Google product taxonomy · 2021-09-21
Pencils
The Google product category ID for Pencils is 6068. It sits under Pens & Pencils 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
- 6068
- Direct subcategories
- 2
- Categories below it in total
- 4
- Depth, on a branch that runs 7
- 5 / 7
- Others at this level
- 2
- Parent category
- Pens & Pencils
- 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, Pencils is the largest of the 3 categories under Pens & Pencils, with 4 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.
PencilsWriting PencilsMechanical Pencils
The longest route down from here runs 2 more levels, ending at Mechanical Pencils (543660) on level 7: Pencils › Writing Pencils › Mechanical Pencils. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pens | 982 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pen & Pencil Sets | 6066 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pencils — this page | 6068 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
Using this value
Either form of this value goes in the google_product_category attribute: the numeric ID (6068) or the full path ("Office Supplies > Office Instruments > Writing & Drawing Instruments > Pens & Pencils > Pencils"). 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 | 6068 |
| SKU-1001 | Your product title | Office Supplies > Office Instruments > Writing & Drawing Instruments > Pens & Pencils > Pencils |
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, 6068, is the form that does not depend on how the file is quoted.
What sits under Pencils
2 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. Writing Pencils (981) is the largest with 2 categories beneath it, so most of what sits under Pencils sits under that one name. 1 of the 2 carry subcategories of their own and the remaining 1 is a leaf, which is worth knowing before you go looking for a narrower value that is not there.
Questions about Pencils
What is the Google product category ID for Pencils?
6068. The full path, "Office Supplies > Office Instruments > Writing & Drawing Instruments > Pens & Pencils > Pencils", 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 Pencils or one of its subcategories?
Prefer a subcategory when one fits: Pencils has 2 directly below it, starting with Art Pencils (3026), Writing Pencils (981), and 4 in total further down. 6068 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 Pencils sit in the taxonomy?
At level 5, under Pens & Pencils (6065). The chain from the top is Office Supplies → Office Instruments → Writing & Drawing Instruments → Pens & Pencils → Pencils. If your product does not belong under Pens & Pencils, it does not belong here either — check the level above before going deeper.
What should I use if Pencils is not quite right?
Look across the rest of Pens & Pencils first — there are 2 other categories at this level: Pen & Pencil Sets (6066), Pens (982). If none of them fits either, the problem is higher up: go back to Pens & Pencils (6065) 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 Pencils?
2 levels more. The longest route down from Pencils is Pencils > Writing Pencils > Mechanical Pencils, ending at Mechanical Pencils (543660) on level 7. Not every branch below Pencils runs that far, so the category that fits your product may stop earlier than this one does.
How big is Pencils compared with the categories next to it?
It is the largest of the 3 at its level, carrying 4 categories below it. Inside it, Writing Pencils (981) 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.
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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