Nice Classification System: What It Is and How Trademark Classes Work

The Nice Classification provides a common structure for trademark applications across many countries and helps determine which goods or services are covered by each filing. Choosing the appropriate class and describing your goods or services accurately matters because the scope of protection depends on what is actually included in the registration.

If you already know what you want to protect and need help identifying the relevant class, try our Free Nice Classification Tool. It can suggest the appropriate trademark classes for your goods or services without requiring you to work through long class lists manually.

What Is the Nice Classification?

The Nice Classification is an international classification of goods and services used for the registration of trademarks. It was established by the Nice Agreement, adopted in 1957, and is administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

When you apply to register a trademark, you do not automatically obtain protection for every possible product or service. You must identify the goods or services you want the trademark to cover and classify them in one or more categories.

The Nice Classification organizes those categories into 45 Nice classes:

• Classes 1–34: goods.
• Classes 35–45: services.

For example:

• Class 9: includes, among other goods, computer software and various electronic and information technology products.
• Class 25: clothing, footwear and headwear.
• Class 35: includes services such as advertising and certain business management activities.

The class helps organize the application, but the scope of protection also depends on the specific goods and services identified within that class.

What Is the Nice Classification Used For?

The purpose of the Nice Classification system is to provide a common framework for organizing goods and services in trademark applications.

Using the same classification structure makes it easier for participating trademark offices to process applications and allows applicants to work with a broadly consistent numbering system when seeking protection in different countries.

In practice, the Nice Classification helps to:

• Organize the goods and services covered by a trademark application.
• Identify the relevant trademark classes based on what a business offers.
• Define the scope of an application together with the specific description of goods and services.
• Support trademark searches by identifying relevant product and service categories.
• Provide a common classification structure when seeking trademark protection across different jurisdictions.

Selecting a class does not mean that your trademark automatically gains protection for everything that could fall within that class. The specific list of goods and services remains essential.

How Is the Nice Classification Organized?

The Nice Classification is more than simply a numbered Nice classes list from 1 to 45.

The official classification includes:

• 45 classes of goods and services.
• A class heading summarizing the general content of each class.
• Explanatory notes helping clarify what a class includes or excludes.
• An alphabetical list of goods and services with their corresponding classification.

This is why finding the right classification is not always as simple as reading a class heading.

A single industry may require several Nice classes depending on exactly what the business sells or provides.

For example, a technology company may need to protect certain software products in one class while related technology services fall into another.

You can browse the official Nice Classification list on WIPO to review the classes, headings, explanatory notes and lists of goods and services.

What Is the Difference Between Goods and Services?

The first major division within the Nice Classification is straightforward:

Goods: products that a business manufactures or sells.

Examples include:

• food products;
• clothing and footwear;
• cosmetics;
• electronic devices;
• furniture.

Services: activities performed or provided by a business for customers or other businesses.

Examples include:

• advertising;
• telecommunications;
• transportation;
• education and training;
• consulting;
• restaurant services.

Goods occupy Nice Classes 1 to 34, while services are covered by Classes 35 to 45.

What Is the Current Version of the Nice Classification?

The Nice Classification is updated regularly to reflect changes in goods, services and commercial activity.

In 2026, the current edition is the 13th edition, NCL(13-2026), which entered into force on January 1, 2026. WIPO publishes new editions every three years and annual versions of each edition.

WIPO has already published NCL(13-2027) in advance, but that version will not enter into force until January 1, 2027.

You can consult the official Nice Classification published by WIPO to access the current version.

Keeping the classification up to date is particularly relevant in sectors where products and services evolve quickly, as classifications and terminology can change between versions.

How Do You Find the Right Nice Class for Your Trademark?

The right class depends on what you actually sell or which services you provide under the trademark.

Simply saying that your business operates in “technology,” for example, is not specific enough. A technology company might sell downloadable software, manufacture devices, provide software development services or offer training, and those activities may fall into different Nice classes.

As a starting point:

1. List the goods and services you currently offer.
2. Search those terms in the Nice Classification.
3. Check which class and description correspond to each activity.
4. Consider whether other related goods or services also need protection.

You can use our Free Nice Classification Tool to get class suggestions based on a description of what your business sells or does.

If you want to go deeper into the class-selection process, see our guide on how to identify the right class for a trademark search, where we explain how to build your goods and services inventory, refine descriptions, consider related classes and account for differences between jurisdictions.

Why the Description of Goods and Services Matters

Choosing the Nice class is only one part of the process.

A common misconception is that registering a trademark in a particular class automatically gives the owner rights over everything contained within that class.

It does not.

The scope of trademark protection depends primarily on:

1. The territory where the trademark is registered, because trademark rights are territorial.
2. The goods and services identified in the registration.

You can read more about the first point in our guide to the territorial limitations of registered trademarks.

What Happens If the Description Is Incorrect?

A poorly drafted description can mean that the trademark registration does not properly reflect the business activity it was intended to protect.

Potential consequences include:

• Insufficient protection if important goods or services are omitted.
• Unnecessary costs if classes are included that the business does not need.
• Objections or delays if the wording does not meet the requirements of the relevant trademark office.
• The need to file additional applications later if important activities were left out.

For this reason, you should not select a Nice class simply because its general heading appears to describe your business.

Although the Nice Classification provides an international framework, individual trademark offices can apply their own requirements when assessing how goods and services must be identified and described.

Can Trademarks in Different Nice Classes Still Conflict?

Yes.

The Nice Classification organizes goods and services, but the 45 classes do not operate as completely separate legal compartments.

Identical or similar trademarks may be able to coexist where their goods or services are sufficiently unrelated and consumers would not reasonably assume that they come from the same business.

However, being in different Nice classes does not automatically prevent a trademark conflict.

For example:

• beer → Class 32
• alcoholic beverages, except beer → Class 33

These goods fall into different classes but can still be closely related commercially.

When assessing a potential trademark conflict, factors may include:

• the relationship between the goods or services;
• how and where they are sold;
• the relevant consumers;
• whether consumers might believe they come from the same or connected businesses.

This is why a trademark search may need to consider related goods, services and classes, rather than looking only at the exact Nice class in which you plan to file.

What About Well-Known Trademarks?

Marks with a particularly high degree of recognition may benefit from broader protection that is not limited simply by the Nice classes in which they are registered.

The Nice Classification is therefore essential for organizing trademark applications and searches, but it does not by itself determine whether two trademarks can legally coexist.

The Nice Classification Does Not Replace a Trademark Strategy

Understanding the Nice Classification system is an important first step in defining what you want your trademark to protect.

The 45 Nice classes provide a common framework, but a strong trademark application requires more than choosing a class number. The relevant goods and services must be identified accurately, appropriate descriptions must be used, and the requirements of the countries where protection is sought must also be considered.

If you are not sure which class corresponds to your activity, start with our Free Nice Classification Tool.

And if you are ready to protect your brand, our International Trademark Registration Service coordinates trademark filings across your chosen markets through one dedicated point of contact.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Nice Classification

How Many Classes Are in the Nice Classification?

The Nice Classification contains 45 trademark classes. Classes 1 to 34 cover goods, while Classes 35 to 45 cover services.

What Is a Nice Class?

A Nice class is a category used to group particular goods or services within the Nice Classification system. When filing a trademark application, you identify the classes corresponding to the goods or services you want the trademark to cover.

Can I Register a Trademark in More Than One Class?

Yes. A trademark application can cover multiple classes where the mark is used, or intended to be protected, for different goods or services. The appropriate selection depends on the activities you need the registration to cover.

Does Being in a Different Trademark Class Avoid a Conflict?

Not necessarily. Goods or services can fall into different Nice classes and still be commercially related. The class number is a classification tool, not an automatic rule for determining whether trademarks are confusingly similar or can coexist.

How Can I Find the Nice Class for My Product or Service?

You can search the official WIPO Nice Classification or use our Free Nice Classification Tool to get suggested classes based on the goods or services you provide.