Trademark Class 16: Paper goods and printed matter — What It Covers, With a Live Count
Short answer
Trademark class 16 covers paper and cardboard, printed matter, books, stationery, office supplies, artists' materials, packaging, and teaching materials. It is a goods class, and as of September 14, 2026 it holds 162,785 live US marks, 3.4% of the register, ranking 10 of 45 by size. A registration in class 16 protects the name only for these goods; the same name can be, and often is, registered by an unrelated business in another class.
Class 16 is a large class, with 162,785 live marks out of 4,796,936 across all 45 classes. A live mark is one that is registered or pending; the count is computed from USPTO bulk data by each mark's primary class and refreshed daily.
Class 16 is the printed thing. A magazine in print is 16; the same magazine online is a class 41 service; the downloadable PDF is 9. Publishers typically file 16 and 41 together. Planners and journals are the fastest-growing part of the class and are almost always 16 alone.
What files in class 16
| Typically in class 16 | Examples of businesses |
|---|---|
| books, magazines, and printed publications | publishers |
| stationery, notebooks, and planners | stationery brands |
| greeting cards and calendars | office supply companies |
| office supplies: pens, staplers, files | art supply makers |
| artists' brushes, canvases, and paints | packaging companies |
| paper packaging and bags | greeting card publishers |
| stickers and decals | |
| printed teaching materials |
The USPTO's ID Manual lists the accepted descriptions for class 16. Choosing one of them keeps the filing fee at $350 per class; a custom description costs $550. See what a trademark costs.
What is not in class 16
| Looks like class 16, but is | Class |
|---|---|
| ebooks and digital publications | 9 |
| publishing services and online magazines | 41 |
| online retail of stationery | 35 |
| printing services | 40 |
| paint | 2 |
The class follows the product, not the industry. A business in this field will often need one of the classes above as well as class 16; the second class is a second filing fee, and a registration in one does not cover the other.
Coordinated classes
The USPTO searches class 16 together with these classes when it examines an application, because confusion between them is common. A live mark in a coordinated class can block a class 16 application, and a class 16 mark can block one of these.
A near match in a coordinated class is worth reading closely. A near match anywhere else on the register is usually not. See is my name trademarked for how to read one.
How crowded class 16 is
| Live marks in class 16 | 162,785 |
| Share of the 45-class register | 3.4% |
| Rank by size | 10 of 45 |
| As of | September 14, 2026 |
A crowded class means more near matches to read through, and a higher chance that one of them is in your actual field. With this many live marks, a coined name of five or six letters will almost always have a neighbour somewhere in the class; the question is whether the goods overlap.
Before you file in class 16
- Confirm the goods are actually class 16 against the USPTO ID Manual, not against the industry the business is in.
- Check the neighbouring classes in the table above for anything the business also sells or does.
- Search the name on Silvol and read every live match by class: class 16 and its coordinated classes matter; others usually do not.
- Budget per class. Each class is $350 to file and $650 every ten years to maintain.
Common questions
What is trademark class 16?
Class 16 is the Nice classification for paper and cardboard, printed matter, books, stationery, office supplies, artists' materials, packaging, and teaching materials. It is one of the 34 goods classes (1–34), and it currently holds 162,785 live US marks.
What does class 16 cover?
Paper and cardboard, printed matter, books, stationery, office supplies, artists' materials, packaging, and teaching materials. The USPTO's ID Manual has the full list of accepted descriptions; the examples above are the common ones.
How much does it cost to trademark in class 16?
$350 in USPTO fees for a clean electronic application using an ID Manual description, $550 with a custom description, plus $650 per class every ten years to maintain. Attorney fees, if any, are on top.
Is class 16 crowded?
It holds 162,785 live marks, 3.4% of the register, ranking 10 of 45. That is above average.
Can two businesses have the same name in class 16?
Not for similar goods. Two marks in the same class for overlapping goods or services will conflict. The same name in an unrelated class usually will not.
What are the coordinated classes for class 16?
9, 35, 41, 42. The USPTO searches these together with class 16 because confusion across them is common.
Keep reading
- All 45 trademark classes, with live counts
- Is my name trademarked? How to read a match by class
- How much does a trademark cost, per class
Silvol checks a name against live US federal trademarks and the .com zone. It is not a law firm, does not clear names for use, and does not cover state registrations or unregistered marks. Class counts are computed from USPTO bulk data by primary class and refreshed daily.
Register counts as of September 14, 2026. Silvol is not a law firm and does not clear names for use.