Google product taxonomy · 2021-09-21
Vehicle Paint
The Google product category ID for Vehicle Paint is 3812. It sits under Vehicle Maintenance, Care & Decor and has 2 subcategories of its own, so it is a predefined value you can send as it stands — but one of those 2 is usually the closer answer, and an interior category fits when a product genuinely spans the ones below.
- Category ID
- 3812
- Direct subcategories
- 2
- Categories below it in total
- 2
- Depth, on a branch that runs 5
- 4 / 5
- Others at this level
- 6
- Parent category
- Vehicle Maintenance, Care & Decor
- 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, Vehicle Paint is sixth largest of the 7 categories under Vehicle Maintenance, Care & Decor, with 2 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.
Vehicle PaintMotor Vehicle Body Paint
The longest route down from here runs 1 more level, ending at Motor Vehicle Body Paint (8450) on level 5: Vehicle Paint › Motor Vehicle Body Paint. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Decor | 2495 | 19 | 19 | 1 |
| Vehicle Fluids | 2788 | 12 | 12 | 1 |
| Vehicle Cleaning | 2895 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| Vehicle Covers | 3436 | 6 | 11 | 2 |
| Vehicle Paint — this page | 3812 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Vehicle Repair & Specialty Tools | 8236 | 10 | 10 | 1 |
| Portable Fuel Cans | 8534 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Using this value
Either form of this value goes in the google_product_category attribute: the numeric ID (3812) or the full path ("Vehicles & Parts > Vehicle Parts & Accessories > Vehicle Maintenance, Care & Decor > Vehicle Paint"). 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 2 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 | 3812 |
| SKU-1001 | Your product title | "Vehicles & Parts > Vehicle Parts & Accessories > Vehicle Maintenance, Care & Decor > Vehicle Paint" |
This path contains a comma, so the cell has to be quoted: unquoted, a CSV reader splits "Vehicles & Parts > Vehicle Parts & Accessories > Vehicle Maintenance, Care & Decor > Vehicle Paint" into 2 columns and the row stops lining up with its header. The numeric ID, 3812, contains no comma.
What sits under Vehicle Paint
2 subcategories. A narrower category groups the product with fewer, closer things, so prefer one of these when it fits.
All 2 of them are leaves: none of the subcategories under Vehicle Paint continues any further, so one of those 2 names is the most specific value this branch can give you.
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 Vehicle Paint
What is the Google product category ID for Vehicle Paint?
3812. The full path, "Vehicles & Parts > Vehicle Parts & Accessories > Vehicle Maintenance, Care & Decor > Vehicle Paint", 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 Vehicle Paint or one of its subcategories?
Prefer a subcategory when one fits: Vehicle Paint has 2 directly below it, starting with Motor Vehicle Body Paint (8450), Motor Vehicle Brake Caliper Paint (8144), and 2 in total further down. 3812 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 Vehicle Paint sit in the taxonomy?
At level 4, under Vehicle Maintenance, Care & Decor (913). The chain from the top is Vehicles & Parts → Vehicle Parts & Accessories → Vehicle Maintenance, Care & Decor → Vehicle Paint. If your product does not belong under Vehicle Maintenance, Care & Decor, it does not belong here either — check the level above before going deeper.
What should I use if Vehicle Paint is not quite right?
Look across the rest of Vehicle Maintenance, Care & Decor first — there are 6 other categories at this level: Portable Fuel Cans (8534), Vehicle Cleaning (2895), Vehicle Covers (3436), Vehicle Decor (2495), Vehicle Fluids (2788), Vehicle Repair & Specialty Tools (8236). If none of them fits either, the problem is higher up: go back to Vehicle Maintenance, Care & Decor (913) 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 Vehicle Paint?
1 level more. The longest route down from Vehicle Paint is Vehicle Paint > Motor Vehicle Body Paint, ending at Motor Vehicle Body Paint (8450) on level 5. Not every branch below Vehicle Paint runs that far, so the category that fits your product may stop earlier than this one does.
How big is Vehicle Paint compared with the categories next to it?
It is sixth largest of the 7 at its level, carrying 2 categories below 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 Vehicle Paint and Vehicle Cleaning?
They sit side by side under Vehicle Maintenance, Care & Decor and start with the same word, which is why they get swapped. Vehicle Paint is 3812; Vehicle Cleaning is 2895. The paths are the reliable way to tell them apart — compare "Vehicles & Parts > Vehicle Parts & Accessories > Vehicle Maintenance, Care & Decor > Vehicle Paint" with "Vehicles & Parts > Vehicle Parts & Accessories > Vehicle Maintenance, Care & Decor > Vehicle Cleaning" before you submit.
Not sure this is the one?
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