Patent Attorney and Founder
What trademark class should I pick for my electrical goods?
Good question—and the short answer is: it depends.
You can’t just list “electrical goods” in a trademark application. That’s way too broad. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) wants you to be specific. Are we talking about light bulbs? Battery chargers? Power tools? Electrical sockets?
Here’s a quick breakdown:
- Light bulbs? Class 11.
- Battery chargers? Usually Class 9.
- Hand tools or tradesmen’s tools? That’s a whole different class.
If you’re selling everyday consumer electronics—like chargers, headphones, or power strips—you’re probably in Class 9. But that’s a guess. We’d need to know exactly what you’re selling to be sure.
We’ve had clients who said “I sell electrical gear,” and it turns out they meant things like circuit testers or wall panels—totally different class. That’s why it’s always worth taking the time to get clear on your product list.
Now, what happens if you guess the class and get it wrong?
Well, if you’re lucky, the USPTO examiner might suggest the right one. But if you listed a bunch of unrelated items across different classes? That’s where things get messy.
You could end up with:
- Several new class assignments
- Extra fees
- And a whole lot of back-and-forth with the examiner
Worse, if the goods aren’t described clearly enough, your application could get rejected.
Bottom line: talk to an attorney first. It’s faster, cleaner, and usually cheaper than fixing mistakes after the fact.