Google product taxonomy · 2021-09-21
Sports Toys
The Google product category ID for Sports Toys is 1266. It sits under Toys and has 14 subcategories of its own, so it is a predefined value you can send as it stands — but one of those 14 is usually the closer answer, and an interior category fits when a product genuinely spans the ones below.
This branch15
Sports Toys1266
American Football Toys3371Baseball Toys3776Basketball Toys3552Boomerangs3675Bowling Toys3665Fingerboards & Fingerboard Sets500113Fishing Toys8529Fitness Toys3199Flying Discs4167Footbags3909Golf Toys3226Hockey Toys3943Playground Balls499965Racquet Sport Toys505284- Category ID
- 1266
- Direct subcategories
- 14
- Categories below it in total
- 15
- Depth, on a branch that runs 5
- 3 / 5
- Others at this level
- 27
- Parent category
- Toys
- Taxonomy version
- 2021-09-21
- Sent in your feed as
- google_product_category
Where this sits in the taxonomy
Measured by how much sits beneath them, Sports Toys is the largest of the 28 categories under Toys, with 15 categories below it. Size is not correctness — a small category is the right answer when it is the right answer — but it does tell you how much of the taxonomy you are still choosing between once you pick this branch.
Sports ToysFitness ToysHula Hoops
The longest route down from here runs 2 more levels, ending at Hula Hoops (3215) on level 5: Sports Toys › Fitness Toys › Hula Hoops. Most branches stop sooner than that — the figure to compare it against is the seven levels Google's taxonomy allows, not the depth of the branch next door.
| Category | ID | Direct | Below | Levels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building Toys | 1254 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| Dolls, Playsets & Toy Figures | 1255 | 12 | 12 | 1 |
| Flying Toys | 1261 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Educational Toys | 1262 | 7 | 7 | 1 |
| Musical Toys | 1264 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sports Toys — this page | 1266 | 14 | 15 | 2 |
| Beach & Sand Toys | 1268 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Play Vehicles | 2505 | 9 | 9 | 1 |
| Remote Control Toys | 2546 | 8 | 8 | 1 |
| Remote Control Toy Accessories | 2778 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Riding Toys | 2799 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| Wind-Up Toys | 2953 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Executive Toys | 3074 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Ball Pits | 3207 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pretend Play | 3229 | 8 | 12 | 2 |
| Visual Toys | 3562 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Robotic Toys | 3625 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Toy Weapons & Gadgets | 3627 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Art & Drawing Toys | 3731 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Bath Toys | 3911 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Activity Toys | 4352 | 12 | 12 | 1 |
| Play Vehicle Accessories | 5970 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Riding Toy Accessories | 7202 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ball Pit Accessories | 7311 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Flying Toy Accessories | 7366 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Sports Toy Accessories | 8127 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Toy Gift Baskets | 499712 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Toy Weapon & Gadget Accessories | 500005 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Using this value
Either form of this value goes in the google_product_category attribute: the numeric ID (1266) or the full path ("Toys & Games > Toys > Sports Toys"). Both are predefined values for the same category. The ID is the sturdier of the two, because renaming any segment above this one changes the path text and leaves the number alone. Before sending it, check whether one of the 14 subcategories below fits — a narrower category groups the product with fewer, closer things.
Bear in mind that google_product_category is an optional attribute. Google assigns a category automatically, and your value is treated as a signal rather than an override. When an override actually applies.
In your feed, it looks like this
Either row below is accepted. The first is the one to send.
| id | title | google_product_category |
|---|---|---|
| SKU-1001 | Your product title | 1266 |
| SKU-1001 | Your product title | Toys & Games > Toys > Sports Toys |
This path has no comma, so an unquoted cell holds it as it stands — which is not true of every category in the taxonomy. The numeric ID, 1266, is the form that does not depend on how the file is quoted.
What sits under Sports Toys
14 subcategories. A narrower category groups the product with fewer, closer things, so prefer one of these when it fits.
They are not the same size. Fitness Toys (3199) is the largest with 1 category beneath it, so most of what sits under Sports Toys sits under that one name. 1 of the 14 carry subcategories of their own and the remaining 13 are leaves, which is worth knowing before you go looking for a narrower value that is not there.
Easy to mix up with
These sit under the same parent and start with the same word, which is exactly when the wrong one gets picked.
Questions about Sports Toys
What is the Google product category ID for Sports Toys?
1266. The full path, "Toys & Games > Toys > Sports Toys", is the same category written the other way. The ID is shorter, and renaming a segment above this one changes the path text while leaving the number alone.
Should I use Sports Toys or one of its subcategories?
Prefer a subcategory when one fits: Sports Toys has 14 directly below it, starting with American Football Toys (3371), Baseball Toys (3776), Basketball Toys (3552), and 15 in total further down. 1266 is itself a predefined value, so an interior category is not an error — it just groups the product more broadly than a subcategory would.
Where does Sports Toys sit in the taxonomy?
At level 3, under Toys (1253). The chain from the top is Toys & Games → Toys → Sports Toys. If your product does not belong under Toys, it does not belong here either — check the level above before going deeper.
What should I use if Sports Toys is not quite right?
Look across the rest of Toys first — there are 27 other categories at this level: Activity Toys (4352), Art & Drawing Toys (3731), Ball Pit Accessories (7311), Ball Pits (3207), Bath Toys (3911), Beach & Sand Toys (1268), and 21 more. If none of them fits either, the problem is higher up: go back to Toys (1253) and pick a different branch from there rather than settling for the closest thing on this one.
How much more specific can I get than Sports Toys?
2 levels more. The longest route down from Sports Toys is Sports Toys > Fitness Toys > Hula Hoops, ending at Hula Hoops (3215) on level 5. Not every branch below Sports Toys runs that far, so the category that fits your product may stop earlier than this one does.
How big is Sports Toys compared with the categories next to it?
It is the largest of the 28 at its level, carrying 15 categories below it. Inside it, Fitness Toys (3199) is the biggest branch with 1 beneath it. A bigger category is not a better one — it just means more of the taxonomy is still open below you after you pick it.
What is the difference between Sports Toys and Sports Toy Accessories?
They sit side by side under Toys and start with the same word, which is why they get swapped. Sports Toys is 1266; Sports Toy Accessories is 8127. The paths are the reliable way to tell them apart — compare "Toys & Games > Toys > Sports Toys" with "Toys & Games > Toys > Sports Toy Accessories" before you submit.
Not sure this is the one?
Describe the product and get the category with its ID, a confidence figure and the runners-up it was weighed against.
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