All classes · Class 13
Class 13: Firearms: trademark trends & clearance risk
Class 13 is the 43rd busiest of the 45 classes, with 34,908 U.S. applications on record and 2,545 waiting for a decision. Its registration rate of 67.1% ranks 18th of 45, above the 61.9% average. Filings rose 6.1% in 2025, the most in a decade. 54.9% of applications filed from 2015 to 2019 drew an Office Action, the lowest share of any class. The word used most in its live marks is "tactical", in 231 of them.
What it covers: Firearms; ammunition and projectiles; explosives; fireworks
Words already crowded in Class 13
The words that appear most often in the 15,680 live Class 13 marks. A word that many owners already use gets narrow protection: two marks that share it are usually told apart by the rest of the name. That cuts both ways. A new name built on "tactical" is easier to fit in, and harder to defend against the next one.
| Word | Live marks using it |
|---|---|
| tactical | 231 |
| arms | 216 |
| fireworks | 185 |
| gun | 160 |
| defense | 150 |
| precision | 106 |
| american | 101 |
| armory | 94 |
| ammunition | 89 |
| black | 83 |
| gear | 77 |
| firearms | 76 |
| fire | 75 |
| ammo | 73 |
| pyro | 70 |
Live marks are registered or pending. Words of three letters or more, counted once per mark; articles and company suffixes left out. Rebuilt weekly.
Check before you file. The free clearance risk check finds marks that look or sound like yours in Class 13, not only exact matches. If your mark has a logo, run it through the logo similarity search too.
Easy to confuse with Class 13
Filing in the wrong class means paying again, so check where your goods or services actually belong.
- Firearms and ammunition are Class 13. Paintball guns, as sports equipment, are Class 28. Class 28: Toys & Sporting Goods
Not sure? Describe what you sell to the class recommender.
Wording that got through in Class 13
The descriptions of goods and services used most often in Class 13 applications that went on to register, filed since 2020. Wording that examiners have accepted thousands of times is a safer start than your own: a description written freely costs $200 more per class and is a common reason for an Office Action asking you to rephrase. Check the exact entry in the USPTO's ID Manual before you file.
| Description | Registered marks using it |
|---|---|
| Firearms | 894 |
| Fireworks | 629 |
| Holsters | 453 |
| Ammunition | 426 |
| Component parts for guns | 397 |
| Gun cases | 304 |
| Pistol holsters | 294 |
| Sights, other than telescopic sights, for firearms | 271 |
| Cleaning brushes for firearms | 252 |
| Sighting mirrors for guns and rifles | 235 |
| Firearm attachments, namely, mounts for attaching accessories to a firearm | 222 |
| Gun belts | 222 |
| Rifles | 216 |
| Ammunition bags | 215 |
| Shoulder straps for weapons | 206 |
| Guns | 204 |
| Sighting mirrors for guns | 199 |
| Cartridge pouches | 188 |
| Gun mounts | 186 |
| Firearm attachments, namely, mounts for attaching gun sights to a firearm | 185 |
Each application's description split into its separate items, counted once per application. Source: USPTO records. Rebuilt weekly.
What examination did to Class 13 applications
The 7,110 Class 13 applications filed from 2015 to 2019, followed through their file histories. 64.7% of them registered 3.2 points better than the all-class average.
| What happened | Applications | Share | All 45 classes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filed in this class | 7,110 | 100% | – |
| Drew at least one Office Action | 3,906 | 54.9% | 58.4% |
| Escalated to a final refusal | 677 | 9.5% | 8.9% |
| Abandoned for never answering one | 1,360 | 19.1% | – |
| Registered in the end | 4,599 | 64.7% | 61.5% |
Every share is of the 7,110 applications filed. Rows overlap: an application that drew an Office Action and then registered is counted in both.
Of the 3,906 Class 13 applications that drew one, 34.8% were abandoned for never answering or answering late. Of those that did answer, 83.1% went on to register. If you get one, the deadline matters more than the refusal does: track it here, and put an email address you actually read on the application.
- How long it took. Half the Class 13 applications that registered did so within 12.2 months of filing, and nine in ten within 26.6 months.
- Intent to use. 40.6% reached a Notice of Allowance, with only proof of use left to file. Even then, 36.4% of them were abandoned without a Statement of Use ever being filed, and of the ones that bought three or more extensions first, only 39.5% made it to registration.
- Filing without an attorney. 79% of Class 13 applications had an attorney on record, and those registered 68.6% of the time against 49.8% without one. 60.8% of unrepresented applicants who drew an Office Action never answered it. Your odds in Class 13.
Cohort: applications with a filing date from 2015 to 2019, counted once in every class they claim. Outcome is whether a registration ever issued. Source: USPTO file histories. All 45 classes compared. How we count.
Status mix of all filings
| Status | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Live (registered) | 12,666 | 36.3% |
| Pending | 2,545 | 7.3% |
| Abandoned | 10,656 | 30.5% |
| Cancelled / expired | 9,041 | 25.9% |
Filings by year (last decade)
How many new applications were filed in this class each year. Excludes records with null filing dates (mostly very old paper backfile).
| Year | New filings | Volume |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 338 | |
| 2016 | 1,429 | |
| 2017 | 1,572 | |
| 2018 | 1,512 | |
| 2019 | 1,278 | |
| 2020 | 1,531 | |
| 2021 | 1,686 | |
| 2022 | 1,644 | |
| 2023 | 1,604 | |
| 2024 | 1,638 | |
| 2025 | 1,738 | |
| 2026 | 1,170 |
Source: USPTO bulk trademark feed. How we count.
International filings in Class 13 (Madrid System)
Where Class 13 marks are designated, and where they are refused
| Country / office | Designations | Provisional | Total refusals | Partial | Refusal rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States (US) | 153 | 99.3% | 7 | 2 | 4.6% |
| United Kingdom (GB) | 151 | 18.5% | 1 | 1 | 0.7% |
| European Union (EM) | 143 | 42.7% | 3 | 2 | 2.1% |
| Canada (CA) | 133 | 83.5% | 19 | 0 | 14.3% |
| Australia (AU) | 123 | 30.9% | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| China (CN) | 119 | 75.6% | 29 | 49 | 24.4% |
| Switzerland (CH) | 105 | 24.8% | 3 | 3 | 2.9% |
| Japan (JP) | 105 | 72.4% | 17 | 0 | 16.2% |
Most international Class 13 filers come from France (514), European Union (457), Germany (368), United States (270), Italy (205), Switzerland (156).
WIPO Madrid Monitor data (CC BY 4.0); refusals measured on 2019–2022 registrations. Why we count this way.
Most-active filers in this class
The 10 entities with the most trademark applications in Class 13.
| # | Filer | Applications in this class |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AMERICAN PROMOTIONAL EVENTS, INC. | 1,157 |
| 2 | B.J. Alan Company | 1,100 |
| 3 | INGRAM ENTERPRISES, INC. | 1,040 |
| 4 | PHANTOM I.P., LLC | 922 |
| 5 | OLIN CORPORATION | 858 |
| 6 | Alliant Techsystems Inc. | 595 |
| 7 | CHINA PYROTECHNICS, INC. | 496 |
| 8 | Palmetto State Armory, LLC | 494 |
| 9 | FEDERAL CARTRIDGE COMPANY | 465 |
| 10 | Phantom I.P., LLC | 396 |
Recently registered in Class 13
The latest marks the USPTO registered in this class, on 29 September 2026.