Google product taxonomy · 2021-09-21
Fuel
The Google product category ID for Fuel is 543575. It sits under Hardware and has 3 subcategories of its own, so it is a predefined value you can send as it stands — but one of those 3 is usually the closer answer, and an interior category fits when a product genuinely spans the ones below.
This branch4
- Category ID
- 543575
- Direct subcategories
- 3
- Categories below it in total
- 5
- Depth, on a branch that runs 4
- 2 / 4
- Others at this level
- 14
- Parent category
- Hardware
- 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, Fuel is 11th largest of the 15 categories under Hardware, with 5 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.
The longest route down from here runs 2 more levels, ending at Clear Kerosene (543579) on level 4: Fuel › Kerosene › Clear Kerosene. 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 Materials | 115 | 22 | 39 | 2 |
| Power & Electrical Supplies | 127 | 27 | 31 | 2 |
| Fencing & Barriers | 128 | 8 | 8 | 1 |
| Plumbing | 133 | 10 | 80 | 3 |
| Tools | 1167 | 79 | 175 | 3 |
| Storage Tanks | 1910 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Locks & Keys | 1974 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Hardware Accessories | 2878 | 25 | 57 | 2 |
| Tool Accessories | 3650 | 29 | 65 | 2 |
| Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning | 499873 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
| Small Engines | 499982 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hardware Pumps | 500096 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| Fuel Containers & Tanks | 502975 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Building Consumables | 503739 | 11 | 29 | 2 |
| Fuel — this page | 543575 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
Using this value
Either form of this value goes in the google_product_category attribute: the numeric ID (543575) or the full path ("Hardware > Fuel"). 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 3 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 | 543575 |
| SKU-1001 | Your product title | Hardware > Fuel |
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, 543575, is the form that does not depend on how the file is quoted.
What sits under Fuel
3 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. Kerosene (543576) is the largest with 2 categories beneath it, so most of what sits under Fuel sits under that one name. 1 of the 3 carry subcategories of their own and the remaining 2 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 Fuel
What is the Google product category ID for Fuel?
543575. The full path, "Hardware > Fuel", 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 Fuel or one of its subcategories?
Prefer a subcategory when one fits: Fuel has 3 directly below it, starting with Home Heating Oil (543703), Kerosene (543576), Propane (543577), and 5 in total further down. 543575 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 Fuel sit in the taxonomy?
At level 2, under Hardware (632). The chain from the top is Hardware → Fuel. If your product does not belong under Hardware, it does not belong here either — check the level above before going deeper.
What should I use if Fuel is not quite right?
Look across the rest of Hardware first — there are 14 other categories at this level: Building Consumables (503739), Building Materials (115), Fencing & Barriers (128), Fuel Containers & Tanks (502975), Hardware Accessories (2878), Hardware Pumps (500096), and 8 more. If none of them fits either, the problem is higher up: go back to Hardware (632) 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 Fuel?
2 levels more. The longest route down from Fuel is Fuel > Kerosene > Clear Kerosene, ending at Clear Kerosene (543579) on level 4. Not every branch below Fuel runs that far, so the category that fits your product may stop earlier than this one does.
How big is Fuel compared with the categories next to it?
It is 11th largest of the 15 at its level, carrying 5 categories below it. Inside it, Kerosene (543576) is the biggest branch with 2 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 Fuel and Fuel Containers & Tanks?
They sit side by side under Hardware and start with the same word, which is why they get swapped. Fuel is 543575; Fuel Containers & Tanks is 502975. The paths are the reliable way to tell them apart — compare "Hardware > Fuel" with "Hardware > Fuel Containers & Tanks" before you submit.
Not sure this is the one?
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