Trademark Classes · Class 21
Class 21 covers kitchen and household utensils and containers, cookware, glassware, crockery, and cleaning articles. Here is what it includes, what it excludes, and how to word it.
Class 21 is a goods class covering household and kitchen utensils and containers, cookware, tableware (except cutlery), glassware, porcelain and earthenware, and cleaning articles such as brushes and cloths. It includes pots, pans, crockery, drinking vessels, and non-electric kitchen tools.
The theme is non-electric kitchen and household articles. Two boundaries matter: cutlery is Class 8, and electric cooking or cleaning appliances are Class 11 or Class 7. 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 21 before you file, because a wrong class protects the wrong thing.
Makers of cookware and kitchenware, crockery and tableware, glassware and drinkware, and household cleaning articles such as brushes. If your product is a non-electric kitchen or household utensil or container, Class 21 is very likely your class. Our trademark class search helps you check which classes fit before you file.
The most common Class 21 mistakes come from classifying by the wrong feature. These closely related items sit elsewhere:
Knives, forks, and spoons are Class 8. Class 21 covers other tableware and utensils.
Electric cookers and kitchen machines are Class 11 or 7. Class 21 is non-electric utensils.
The Registry expects specific, standardised descriptions, not vague terms. Here are examples of clear, acceptable Class 21 wording:
| Instead of (vague) | Use (standardised) |
|---|---|
| “Kitchenware” | “Kitchen utensils” · “Cooking pots and pans” |
| “Crockery” | “Tableware, other than knives, forks and spoons” · “Crockery” |
| “Glassware” | “Glassware” · “Drinking glasses” |
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 21 covers household and kitchen utensils and containers, cookware, tableware other than cutlery, glassware, porcelain and earthenware, and cleaning articles such as brushes. It includes pots, pans, crockery, drinking vessels, and non-electric kitchen tools. Cutlery is classified in Class 8, and electric kitchen appliances in Class 11 or Class 7.
Makers of cookware and kitchenware, crockery and tableware, glassware and drinkware, and household cleaning articles such as brushes. If your product is a non-electric kitchen or household utensil or container, Class 21 is likely your class.
No. Cutlery, knives, forks, and spoons, is classified in Class 8, which covers hand-operated implements. Class 21 covers other tableware such as crockery, glassware, and serving dishes, but not the cutlery itself. A tableware brand selling both may need Class 8 and Class 21.
Class 11 covers powered cooking and heating apparatus such as ovens and cookers. Class 21 covers non-electric kitchen utensils and containers such as pots, pans, and crockery. A cooker is Class 11, but a saucepan used on it is Class 21. The distinction is between appliances and hand utensils.
Use specific, standardised terms such as kitchen utensils, cooking pots and pans, glassware, or tableware other than knives forks and spoons, rather than vague words like kitchenware. Draw wording from the current NICE Classification and tailor it to your products to reduce objection risk.
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.
