If you have an identifying mark or phrase for your company, you may want to protect it with a trademark. A trademark protects your company’s phrase, design, or symbol so that it can’t be used by anyone else.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) divides trademarks into 45 classes, each representing a specific category of goods or services.
This article covers Trademark Class 6, which broadly covers all kinds of common metals.
What Are Trademark Classes?
The different trademark classes allow more than one company to use the same name, as long as they are not in the same class or industry.
There are thousands of trademarks already, and more applications come in every day.
The trademark classes allow for more options for trademark registratio.
For example, a grocery store or a skincare line could both seek to trademark a phrase including "nature's best."
The USPTO can approve both trademarks because they aren’t in the same class, and therefore won’t be in competition with each other.
You’ll be required to specify which class or classes your trademark belongs to when you apply for a trademark.
In your application, you’ll describe your company’s product or service to be sure you are filing in the right class.
The Class 6 Trademark
Trademark Class 6 is a large category that has to do with common metals. It covers mainly unwrought and partly wrought metals and the products that are made with them.
Unwrought means that the metal hasn’t been mixed with another substance and is close to its natural form. Some common examples of good registered under Class 6 are listed below.
Materials for Railways
All metal materials for building railroad tracks are in this class.
This includes ties, turntables, and switches for railroads.
Metal Pipes and Tubes
Class 6 includes any type of pipe, tube, or hose made of metal, as well as metal fasteners.
This also includes:
- Heating ducts
- Pipes for oil wells
- Water pipes
- All metal valves, elbows, and fittings
Metal Building Materials
These metal products are the “armor plating” that protects buildings.
This category includes metal products such as:
- Metal ceilings and roofs
- Cornices and flashing
- Paving blocks
- Floor tiles
- Grates, grills, and manholes
- Any other metal construction materials
- Ladders and scaffolding used to construct buildings
Materials for Welding, Soldering, and Molds
All materials for welding metal and soldering wire are also in this class.
The molds that are used to make decorative objects like cornices are also in Class 6.
Raw Unprocessed or Semi-Processed Metals
These are metals that are not specified for a specific use. This includes steel, iron, brass, nickel, silver, and aluminum in their raw forms.
These metals could be in the form of ore, solid slabs, or powder.
Metal Handles, Knobs, and Other Hardware
Remember the big metal anvil that always fell on your favorite cartoon villain? It would be in Class 6.
This class also includes other useful metal hardware, from coat hooks to bicycle racks.
Some examples of these types of products include:
- Metal knife handles
- Hinges and brackets
- Fire screens
- Metal knobs
- Screw tops
- Doors, gates, and metal window coverings
Nuts and Bolts
Speaking of hardware, the nails, nuts, and bolts that you buy at the hardware store would also fall under Class 6.
This list also includes screws and washers, keys and locks, and door bolts.
Wires, Chains, and Cables
All uninsulated wires and chains are in this group.
This would include barbed wire, metal ropes, and all the metal binders that go along with wires and chains.
Signs and Statues
Any signs or advertisements made of metal are in Class 6 as well.
This includes products from giant road signs to small labels, as long as they are made of metal.
Trademark Class 6 also includes metal statues and markers used for other means, such as:
- Tombs
- Plaques
- Works of art
- Weather vanes
Metal Structures Generally
This category covers small metal buildings, bird-baths, arbors, fences, stables, and loading docks.
Basically, if it's a structure made of metal it would fall under this category.
Related Products that Don't Fall in Class 6
If you’re not sure if your product falls under Class 6, consider filing under one of these closely related classes:
- Class 2 – Paints: Class 2 includes metals that are in powder or leaf form to be used in paint. That kind of metal would not be in class 6.
- Class 19 – Building Materials: This class refers only non-metal building materials.
- Class 35 – Advertising and Business Services: while the class 6 trademark category does cover metal signage used in advertising, it does not include business or advertising services themselves.
- Class 40 – Treatment of Materials: This class includes the service of smelting or treatment of metals, but not the metals themselves.
Conclusion
Trademark Class 6 broadly covers most goods that are composed of, or relate to, common metals.
It’s important to file your trademark application under the correct class so that the USPTO doesn’t reject it.
While you may file under multiple classes, you will have to pay the filing fee for each class you register your mark under.
For this reason, it's important to get your application right the first time.
An experienced trademark attorney can help you understand the trademark classes and choose the appropriate class.
A lawyer can also make sure you are not using a trademark that is too similar to another company’s before you go through the application process.
