Google product taxonomy · 2021-09-21
Swimming Fins
The Google product category ID for Swimming Fins is 6511. It sits under Swimming 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.
This branch3
- Category ID
- 6511
- Direct subcategories
- 2
- Categories below it in total
- 2
- Depth, on a branch that runs 6
- 5 / 6
- Others at this level
- 12
- Parent category
- Swimming
- 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, Swimming Fins is the largest of the 13 categories under Swimming, 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.
Swimming FinsMonofins
The longest route down from here runs 1 more level, ending at Monofins (6512) on level 6: Swimming Fins › Monofins. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kickboards | 2966 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swim Gloves | 3304 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swim Goggles & Masks | 3360 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pull Buoys | 3595 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swimming Machines | 3596 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swim Caps | 3807 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swim Goggle & Mask Accessories | 6330 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hand Paddles | 6473 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swimming Fins — this page | 6511 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Swim Belts | 6513 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swimming Nose Clips | 6515 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swim Weights | 6550 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Child Swimming Aids | 7104 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Using this value
Either form of this value goes in the google_product_category attribute: the numeric ID (6511) or the full path ("Sporting Goods > Outdoor Recreation > Boating & Water Sports > Swimming > Swimming Fins"). 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 | 6511 |
| SKU-1001 | Your product title | Sporting Goods > Outdoor Recreation > Boating & Water Sports > Swimming > Swimming Fins |
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, 6511, is the form that does not depend on how the file is quoted.
What sits under Swimming Fins
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 Swimming Fins 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 Swimming Fins
What is the Google product category ID for Swimming Fins?
6511. The full path, "Sporting Goods > Outdoor Recreation > Boating & Water Sports > Swimming > Swimming Fins", 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 Swimming Fins or one of its subcategories?
Prefer a subcategory when one fits: Swimming Fins has 2 directly below it, starting with Monofins (6512), Training Fins (2512), and 2 in total further down. 6511 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 Swimming Fins sit in the taxonomy?
At level 5, under Swimming (1144). The chain from the top is Sporting Goods → Outdoor Recreation → Boating & Water Sports → Swimming → Swimming Fins. If your product does not belong under Swimming, it does not belong here either — check the level above before going deeper.
What should I use if Swimming Fins is not quite right?
Look across the rest of Swimming first — there are 12 other categories at this level: Child Swimming Aids (7104), Hand Paddles (6473), Kickboards (2966), Pull Buoys (3595), Swim Belts (6513), Swim Caps (3807), and 6 more. If none of them fits either, the problem is higher up: go back to Swimming (1144) 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 Swimming Fins?
1 level more. The longest route down from Swimming Fins is Swimming Fins > Monofins, ending at Monofins (6512) on level 6. Not every branch below Swimming Fins runs that far, so the category that fits your product may stop earlier than this one does.
How big is Swimming Fins compared with the categories next to it?
It is the largest of the 13 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 Swimming Fins and Swimming Machines?
They sit side by side under Swimming and start with the same word, which is why they get swapped. Swimming Fins is 6511; Swimming Machines is 3596. The paths are the reliable way to tell them apart — compare "Sporting Goods > Outdoor Recreation > Boating & Water Sports > Swimming > Swimming Fins" with "Sporting Goods > Outdoor Recreation > Boating & Water Sports > Swimming > Swimming Machines" before you submit.
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.
Free, no account. Or map a whole catalog