Google product taxonomy · 2021-09-21
Laboratory Supplies
The Google product category ID for Laboratory Supplies is 4255. It sits under Science & Laboratory and has 8 subcategories of its own, so it is a predefined value you can send as it stands — but one of those 8 is usually the closer answer, and an interior category fits when a product genuinely spans the ones below.
- Category ID
- 4255
- Direct subcategories
- 8
- Categories below it in total
- 8
- Depth, on a branch that runs 4
- 3 / 4
- Others at this level
- 5
- Parent category
- Science & Laboratory
- 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, Laboratory Supplies is second largest of the 6 categories under Science & Laboratory, with 8 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.
Laboratory SuppliesBeakers
The longest route down from here runs 1 more level, ending at Beakers (4310) on level 4: Laboratory Supplies › Beakers. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laboratory Chemicals | 3002 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Laboratory Supplies — this page | 4255 | 8 | 8 | 1 |
| Laboratory Equipment | 4335 | 14 | 19 | 2 |
| Biochemicals | 6975 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dissection Kits | 7325 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Laboratory Specimens | 8119 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Using this value
Either form of this value goes in the google_product_category attribute: the numeric ID (4255) or the full path ("Business & Industrial > Science & Laboratory > Laboratory Supplies"). 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 8 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 | 4255 |
| SKU-1001 | Your product title | Business & Industrial > Science & Laboratory > Laboratory Supplies |
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, 4255, is the form that does not depend on how the file is quoted.
What sits under Laboratory Supplies
8 subcategories. A narrower category groups the product with fewer, closer things, so prefer one of these when it fits.
All 8 of them are leaves: none of the subcategories under Laboratory Supplies continues any further, so one of those 8 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 Laboratory Supplies
What is the Google product category ID for Laboratory Supplies?
4255. The full path, "Business & Industrial > Science & Laboratory > Laboratory Supplies", 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 Laboratory Supplies or one of its subcategories?
Prefer a subcategory when one fits: Laboratory Supplies has 8 directly below it, starting with Beakers (4310), Graduated Cylinders (4061), Laboratory Flasks (4036), and 8 in total further down. 4255 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 Laboratory Supplies sit in the taxonomy?
At level 3, under Science & Laboratory (1624). The chain from the top is Business & Industrial → Science & Laboratory → Laboratory Supplies. If your product does not belong under Science & Laboratory, it does not belong here either — check the level above before going deeper.
What should I use if Laboratory Supplies is not quite right?
Look across the rest of Science & Laboratory first — there are 5 other categories at this level: Biochemicals (6975), Dissection Kits (7325), Laboratory Chemicals (3002), Laboratory Equipment (4335), Laboratory Specimens (8119). If none of them fits either, the problem is higher up: go back to Science & Laboratory (1624) 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 Laboratory Supplies?
1 level more. The longest route down from Laboratory Supplies is Laboratory Supplies > Beakers, ending at Beakers (4310) on level 4. Not every branch below Laboratory Supplies runs that far, so the category that fits your product may stop earlier than this one does.
How big is Laboratory Supplies compared with the categories next to it?
It is second largest of the 6 at its level, carrying 8 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 Laboratory Supplies and Laboratory Chemicals?
They sit side by side under Science & Laboratory and start with the same word, which is why they get swapped. Laboratory Supplies is 4255; Laboratory Chemicals is 3002. The paths are the reliable way to tell them apart — compare "Business & Industrial > Science & Laboratory > Laboratory Supplies" with "Business & Industrial > Science & Laboratory > Laboratory Chemicals" before you submit.
Not sure this is the one?
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