All classes · Class 21
Class 21: Housewares: trademark trends & clearance risk
Class 21 is the 12th busiest of the 45 classes, with 414,541 U.S. applications on record and 40,043 waiting for a decision. Its registration rate of 67.5% ranks 17th of 45, above the 61.9% average. Filings fell 9.8% in 2025, and are still below the 38,381 filed in the peak year of 2021. 58.5% of applications filed from 2015 to 2019 drew an Office Action, the 7th lowest share. The word used most in its live marks is "home", in 1,513 of them.
What it covers: Household or kitchen utensils and containers; combs and sponges; brushes
Words already crowded in Class 21
The words that appear most often in the 196,312 live Class 21 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 "home" is easier to fit in, and harder to defend against the next one.
| Word | Live marks using it |
|---|---|
| home | 1,513 |
| life | 850 |
| kitchen | 620 |
| coffee | 565 |
| love | 523 |
| beauty | 516 |
| pet | 490 |
| clean | 483 |
| pro | 472 |
| world | 427 |
| university | 418 |
| good | 416 |
| products | 414 |
| collection | 412 |
| living | 410 |
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 21, not only exact matches. If your mark has a logo, run it through the logo similarity search too.
Easy to confuse with Class 21
Filing in the wrong class means paying again, so check where your goods or services actually belong.
- Cookware, serving utensils and kitchen containers are Class 21. Knives, forks and spoons are Class 8. Class 8: Hand Tools
- Non-electric pots and pans are Class 21. Electric cooking appliances are Class 11. Class 11: Environmental Control
- Make-up brushes and cosmetic sponges are Class 21. The cosmetics themselves are Class 3. Class 3: Cosmetics & Cleaning
Not sure? Describe what you sell to the class recommender.
Wording that got through in Class 21
The descriptions of goods and services used most often in Class 21 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 |
|---|---|
| Containers for household or kitchen use | 14,650 |
| Cups | 13,754 |
| Cleaning brushes for household use | 8,769 |
| Dinnerware | 8,384 |
| Cosmetic brushes | 8,221 |
| Kitchen containers | 7,980 |
| Dishware | 6,883 |
| Mugs | 6,860 |
| Bowls | 6,853 |
| Lunch boxes | 6,355 |
| Make-up brushes | 6,095 |
| Combs | 5,856 |
| Crockery, namely, pots, dishes, drinking cups and saucers, bowls, serving bowls and trays | 5,542 |
| Dishers | 5,398 |
| Pet feeding and drinking bowls | 5,062 |
| Bottle openers | 4,948 |
| Cups and mugs | 4,946 |
| Ceramic sculptures, vases, vessels, bowls, plates and pots | 4,858 |
| Coffee cups, tea cups and mugs | 4,855 |
| Grooming tools for pets, namely, combs and brushes | 4,821 |
Each application's description split into its separate items, counted once per application. Source: USPTO records. Rebuilt weekly.
What examination did to Class 21 applications
The 68,361 Class 21 applications filed from 2015 to 2019, followed through their file histories. 66.4% of them registered 4.9 points better than the all-class average.
| What happened | Applications | Share | All 45 classes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filed in this class | 68,361 | 100% | – |
| Drew at least one Office Action | 39,971 | 58.5% | 58.4% |
| Escalated to a final refusal | 6,459 | 9.4% | 8.9% |
| Abandoned for never answering one | 11,015 | 16.1% | – |
| Registered in the end | 45,404 | 66.4% | 61.5% |
Every share is of the 68,361 applications filed. Rows overlap: an application that drew an Office Action and then registered is counted in both.
Of the 39,971 Class 21 applications that drew one, 27.6% were abandoned for never answering or answering late. Of those that did answer, 81.6% 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 21 applications that registered did so within 11.1 months of filing, and nine in ten within 26.8 months.
- Intent to use. 37.1% reached a Notice of Allowance, with only proof of use left to file. Even then, 43.3% of them were abandoned without a Statement of Use ever being filed, and of the ones that bought three or more extensions first, only 36.6% made it to registration.
- Filing without an attorney. 68.3% of Class 21 applications had an attorney on record, and those registered 69.9% of the time against 59% without one. 47.4% of unrepresented applicants who drew an Office Action never answered it. Your odds in Class 21.
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) | 165,080 | 39.8% |
| Pending | 40,043 | 9.7% |
| Abandoned | 121,746 | 29.4% |
| Cancelled / expired | 87,672 | 21.1% |
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 | 2,143 | |
| 2016 | 10,932 | |
| 2017 | 14,249 | |
| 2018 | 15,921 | |
| 2019 | 18,651 | |
| 2020 | 34,686 | |
| 2021 | 38,381 | |
| 2022 | 27,463 | |
| 2023 | 29,354 | |
| 2024 | 32,321 | |
| 2025 | 29,158 | |
| 2026 | 22,529 |
Source: USPTO bulk trademark feed. How we count.
International filings in Class 21 (Madrid System)
Where Class 21 marks are designated, and where they are refused
| Country / office | Designations | Provisional | Total refusals | Partial | Refusal rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States (US) | 2,322 | 97.8% | 70 | 1 | 3% |
| European Union (EM) | 2,275 | 32.4% | 61 | 26 | 2.7% |
| China (CN) | 2,240 | 74.8% | 402 | 897 | 17.9% |
| United Kingdom (GB) | 2,161 | 17.9% | 8 | 9 | 0.4% |
| Switzerland (CH) | 1,977 | 14.4% | 50 | 1 | 2.5% |
| Canada (CA) | 1,912 | 92% | 375 | 0 | 19.6% |
| Australia (AU) | 1,804 | 36% | 5 | 5 | 0.3% |
| Japan (JP) | 1,580 | 81.6% | 235 | 0 | 14.9% |
Most international Class 21 filers come from European Union (5,001), Germany (3,939), France (3,570), United States (2,319), United Kingdom (1,738), Switzerland (1,696).
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 21.
| # | Filer | Applications in this class |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CONAIR CORPORATION | 980 |
| 2 | Disney Enterprises, Inc. | 911 |
| 3 | LIFETIME BRANDS, INC. | 812 |
| 4 | American Greetings Corporation | 748 |
| 5 | WILTON INDUSTRIES, INC. | 678 |
| 6 | JOHNSON & JOHNSON | 657 |
| 7 | S.C. JOHNSON & SON, INC. | 647 |
| 8 | COLGATE-PALMOLIVE COMPANY | 640 |
| 9 | TARGET BRANDS, INC. | 612 |
| 10 | DART INDUSTRIES INC. | 587 |
Recently registered in Class 21
The latest marks the USPTO registered in this class, on 29 September 2026.