Examples
Google product category examples
google_product_category takes one value from Google's product taxonomy, written as a numeric ID (212) or as the full path (Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Shirts & Tops). Google recommends the ID. Below are 24 common products with their IDs checked against the taxonomy file, then seven catalogs that had to map categories in bulk and the rule each one used.
We connect your store, build the feed and keep it in sync. Updated 2026-10-27.
At a glance
- Send one category per product, as the ID or the full path, not both; the ID works in every language and survives translation.
- Pick the most specific branch that is true: Dresses (2271) rather than Clothing (1604), Kitchen & Dining Room Tables (4355) rather than Tables (6392).
- The attribute is optional in Merchant Center, which categorizes products itself; set it when Google's guess is wrong or when the category triggers required attributes such as size and gender for apparel.
- Meta accepts the same Google ID in its catalog, so one mapping serves Google Shopping and a Facebook catalog.
Google product category examples by vertical
| Product | ID | Full path |
|---|---|---|
| Midi dress | 2271 | Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Dresses |
| T-shirt or blouse | 212 | Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Shirts & Tops |
| Jeans or chinos | 204 | Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Pants |
| Rain jacket | 5598 | Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Outerwear > Coats & Jackets |
| Sneakers | 187 | Apparel & Accessories > Shoes |
| Handbag | 3032 | Apparel & Accessories > Handbags, Wallets & Cases > Handbags |
| Necklace | 196 | Apparel & Accessories > Jewelry > Necklaces |
| Sofa | 460 | Furniture > Sofas |
| Dining table | 4355 | Furniture > Tables > Kitchen & Dining Room Tables |
| Dining chair | 5886 | Furniture > Chairs > Kitchen & Dining Room Chairs |
| Office chair | 2045 | Furniture > Office Furniture > Office Chairs |
| Bookcase | 465 | Furniture > Shelving > Bookcases & Standing Shelves |
| Floor or table lamp | 4636 | Home & Garden > Lighting > Lamps |
| Headphones | 543626 | Electronics > Audio > Audio Components > Headphones & Headsets > Headphones |
| Smartphone | 267 | Electronics > Communications > Telephony > Mobile Phones |
| Phone case | 2353 | Electronics > Communications > Telephony > Mobile Phone Accessories > Mobile Phone Cases |
| Laptop | 328 | Electronics > Computers > Laptops |
| USB charger | 505295 | Electronics > Electronics Accessories > Power > Power Adapters & Chargers |
| Face moisturizer | 2592 | Health & Beauty > Personal Care > Cosmetics > Skin Care > Lotion & Moisturizer |
| Lipstick | 3021 | Health & Beauty > Personal Care > Cosmetics > Makeup > Lip Makeup > Lipstick |
| Coffee beans | 1868 | Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Beverages > Coffee |
| Espresso machine | 2422 | Home & Garden > Kitchen & Dining > Kitchen Appliances > Coffee Makers & Espresso Machines > Espresso Machines |
| Dog bed | 4434 | Animals & Pet Supplies > Pet Supplies > Dog Supplies > Dog Beds |
| Gift card | 53 | Arts & Entertainment > Party & Celebration > Gift Giving > Gift Cards & Certificates |
IDs and paths from Google's taxonomy-with-ids file (en-US, version 2021-09-21), checked 2026-10-27.
How to pick the right Google product category
- Start from what the product is, not where it sits in your menu: a "Summer Edit" collection contains dresses, sandals and hats, which are three categories.
- Go as deep as the taxonomy allows while staying true. Accessories have their own branches: a phone case is 2353, not the phone's 267.
- Watch categories that switch on extra requirements. Products under Apparel & Accessories (166) need color, gender and age_group for free listings, and Clothing (1604) and Shoes (187) need size in Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US.
- Use the ID in feeds that go to several countries. The path is translated per language (Furniture > Sofas is Möbel > Sofas in German), the ID 460 is not.
- Do not use the category to describe your own structure. That is product_type, a free-text path of up to 750 characters that you can use for campaign subdivision.
Google product category in feed format
In a CSV or TSV feed the category is one column; in an XML feed it is one g:google_product_category element per item. Both forms below are valid, but pick one per feed and keep product_type alongside it.
feed.csv and feed.xml
id,title,google_product_category,product_type
DR-0142,Linen Midi Dress Sage,2271,Women > Dresses > Midi
<item>
<g:id>DR-0142</g:id>
<g:google_product_category>2271</g:google_product_category>
<g:product_type>Women > Dresses > Midi</g:product_type>
</item>Examples
Worked examples, by situation
Seven catalogs, seven ways of getting from the store's own categories to Google's. Each shows the source value, the category sent and the rule that maps it.
Lookup from product_type to ID
Before
product_type: Women > Dresses > Midi product_type: Men > Knitwear product_type: Shoes > Sneakers
After
google_product_category: 2271 google_product_category: 212 google_product_category: 187
How we set it up
We read a two-column Google Sheet (column A the full product_type path, column B the ID) and map google_product_category with the condition product_type is in google sheet list → replace from google sheet, else leave empty. The sheet does find-and-replace row by row, so full paths in column A keep a bare "Dresses" from rewriting other paths, and a parent path such as "Women > Dresses" goes below its children; unlisted store categories stay blank, and feed hygiene's completeness check flags them.
The ID instead of a German path
Before
google_product_category: Furniture > Tables > Kitchen & Dining Room Tables (feed targeting Germany, German titles)
After
google_product_category: 4355 (same as Möbel > Tische > Küchen- & Esszimmertische)
How we set it up
We map google_product_category with replace from google sheet, conditioned on is in google sheet list, with the store category in column A and the taxonomy ID, not the path, in column B. One sheet serves the German, Swedish and English feeds because IDs are the same in every language.
Cases and chargers separated from phones
Before
Store category: Phones (holds phones, cases and chargers)
After
iPhone 15 128 GB → 267 Clear Case for iPhone 15 → 2353 65W USB-C Charger → 505295
How we set it up
We give google_product_category a static value per condition: if title matches regexp (?i).*\b(case|cover)\b → 2353; else if title matches regexp (?i).*\bcharger\b → 505295; else 267. Mapping conditions match from the start of the value, hence the leading .*
Beans, grinders and machines in one shop
Before
Collection: Coffee (beans, grinders, machines)
After
Ethiopia Guji 250 g → 1868 Hand grinder → 734 Lever espresso machine → 2422
How we set it up
We map google_product_category with an advanced rule: if [product_productType] equals "Beans" then "1868" else if [product_productType] equals "Grinder" then "734" else "2422". Shopify's product type field was clean enough that an exact-match expression beat a find-and-replace sheet.
One category column for two channels
Before
Google feed: google_product_category 2592 Meta feed: fb_product_category (empty)
After
Meta feed: google_product_category 2592
How we set it up
In the Meta feed we map google_product_category by rename from the same source column as the Google feed. Meta accepts a Google category in place of fb_product_category, so no second taxonomy is needed.
Gift cards categorized or left out
Before
Gift Card – $50 (product_type: Gift Card)
After
Option A: google_product_category 53 Option B: excluded from the feed
How we set it up
Either we give google_product_category the condition product_type is equal to Gift Card → static value 53, else the same sheet mapping as other products; or, when gift cards should not be advertised, we add an exclude filter: product_type is equal to Gift Card.
Finding products that still have no category
Before
google_product_category filled on 74% of products (new arrivals have none)
After
Blank categories listed in feed hygiene and filled from the lookup sheet
How we set it up
Feed hygiene's completeness check shows the share of products with a category. We add the missing store categories to the lookup sheet; until then, an exclude filter on product_type is in list (the new store categories the sheet does not cover yet) keeps uncategorized apparel from failing its size and gender checks.
Copy this plan
Plan: map Google product categories for a whole catalog
One lookup sheet does most of the work; the rules handle the exceptions.
01
List your store categories
Export the distinct product_type or collection values. Most stores have between twenty and a few hundred.
What we set up: We pull the distinct values from the product explorer and feed hygiene's value consistency check.02
Assign an ID to each
Search Google's taxonomy file for the product noun and pick the deepest true branch. Put product_type and the ID side by side in a Google Sheet.
03
Map the column from the sheet
The sheet is a find-and-replace from column A to column B, read on each rebuild, so new rows apply on the next sync. Use full store paths in column A so short values do not match inside longer ones.
What we set up: We map google_product_category with the condition is in google sheet list → replace from google sheet, else leave empty.04
Handle mixed store categories with rules
Where one store category holds several product kinds, give the mapping an if / else if / else condition on title or type, with the sheet lookup as the final else.
What we set up: We add matches regexp conditions (anchored at the start, so they lead with .*) before the sheet mapping as the final else.05
Check coverage and apparel attributes
Confirm every product has a category and that apparel rows also carry color, size, gender and age_group.
What we set up: We check coverage with feed hygiene's completeness check.
Customization tips
Make it yours
Deeper is not always better
If a store category mixes several leaf categories and you cannot split it reliably, a correct parent (Clothing, 1604) is better than a wrong leaf. The cost is weaker matching for those products until the data improves.
ID for feeds, path for humans
The mapping sheet sends column B, so put the ID there and keep a second tab with the readable path for colleagues who review the mapping (Textfinity reads only the first tab, columns A and B). Sending the ID avoids typos and translation mismatches.
Category changes can trigger new requirements
Moving products into an apparel category makes Google expect color, size, gender and age_group. Map those first, or the category fix produces a new round of warnings.
Keep product_type for your campaigns
Google decides how it uses the category; product_type is yours. Put your own structure there and use it to split Shopping campaigns, rather than bending google_product_category to fit them.
FAQ
Questions about google product category examples
What is an example of a Google product category?
Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Dresses, ID 2271, is a Google product category. Others are Furniture > Sofas (460), Electronics > Communications > Telephony > Mobile Phones (267) and Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Beverages > Coffee (1868).
Should I use the category ID or the full path?
Either is accepted, but not both in one value. Google recommends the ID. It is shorter, cannot be misspelled and stays the same in every language, while the path is translated per locale.
Is google_product_category required?
No. Merchant Center assigns a category automatically. Setting it overrides Google's guess, which matters when products are miscategorized or when the category decides which attributes, such as size and gender for apparel, are required.
What is the difference between google_product_category and product_type?
google_product_category is one value from Google's fixed taxonomy. product_type is your own category path, free text up to 750 characters, used for organizing Shopping campaigns and reporting.
Set up for you
Have every product mapped to a Google category from one sheet.
Send us your store and we build the product_type to ID sheet with you, then let each sync apply it, so new products pick up their category on the next rebuild.
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