Google product taxonomy · 2021-09-21
Writing Pencils
The Google product category ID for Writing Pencils is 981. It sits under 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
- 981
- Direct subcategories
- 2
- Categories below it in total
- 2
- Depth, on a branch that runs 7
- 6 / 7
- Others at this level
- 1
- Parent category
- 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, Writing Pencils is the largest of the 2 categories under Pencils, 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.
Writing PencilsMechanical Pencils
The longest route down from here runs 1 more level, ending at Mechanical Pencils (543660) on level 7: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Writing Pencils — this page | 981 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Art Pencils | 3026 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Using this value
Either form of this value goes in the google_product_category attribute: the numeric ID (981) or the full path ("Office Supplies > Office Instruments > Writing & Drawing Instruments > Pens & Pencils > Pencils > Writing 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 | 981 |
| SKU-1001 | Your product title | Office Supplies > Office Instruments > Writing & Drawing Instruments > Pens & Pencils > Pencils > Writing 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, 981, is the form that does not depend on how the file is quoted.
What sits under Writing Pencils
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 Writing Pencils continues any further, so one of those 2 names is the most specific value this branch can give you.
Questions about Writing Pencils
What is the Google product category ID for Writing Pencils?
981. The full path, "Office Supplies > Office Instruments > Writing & Drawing Instruments > Pens & Pencils > Pencils > Writing 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 Writing Pencils or one of its subcategories?
Prefer a subcategory when one fits: Writing Pencils has 2 directly below it, starting with Mechanical Pencils (543660), Wooden Pencils (543661), and 2 in total further down. 981 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 Writing Pencils sit in the taxonomy?
At level 6, under Pencils (6068). The chain from the top is Office Supplies → Office Instruments → Writing & Drawing Instruments → Pens & Pencils → Pencils → Writing Pencils. If your product does not belong under Pencils, it does not belong here either — check the level above before going deeper.
What should I use if Writing Pencils is not quite right?
Look across the rest of Pencils first — there are 1 other category at this level: Art Pencils (3026). If none of them fits either, the problem is higher up: go back to Pencils (6068) 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 Writing Pencils?
1 level more. The longest route down from Writing Pencils is Writing Pencils > Mechanical Pencils, ending at Mechanical Pencils (543660) on level 7. Not every branch below Writing Pencils runs that far, so the category that fits your product may stop earlier than this one does.
How big is Writing Pencils compared with the categories next to it?
It is the largest of the 2 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.
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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