All products and services are divided up into one of 45 international classes (plus Class A for goods certification marks, Class B for services certification marks, and Class 200 for collective membership marks). These classes are important because the US Patent & Trademark Office and other trademark offices determine the fees that an applicant has to pay based on the number of classes covered in the application.

The international classification system created by the 1957 Nice Agreement, and it has been widely adopted. For more information on the Nice Agreement, please read our guide, "What Is the Nice Agreement?" The USPTO’s implementation of specific goods or services classifications may be slightly different from those of other countries, so it is best to consult the Trademark ID Manual. The key goods and services in each class are summarized below.