Trademark Classes · Class 2
Class 2 covers paints, varnishes, lacquers, and colourants, plus preservatives against rust and wood decay, and raw natural resins. Here is what it includes, what it excludes, and how to word it.
Class 2 is a goods class covering paints, varnishes, lacquers, and colourants, together with preservatives against rust and the deterioration of wood, dyes, mordants, raw natural resins, and metals in foil and powder form for painting, decorating, printing, and art.
The unifying idea is coating and colouring materials, the products applied to a surface to protect or colour it. This sits next to Class 1 (raw industrial chemicals) but is distinct: Class 2 is the finished coating, Class 1 is the raw chemical input. This page is part of our full guide to all 45 trademark classes, and to how protection works across jurisdictions in our overview of trademark law and protection.
Work out whether your product or service genuinely sits in Class 2 before you file, because a wrong class protects the wrong thing.
Manufacturers of paints, wall and industrial coatings, varnishes and lacquers, wood and metal preservatives, printing inks and toners, dyes and pigments, and anti-rust preparations. If your product is applied to a surface to colour or protect it, Class 2 is very likely your class. Our trademark class search helps you check which classes fit before you file.
The most common Class 2 mistakes come from classifying by the wrong feature. These closely related items sit elsewhere:
Unprocessed chemical inputs, resins, and industrial chemicals are Class 1. Class 2 covers the finished coating or colourant.
Colourants for cosmetic use, such as hair dyes or make-up, are Class 3, not Class 2.
Some artists’ materials sit in Class 16; check the specific item.
The Registry expects specific, standardised descriptions, not vague terms. Here are examples of clear, acceptable Class 2 wording:
| Instead of (vague) | Use (standardised) |
|---|---|
| “Paint” | “Paints for use in industry” · “Paints for use in the building trade” |
| “Ink” | “Printing ink” · “Toners for printers” |
| “Dye” | “Dyestuffs” · “Colorants for use in the manufacture of [specify]” |
| “Anti-rust” | “Preservatives against rust” · “Anti-corrosive preparations” |
Each entry is specific and standardised. These are illustrative examples of acceptable phrasing, not legal advice for your filing; your exact wording should be drawn from the current NICE Classification and tailored to what your business actually does. Wording is a common cause of objections whether you file in India, the United States, Argentina, or elsewhere. For filing across several countries at once, see our global registration guide.
Class 2 covers paints, varnishes, lacquers, and colourants, along with preservatives against rust and wood deterioration, dyes and pigments, mordants, raw natural resins, and metals in foil and powder form for painting, decorating, printing, and art. The common theme is coating and colouring materials applied to surfaces. Raw industrial chemicals belong in Class 1, and cosmetic colourants belong in Class 3.
Manufacturers of paints, coatings, varnishes, lacquers, wood and metal preservatives, printing inks and toners, dyes, and pigments. If your product is applied to a surface to colour or protect it, Class 2 is likely your class. Businesses making raw chemical inputs rather than finished coatings would generally file in Class 1 instead.
Class 1 covers raw and industrial chemicals, the inputs used to manufacture other products. Class 2 covers the finished coatings and colourants, paints, varnishes, dyes, and inks, that are applied to surfaces. A pigment sold as a raw material may sit in Class 1, while a finished paint using that pigment is Class 2. The distinction turns on whether the product is a raw input or a finished coating.
Yes. Printing inks and toners are classified in Class 2, along with other colourants and coating materials. Writing inks for stationery use, however, are classified in Class 16, so the intended use of the ink determines its class.
Use specific, standardised terms rather than the bare word paint. Specify the product and its use, such as paints for the building trade, printing ink, preservatives against rust, or dyestuffs. Draw wording from the current NICE Classification and the relevant registry’s tools, tailored to your actual products, since vague descriptions are a common cause of objections.
Whether you are protecting your brand in one market or several, we identify the classes you need and handle registration worldwide, worded to avoid an avoidable objection.
