Trademark Class 8: Hand Tools and Cutlery
Hand-operated tools and implements; cutlery; side arms other than firearms; and razors.
What Class 8 covers in practice.
Class 8 covers hand-operated tools and implements, cutlery, side arms other than firearms, and razors. In practice it takes hand tools for carpenters, masons, mechanics and farmers (hammers, spanners, pliers, chisels, sickles, spades), table and kitchen cutlery (knives, forks, spoons, peelers), scissors, and personal-grooming implements such as razors, hair clippers, hair straightening irons, nail clippers and manicure sets, whether electric or not. Clothes irons are also listed here in the current edition.
The main boundary is hand operation. The same job done by a motor-driven machine goes to Class 7, so an electric hand drill is Class 7 while a hand-operated hand drill is Class 8. Grooming and body-art implements are the exception: electric razors, hair clippers and tattooing apparatus stay in Class 8. Surgical cutlery is Class 10, firearms Class 13, and serving or kitchen utensils such as ladles and spatulas are Class 21. Indian filers include hand-tool makers in the Jalandhar cluster, steel-cutlery and kitchen-knife brands, scissors manufacturers, and personal-care brands selling trimmers and straighteners.
Not in Class 8
Goods and services often confused with this class, and the class they actually belong to.
-
Power tools such as electric drills and electric screwdrivers Class 7 ↗
The Class 8 note excludes machine tools and implements driven by a motor, which belong in Class 7.
-
Surgical scalpels and surgical scissors Class 10 ↗
The Class 8 note excludes surgical cutlery, which is classified with medical instruments in Class 10.
-
Serving ladles, kitchen spatulas, tongs, pestles and mortars Class 21 ↗
The Class 8 note sends serving utensils and kitchen utensils to Class 21; only table cutlery and cutting tools stay in Class 8.
-
Firearms Class 13 ↗
Class 8 covers side arms other than firearms; the note sends side arms being firearms to Class 13.
-
Paper knives and office paper shredders Class 16 ↗
The Class 8 note lists paper knives and paper shredders for office use under Class 16.
-
Bicycle tyre pumps Class 12 ↗
Hand-operated pumps are Class 8, but the note excludes pumps for bicycle tyres and places them in Class 12.
What actually falls under Class 8.
The official heading is a legal category, not a shopping list — here are specific products and services from Class 8 people actually search for.
Apparatus for tattooing
Clothes irons
Clothes irons are Class 8 in NCL 13-2026; fabric steamers are Class 11 and ironing machines Class 7.
Cutlery / knives
Garden hand tools
Hair clippers for personal use
Electric and non-electric clippers both stay in Class 8; combs, including electric combs, are Class 21.
Hair straightening irons
Hair dryers are Class 11, not Class 8.
Hammers / spanners (hand tools)
Hand pumps
Pumps that are machines are Class 7 and bicycle tyre pumps Class 12.
Hand tools and implements (hand-operated)
Manicure / pedicure sets (hand tools)
Plastic table knives, forks and spoons
Serving ladles and kitchen spatulas are Class 21, not Class 8.
Pliers and wire strippers
Razors
Scissors
Sewing implements, hand-operated (scissors, shears)
Hand-operated cutting tools are Class 8. Sewing needles are not -- needles, pins, buttons and zips are Class 26 dressmakers articles, so a sewing kit can span both classes.
Sickles and scythes
Swords and daggers
Fencing weapons are Class 28 and firearms Class 13.
Vegetable choppers
Electric vegetable slicers and electric food processors are Class 7.
Which class is my product or service in?
Straight answers for the specific items people search for under Class 8.
Class 8. The Class 8 note covers electric and non-electric hand implements for personal grooming, and the Nice list includes beard clippers, hair clippers for personal use (electric and non-electric), electric or non-electric razors, nail clippers and depilation appliances. Being battery-powered does not move a trimmer to Class 9. Hair dryers are Class 11, and combs, including electric combs, are Class 21.
Class 8. The NCL 13-2026 list places clothes irons in Class 8 and does not list a separate electric iron in Class 9 or Class 11. Fabric steamers and steam cabinets for cleaning and freshening clothing are Class 11, and ironing machines and portable rotary steam presses for fabrics are Class 7. A laundry-care brand selling irons and garment steamers under one mark would need Classes 8 and 11.
Not always. Kitchen knives, table cutlery, hand-operated vegetable peelers and slicers and non-electric pizza cutters are Class 8. Serving ladles, mixing spoons, kitchen spatulas, sugar and ice tongs, nutcrackers and pestles and mortars are Class 21, as the Class 8 note states. Electric knives are Class 7. A kitchenware brand selling knives alongside ladles and spatulas usually files in Classes 8 and 21.
Class 8. The Class 8 explanatory note expressly includes table cutlery such as knives, forks and spoons made of precious metals, and the Nice list includes silver plate knives, forks and spoons. Class 14 covers precious metals, jewellery and watches, not table cutlery. Silver bowls, plates or glasses are a different question, since tableware other than knives, forks and spoons falls outside Class 8.
No. Hair straightening irons, curling tongs and other hand implements for hair curling are Class 8, which covers electric and non-electric hand implements for personal grooming. Hair dryers are listed in Class 11 as drying apparatus. Combs and brushes are Class 21. A hair-styling brand selling straighteners, dryers and brushes under one mark would usually need Classes 8, 11 and 21.
Hand-operated tools and implements; cutlery; side arms other than firearms; and razors.
Common examples include: Apparatus for tattooing, Clothes irons, Cutlery / knives, Garden hand tools, Hair clippers for personal use, Hair straightening irons, Hammers / spanners (hand tools), Hand pumps.
Hand tools and implements (hand-operated) falls under Trademark Class 8 — Hand Tools and Cutlery.
Cutlery / knives falls under Trademark Class 8 — Hand Tools and Cutlery.
Razors falls under Trademark Class 8 — Hand Tools and Cutlery.
Scissors falls under Trademark Class 8 — Hand Tools and Cutlery.
Search, file, and protect it properly.
We handle the trademark search, Form TM-A filing, and any objection or opposition that follows start to certificate.
Get Started
Share your details — our team calls back the same working day.