in the core classes; add the logo and the Devanagari or regional-script version later. If the word is descriptive, the logo may be the only thing that registers.
Two marks in different classes can still conflict if the goods or services are similar in trade, and a well-known mark is protected across all classes. Likewise, a mark in the same class for unrelated goods may coexist. Classes organise the register; the court looks at confusion in the market.
The errors we see most often in applications that come to us after an objection or an opposition.
D2C brands that sell on their own site and later franchise find a competitor has registered the same name for retail services in class 35.
The downloadable app is class 9. Without it, a rival can register the same name for an app in class 9 and list it on the app stores.
The brand then belongs to one founder personally. Investors ask for an assignment to the company, which costs a TM-P fee and stamp duty and can stall a round if a co-founder has left.
A claim that the mark has been used since a date needs an affidavit and evidence such as invoices and packaging. A false claim is a ground to refuse or cancel the registration. If you have not started, file as 'proposed to be used'.
A specification that lists the full heading of class 9 or class 35 invites an objection for vagueness and an opposition from everyone who trades in that class.
If the examination report is not answered within 30 days of its issue, the application is treated as abandoned and the fee is lost. Set a reminder the day the status changes to 'Objected'.
'Pure Ghee', 'Quick Loans' or 'Best Tuition' describe the goods and are refused under Section 9 unless long use has made them distinctive. Invented, arbitrary or suggestive names register faster and are easier to enforce.
A registration covers the goods and services listed. If someone uses the name for a different trade and there is no likelihood of confusion, the registration may not help; file the classes you will trade in.
The Nice Classification is revised every year on 1 January. Applications filed from 1 January 2026 follow the 13th edition, 2026 version (NCL 13-2026). The changes that matter most to Indian filers:
| Goods or services | Before 2026 | From 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses and their cases | Class 9 | Class 10 |
| Smart glasses with computing functionsstay in class 9 | Class 9 | Class 9 |
| Rescue and emergency vehicles | Class 9 | Class 12 |
| Electric toothbrushes and tongue scrapers | Class 10 | Class 21 |
| Electrically heated clothing | Class 11 | Class 25 |
| Opticians' servicesretail of eyewear is class 35, repair of spectacles is class 37; eye examinations stay in class 44 | Class 44 | Class 35 |
| Essential oilsnow classified by purpose: cosmetic use in class 3, medicinal use in class 5, food flavouring in class 30 | Class 3 | Class 3 |
An application filed before 2026 keeps the class it was filed in. If you are adding a class to an older registration for any of these goods, use the new class.
12 questions to answer with a yes before Form TM-A goes in. Your ticks are kept in this browser only.
The BizExpress team, who search, file and defend trademarks for Indian founders, wrote this page from the Nice Classification, 13th edition, 2026 version, as adopted in the Fourth Schedule of the Trade Marks Rules 2017, and from the Trade Marks Act 1999 and the First Schedule of the Rules for fees and timelines, all as they stood on .
The plain-English names, the examples and the "not here" lists are our reading of the class headings, the explanatory notes and the alphabetical list, checked against the objections we see from the Registry. The business-type mapping reflects the classes that Indian applicants in each trade usually need; a particular business can need more or fewer. The government fee table is copied from the First Schedule; it does not include professional fees.
The page is reviewed every January when the classification changes and whenever the Rules or fees change; the date of the last review sits at the top. It is general information for choosing a class, not advice on whether a particular mark will register.
A trademark class is one of the 45 categories in the Nice Classification that groups goods (classes 1 to 34) and services (classes 35 to 45). Every application in India must name the class or classes in which the mark is to be registered, and the protection you get is limited to the goods and services you list in those classes. India applies the 13th edition, 2026 version of the classification through the Fourth Schedule of the Trade Marks Rules 2017.
Ask what you charge money for. If customers pay for a physical product, the class is the one that covers that product: clothing is 25, packaged foods are 30 or 29, cosmetics are 3. If customers pay for something you do, it is a service class: restaurants are 43, education is 41, software development is 42, financial services are 36. Type your product or business into the finder on this page to see the class, what it includes and what is commonly confused with it.
Yes. Since the Trade Marks Rules 2017 a single Form TM-A can cover any number of classes. The government fee is charged per class, so a two-class application for a startup costs 9,000 rupees in government fees. A multi-class application is examined as one, which means an objection in one class can delay the whole application; some applicants file separate applications for the class they need fastest.
On e-filing, the fee is 4,500 rupees per class for an individual, a DPIIT-recognised startup or a small enterprise registered under Udyam, and 9,000 rupees per class for everyone else, including most private limited companies and LLPs. Physical filing costs 500 to 1,000 rupees more per class. Expedited examination costs an extra 20,000 or 40,000 rupees per class. These are government fees; a professional's fee for the search, drafting and follow-up is separate.
Two classes at least. Class 9 covers the app and software as a downloadable product. Class 42 covers designing, developing and hosting the software and providing it as a service (SaaS). Then add the class of what the app does for its users: class 36 for payments, lending or insurance, class 41 for education or games, class 35 for a marketplace, class 44 for telemedicine, class 39 for delivery or rides, class 38 for messaging.
If you sell through your own website, app or physical stores, yes. Retail and online retail are services in class 35, separate from the goods themselves. A clothing brand selling on its own site files class 25 for the garments and class 35 for the retail service. Marketplaces, quick-commerce apps, advertising agencies, consultancies and recruitment firms file class 35 as their main class.
Usually not. Section 9 of the Trade Marks Act 1999 refuses marks that describe the kind, quality, quantity, intended purpose or geographical origin of the goods, such as 'Pure Ghee' for ghee or 'Fast Cabs' for taxis, and marks that have become customary in the trade. The exception is a mark that has acquired distinctiveness through long and substantial use, which must be proved with evidence. Invented or arbitrary words, and words that only suggest a quality, register far more easily.
Eight to eighteen months is typical when there is no opposition. Examination takes one to six months, a reply to any objection is due within 30 days, and after acceptance the mark is advertised in the Trade Marks Journal for a four-month opposition window before the certificate issues. Expedited processing under Rule 34 brings the examination report ordinarily within three months for an extra fee. You can use the TM symbol from the filing date.
The mark may register, but it protects the wrong goods or services, and a rival can register the same name in the class you actually trade in. Section 22 lets the Registrar allow an amendment on Form TM-M, but Rule 37 bars any amendment that substitutes a new specification of goods or services not wholly within the original one, so a class cannot simply be swapped; the usual fix is a fresh application in the right class with a new filing date. Checking the class before filing is cheaper.
The 13th edition, 2026 version applies to applications filed from 1 January 2026. Eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses and their cases moved from class 9 to class 10, while smart glasses stay in class 9. Rescue and emergency vehicles moved from class 9 to class 12. Electric toothbrushes and tongue scrapers moved from class 10 to class 21. Electrically heated clothing moved from class 11 to class 25. Opticians' retail services are placed in class 35 and spectacle repair in class 37, and essential oils are classified by purpose across classes 3, 5 and 30.
No. Registration covers the goods and services specified in the classes you filed. There are two softeners: infringement and passing-off claims look at whether the goods or services are similar in trade and whether customers would be confused, which can reach across class lines; and a mark declared well-known is protected against use on any goods or services. For a new brand, neither softener is a substitute for filing in the classes you trade in.
You can use TM from the moment you file, since it only claims that you treat the mark as yours. The R symbol may be used only for a registered mark and only for the goods and services covered by the registration. Section 107 makes it an offence to represent an unregistered mark as registered, which includes using R or the words 'registered trade mark' before the certificate issues.
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This page explains trademark classes in general. It is not legal advice and does not predict whether a mark will register. References are to the Trade Marks Act 1999, the Trade Marks Rules 2017 and the Nice Classification, 13th edition, 2026 version, as at 13 October 2026. Government fees are as published in the First Schedule and can change; check ipindia.gov.in before you pay.
