Google product taxonomy · 2021-09-21
Musical Instruments
The Google product category ID for Musical Instruments is 54. It sits under Hobbies & Creative Arts 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
- 54
- Direct subcategories
- 8
- Categories below it in total
- 67
- Depth, on a branch that runs 7
- 3 / 7
- Others at this level
- 7
- Parent category
- Hobbies & Creative Arts
- 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, Musical Instruments is third largest of the 8 categories under Hobbies & Creative Arts, with 67 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.
Musical InstrumentsPercussionHand PercussionHand DrumsBongos
The longest route down from here runs 4 more levels, ending at Bongos (7298) on level 7: Musical Instruments › Percussion › Hand Percussion › Hand Drums › Bongos. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arts & Crafts | 16 | 6 | 170 | 4 |
| Juggling | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Magic & Novelties | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Musical Instruments — this page | 54 | 8 | 67 | 4 |
| Musical Instrument & Orchestra Accessories | 55 | 14 | 152 | 4 |
| Collectibles | 216 | 11 | 34 | 3 |
| Homebrewing & Winemaking Supplies | 3577 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Model Making | 5999 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
Using this value
Either form of this value goes in the google_product_category attribute: the numeric ID (54) or the full path ("Arts & Entertainment > Hobbies & Creative Arts > Musical Instruments"). 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 | 54 |
| SKU-1001 | Your product title | Arts & Entertainment > Hobbies & Creative Arts > Musical Instruments |
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, 54, is the form that does not depend on how the file is quoted.
What sits under Musical Instruments
8 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. Percussion (75) is the largest with 29 categories beneath it, so most of what sits under Musical Instruments sits under that one name. 5 of the 8 carry subcategories of their own and the remaining 3 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 Musical Instruments
What is the Google product category ID for Musical Instruments?
54. The full path, "Arts & Entertainment > Hobbies & Creative Arts > Musical Instruments", 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 Musical Instruments or one of its subcategories?
Prefer a subcategory when one fits: Musical Instruments has 8 directly below it, starting with Accordions & Concertinas (4983), Bagpipes (4984), Brass Instruments (63), and 67 in total further down. 54 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 Musical Instruments sit in the taxonomy?
At level 3, under Hobbies & Creative Arts (5710). The chain from the top is Arts & Entertainment → Hobbies & Creative Arts → Musical Instruments. If your product does not belong under Hobbies & Creative Arts, it does not belong here either — check the level above before going deeper.
What should I use if Musical Instruments is not quite right?
Look across the rest of Hobbies & Creative Arts first — there are 7 other categories at this level: Arts & Crafts (16), Collectibles (216), Homebrewing & Winemaking Supplies (3577), Juggling (33), Magic & Novelties (35), Model Making (5999), and 1 more. If none of them fits either, the problem is higher up: go back to Hobbies & Creative Arts (5710) 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 Musical Instruments?
4 levels more. The longest route down from Musical Instruments is Musical Instruments > Percussion > Hand Percussion > Hand Drums > Bongos, ending at Bongos (7298) on level 7. Not every branch below Musical Instruments runs that far, so the category that fits your product may stop earlier than this one does.
How big is Musical Instruments compared with the categories next to it?
It is third largest of the 8 at its level, carrying 67 categories below it. Inside it, Percussion (75) is the biggest branch with 29 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 Musical Instruments and Musical Instrument & Orchestra Accessories?
They sit side by side under Hobbies & Creative Arts and start with the same word, which is why they get swapped. Musical Instruments is 54; Musical Instrument & Orchestra Accessories is 55. The paths are the reliable way to tell them apart — compare "Arts & Entertainment > Hobbies & Creative Arts > Musical Instruments" with "Arts & Entertainment > Hobbies & Creative Arts > Musical Instrument & Orchestra Accessories" before you submit.
Not sure this is the one?
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