Google product taxonomy · 2021-09-21
Packing Materials
The Google product category ID for Packing Materials is 974, written as a path "Office Supplies > Shipping Supplies > Packing Materials". It is a leaf: the taxonomy does not continue below it, so this is the most specific value on this branch, and if your product fits here there is nothing more precise to pick. It sits under Shipping Supplies.
This level3
Packing Materials974
Packing Tape975- Category ID
- 974
- Subcategories (none, this is a leaf)
- 0
- Categories below it in total
- 0
- Depth, on a branch that runs 3
- 3 / 3
- Others at this level
- 2
- Parent category
- Shipping Supplies
- 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, Packing Materials is second largest of the 3 categories under Shipping Supplies, with 0 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.
| Category | ID | Direct | Below | Levels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moving & Shipping Boxes | 973 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Packing Materials — this page | 974 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Packing Tape | 975 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Using this value
Either form of this value goes in the google_product_category attribute: the numeric ID (974) or the full path ("Office Supplies > Shipping Supplies > Packing Materials"). 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.
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 | 974 |
| SKU-1001 | Your product title | Office Supplies > Shipping Supplies > Packing Materials |
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, 974, is the form that does not depend on how the file is quoted.
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 Packing Materials
What is the Google product category ID for Packing Materials?
974. The full path, "Office Supplies > Shipping Supplies > Packing Materials", 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.
Is anything more specific than Packing Materials available?
No. Packing Materials is a leaf of Google's taxonomy at level 3, so 974 is the most precise value this branch offers. If it does not describe your product closely enough, the answer is a different branch, not a deeper one.
Where does Packing Materials sit in the taxonomy?
At level 3, under Shipping Supplies (2636). The chain from the top is Office Supplies → Shipping Supplies → Packing Materials. If your product does not belong under Shipping Supplies, it does not belong here either — check the level above before going deeper.
What should I use if Packing Materials is not quite right?
Look across the rest of Shipping Supplies first — there are 2 other categories at this level: Moving & Shipping Boxes (973), Packing Tape (975). If none of them fits either, the problem is higher up: go back to Shipping Supplies (2636) and pick a different branch from there rather than settling for the closest thing on this one.
How big is Packing Materials compared with the categories next to it?
It is second largest of the 3 at its level, carrying 0 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 Packing Materials and Packing Tape?
They sit side by side under Shipping Supplies and start with the same word, which is why they get swapped. Packing Materials is 974; Packing Tape is 975. The paths are the reliable way to tell them apart — compare "Office Supplies > Shipping Supplies > Packing Materials" with "Office Supplies > Shipping Supplies > Packing Tape" 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