All classes · Class 23
Class 23: Yarns & Threads: trademark trends & clearance risk
Class 23 is the 45th busiest of the 45 classes, with 12,189 U.S. applications on record and 554 waiting for a decision. Its registration rate of 76.8% ranks the highest of any class, above the 61.9% average. Filings fell 20.5% in 2025, and are still below the 560 filed in the peak year of 2024. 64.8% of applications filed from 2015 to 2019 drew an Office Action, the 11th highest share. The word used most in its live marks is "yarn", in 64 of them.
What it covers: Yarns and threads, for textile use
Words already crowded in Class 23
The words that appear most often in the 3,814 live Class 23 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 "yarn" is easier to fit in, and harder to defend against the next one.
| Word | Live marks using it |
|---|---|
| yarn | 64 |
| yarns | 40 |
| cotton | 36 |
| fiber | 29 |
| wool | 25 |
| fibers | 17 |
| stitch | 16 |
| red | 15 |
| thread | 14 |
| baby | 13 |
| eco | 13 |
| knit | 13 |
| one | 13 |
| berroco | 12 |
| color | 12 |
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 23, not only exact matches. If your mark has a logo, run it through the logo similarity search too.
Easy to confuse with Class 23
Filing in the wrong class means paying again, so check where your goods or services actually belong.
- Sewing thread and yarn are Class 23. Needles, buttons and ribbons are Class 26. Class 26: Fancy Goods
- Threads for textile use are Class 23. Ropes and string are Class 22. Class 22: Cordage
Not sure? Describe what you sell to the class recommender.
Wording that got through in Class 23
The descriptions of goods and services used most often in Class 23 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 |
|---|---|
| Yarn | 611 |
| Thread | 356 |
| Cotton thread | 345 |
| Sewing thread and yarn | 316 |
| Cotton thread and yarn | 280 |
| Rayon thread and yarn | 280 |
| Spun wool | 275 |
| Woollen thread and yarn | 251 |
| Spun cotton | 237 |
| Cotton yarn | 228 |
| Embroidery thread and yarn | 225 |
| Chenille yarn | 217 |
| Wool thread | 216 |
| Elastic thread and yarn for textile use | 211 |
| Spun thread and yarn | 199 |
| Sewing thread | 193 |
| Darning thread and yarn | 192 |
| Linen thread and yarn | 192 |
| Embroidery thread | 186 |
| Wool yarn | 186 |
Each application's description split into its separate items, counted once per application. Source: USPTO records. Rebuilt weekly.
What examination did to Class 23 applications
The 1,593 Class 23 applications filed from 2015 to 2019, followed through their file histories. 71.4% of them registered 9.9 points better than the all-class average.
| What happened | Applications | Share | All 45 classes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filed in this class | 1,593 | 100% | – |
| Drew at least one Office Action | 1,033 | 64.8% | 58.4% |
| Escalated to a final refusal | 179 | 11.2% | 8.9% |
| Abandoned for never answering one | 231 | 14.5% | – |
| Registered in the end | 1,137 | 71.4% | 61.5% |
Every share is of the 1,593 applications filed. Rows overlap: an application that drew an Office Action and then registered is counted in both.
Of the 1,033 Class 23 applications that drew one, 22.4% were abandoned for never answering or answering late. Of those that did answer, 87.5% 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 23 applications that registered did so within 13.1 months of filing, and nine in ten within 27.4 months.
- Intent to use. 31.2% reached a Notice of Allowance, with only proof of use left to file. Even then, 38.6% of them were abandoned without a Statement of Use ever being filed, and of the ones that bought three or more extensions first, only 41.2% made it to registration.
- Filing without an attorney. 80.7% of Class 23 applications had an attorney on record, and those registered 75.6% of the time against 53.9% without one. 50.9% of unrepresented applicants who drew an Office Action never answered it. Your odds in Class 23.
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) | 3,441 | 28.2% |
| Pending | 554 | 4.5% |
| Abandoned | 2,699 | 22.1% |
| Cancelled / expired | 5,495 | 45.1% |
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 | 70 | |
| 2016 | 259 | |
| 2017 | 367 | |
| 2018 | 345 | |
| 2019 | 343 | |
| 2020 | 435 | |
| 2021 | 511 | |
| 2022 | 360 | |
| 2023 | 471 | |
| 2024 | 560 | |
| 2025 | 445 | |
| 2026 | 301 |
Source: USPTO bulk trademark feed. How we count.
International filings in Class 23 (Madrid System)
Where Class 23 marks are designated, and where they are refused
| Country / office | Designations | Provisional | Total refusals | Partial | Refusal rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Union (EM) | 196 | 42.9% | 3 | 2 | 1.5% |
| United States (US) | 186 | 94.1% | 5 | 0 | 2.7% |
| United Kingdom (GB) | 175 | 21.1% | 2 | 0 | 1.1% |
| China (CN) | 173 | 71.7% | 36 | 65 | 20.8% |
| Switzerland (CH) | 150 | 11.3% | 4 | 1 | 2.7% |
| Türkiye (TR) | 148 | 25.7% | 1 | 1 | 0.7% |
| South Korea (KR) | 145 | 89.7% | 13 | 1 | 9% |
| India (IN) | 144 | 57.6% | 27 | 0 | 18.8% |
Most international Class 23 filers come from France (546), Italy (431), European Union (376), Germany (309), Japan (205), Switzerland (197).
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 23.
| # | Filer | Applications in this class |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | J. & P. COATS, LIMITED | 1,042 |
| 2 | Universal Yarn, Inc. | 444 |
| 3 | ORCHARD YARN AND THREAD COMPANY INC. | 395 |
| 4 | BERROCO, INC. | 361 |
| 5 | COATS & CLARK INC. | 246 |
| 6 | UNIFI, INC. | 151 |
| 7 | AMERICAN & EFIRD, INC. | 143 |
| 8 | NATIONAL SPINNING CO. INC. | 127 |
| 9 | E.I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY | 119 |
| 10 | TORAY KABUSHIKI KAISHA (TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.) | 118 |