Google Product Taxonomy Structure: Depth Levels and Total Number of Categories
Google Product Category Taxonomy is a predefined classification system by Google Merchant Center that helps eCommerce businesses organize products into specific categories.
One common question merchants ask about the Google product taxonomy is: How many categories are there? How deep does it go?
Let’s break it down clearly.
The Google product taxonomy currently contains over 6,600 categories in the English (US) version (taxonomy.en-US.txt).
The taxonomy uses a hierarchical path structure. Each category appears as a breadcrumb path. It starts at a top-level category and ends at the most specific leaf category.
Understanding these concepts will help you optimize your product feed better. It will also give your WooCommerce business more exposure to your target audience.
Let’s dive right in.
What is Google Product Category Taxonomy?
Google product category taxonomy is a list of product categories Google uses. It groups all types of products in a shopping feed.
Google product category taxonomy consists of more than 6000 categories. However, Google updates the product taxonomy pretty often.
To get a clear idea of how they look, check the full Google product category list and taxonomy.
Remember, product category subdivision is available in 12 countries.
These countries are- the USA, UK, Australia, Germany, Netherlands, France, Japan, Turkey, Brazil, Norway, Sweden, and Italy.
The rest of the countries of the world are not able to do this right now. If you want to subdivide among these countries, you have to do so using ‘product type’.
How Many Levels Deep Is the Google Product Taxonomy?
The taxonomy depth varies by product type. Most product paths are 2 to 5 levels deep. Some categories go much deeper.
This is common in Food, Beverages & Tobacco. The maximum depth in the taxonomy reaches 7 levels for the most granular categories.
Here is a summary of the general depth levels:
| Taxonomy Depth Level | Example Path |
|---|---|
| Level 1 (Top-level) | Food, Beverages & Tobacco |
| Level 2 | Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items |
| Level 3 | Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Dairy Products |
| Level 4 | Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Dairy Products > Cheese |
| Level 5 | Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Fruits & Vegetables > Fresh & Frozen Fruits > Citrus Fruits |
| Level 6–7 (Deepest) | Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Fruits & Vegetables > Fresh & Frozen Fruits > Citrus Fruits > Oranges |
Top-Level Categories in Google Product Taxonomy
The Google product taxonomy is organized into these top-level (L1) parent categories:
- Animals & Pet Supplies
- Apparel & Accessories
- Arts & Entertainment
- Baby & Toddler
- Business & Industrial
- Cameras & Optics
- Electronics
- Food, Beverages & Tobacco
- Furniture
- Hardware
- Health & Beauty
- Home & Garden
- Luggage & Bags
- Mature
- Media
- Office Supplies
- Religious & Ceremonial
- Software
- Sporting Goods
- Toys & Games
- Vehicles & Parts
Note: Google updates the taxonomy periodically. Always use the latest official file (
taxonomy.en-US.txtortaxonomy-with-ids.en-US.txt) to make sure you are working with current category IDs and paths. You can check the version header at the top of the file — it readsgoogle_product_taxonomy_version: [date].
Google Merchant Categories/Taxonomy List for Top Countries of the World
If you know in which country you want to sell your products, it’s best to know the Google merchant categories available for those countries.
Below is a list of Google Merchant categories based on different parts of the world. However, if you do not find your desired country in the list, you can refer to the US categories.
Google Merchant Categories for English-Speaking Countries
- United Kingdom: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-GB.xls
- United States: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
- Australia: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-AU.xls
- Canada: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
- New Zealand: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-AU.xls
- Republic of Ireland: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-GB.xls
- South Africa: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
Google Merchant Categories for Schengen Countries
- Austria: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.de-DE.xls
- Czechia: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.cs-CZ.xls
- Denmark: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.da-DK.xls
- Finland: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
- France (and Canada): https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.fr-FR.xls
- Germany: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.de-DE.xls
- Greece: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
- Italy: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.it-IT.xls
- Hungary: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
- Netherlands: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.nl-NL.xls
- Norway: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.no-NO.xls
- Poland: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.pl-PL.xls
- Portugal: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.pt-BR.xls
- Romania: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
- Slovakia: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
- Spain: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.es-ES.xls
- Sweden: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.sv-SE.xls
- Switzerland (French): https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.fr-CH.xls
- Switzerland (German): https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.de-CH.xls
- Switzerland (Italian): https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.it-CH.xls
- Belgium (French): https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.fr-FR.xls
- Belgium (Dutch): https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.nl-NL.xls
Google Merchant Categories for Central & South America
- Argentina: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.es-ES.xls
- Brazil: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.pt-BR.xls
- Chile: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.es-ES.xls
- Colombia: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.es-ES.xls
- Ecuador: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.es-ES.xls
- Nicaragua: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.es-ES.xls
- Mexico: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.es-ES.xls
- Paraguay: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.es-ES.xls
- Panama: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.es-ES.xls
- Puerto Rico: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.es-ES.xls
- Venezuela: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.es-ES.xls
Google Merchant Categories for Asia
- China: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
- Hong Kong: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
- India: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
- Indonesia: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
- Israel: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
- Japan: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.ja-JP.xls
- Malaysia: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
- Pakistan: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
- Philippines: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
- Russia: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.ru-RU.xls
- Saudi Arabia: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
- Singapore: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
- Taiwan: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
- Thailand: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
- Turkey: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.tr-TR.xls
- United Arab Emirates: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
- Vietnam: https://www.google.com/basepages/producttype/taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls
Google Product Taxonomy for Food Categories: Depth, Levels, and Examples
Food is one of the most detailed sections of the Google product taxonomy. The Food, Beverages & Tobacco top-level category contains hundreds of subcategories spanning several depth levels.
Below are real-world category path examples for common food items.
Food Category Path Examples
| Product | Full Google Taxonomy Path | Depth Level |
|---|---|---|
| Apples | Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Fruits & Vegetables > Fresh & Frozen Fruits > Apples | 5 |
| Oranges | Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Fruits & Vegetables > Fresh & Frozen Fruits > Citrus Fruits > Oranges | 6 |
| Milk | Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Dairy Products > Milk | 4 |
| Cheddar Cheese | Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Dairy Products > Cheese | 4 |
| Sliced Bread | Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Bakery > Breads & Buns | 4 |
| Potato Chips | Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Snack Foods > Chips & Crisps | 4 |
| Frozen Pizza | Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Frozen Foods | 3 |
| Green Tea | Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Beverages > Tea & Infusions | 3 |
| Flavored Carbonated Water | Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Beverages > Water > Carbonated Water | 4 |
| Baby Food | Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Baby Food & Formula | 3 |
| Ground Beef | Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Meat, Seafood & Eggs > Meat | 4 |
| Yogurt | Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Dairy Products > Yogurt | 4 |
How Many Categories Are in the Food, Beverages & Tobacco Section?
The Food, Beverages & Tobacco category contains several hundred subcategories. The exact count changes with each taxonomy update, but it still ranks among the most detailed sections. It is similar to Apparel & Accessories and Electronics.
The maximum taxonomy depth for food items reaches 6–7 levels in cases like specific citrus fruit varieties. Most food items, however, sit comfortably at 3 to 5 levels of depth.
Tip: If you sell food products on Google Shopping, use the deepest and most specific category path for each item.
For example, use Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Dairy Products > Cheese. It will perform better than Food, Beverages & Tobacco.
This improves ad relevance and supports correct U.S. tax treatment.
How to Download the Google Product Taxonomy File?
Google provides the official taxonomy as a free download in multiple formats. Here’s everything you need to know about downloading and using the taxonomy files.
Available Download Formats
| Format | File Name | Download URL | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| TXT (plain text) | taxonomy.en-US.txt | Download TXT | Developers, feed tools |
| TXT with IDs | taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.txt | Download TXT with IDs | When you need numeric category IDs |
| Excel (XLS) | taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.xls | Download XLS | Manual lookup, category research |
How to Check the Taxonomy Version?
Each Google product taxonomy file includes a version header on the first line. It looks like this:
#google_product_taxonomy_version: 2025-06-19
This tells you the date the taxonomy was last updated. It is good practice to check this version number from time to time. Do this especially before major product feed campaigns.
This helps you catch new category additions, merges, or removals. These changes may affect your product mappings.
How to Use the XLS Download for Category Lookup?
Once you download the XLS file, you can use CTRL+F (or CMD+F on Mac) to search for any product name and instantly find its matching category path and ID. This is much faster than browsing the taxonomy manually.
For example, if you search “potato chips” in the XLS file, you will find the exact path and its corresponding numeric ID, which you can then insert into your product feed as either the full path or just the ID number.
Both formats are accepted by Google Merchant Center.
Google Product Category IDs: How to Find and Use Them
Every category in the Google product taxonomy has a unique numeric ID. You can use this ID instead of the full category path in your product feed — Google converts the ID to the full path automatically on the backend.
Popular Google Product Taxonomy Category IDs
| Category ID | Full Category Path |
|---|---|
| 212 | Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Outerwear |
| 267 | Electronics > Communications > Telephony > Mobile Phones |
| 412 | Electronics > Audio > Audio Components > Amplifiers |
| 632 | Electronics > Video > Televisions |
| 2271 | Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Dresses |
| 2422 | Food, Beverages & Tobacco > Food Items > Beverages > Coffee > Espresso Machines (note: ID 2422 maps to Espresso Machines in Home & Garden) |
| 5605 | Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Activewear > Hoodies & Sweatshirts |
Should you use the ID or the full category path? It genuinely does not matter — Google accepts both and converts IDs to paths behind the scenes. That said, using the full category path is recommended for your own reference because it is far easier to audit and troubleshoot. If you use IDs, keep a reference spreadsheet with both the ID and the corresponding path.
How to Find a Category ID for Any Product?
The easiest way to find the correct Google product category ID for any product is to download the taxonomy-with-ids.en-US.txt or the XLS version of the taxonomy and search for the product name. Each line of the file follows this format:
5605 - Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Activewear > Hoodies & Sweatshirts
The number at the start of the line is the category ID. You can use this number directly as the value for the google_product_category attribute in your feed.
GS1 GPC vs. Google Product Taxonomy: Which Is More Detailed for Food?
A frequent question from merchants, especially those selling food and grocery products, is whether the GS1 Global Product Classification (GPC) system is more detailed than the Google product taxonomy, and whether they can or should use it instead.
What Is GS1 GPC?
GS1 GPC (Global Product Classification) is an international standard for classifying trade items into product categories and subcategories. It is maintained by GS1, the global organization that also manages barcodes (GTINs, EAN, UPC). GS1 GPC is widely used in retail, grocery, and supply chain contexts.
GS1 GPC vs Google Product Taxonomy: Key Differences
| Feature | Google Product Taxonomy | GS1 GPC |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Google Shopping feed classification | Global trade item classification & supply chain |
| Total categories | 6,600+ categories | Thousands of bricks (leaf categories) |
| Food depth | Up to 6–7 levels for food | Generally 4 levels (Segment > Family > Class > Brick), but Bricks are highly granular |
| Food granularity | Good for general categories (Cheese, Bread, etc.) | Very granular for food — distinguishes cut type, processing method, packaging format |
| Accepted by Google Merchant Center? | Yes — native format | No — not accepted as google_product_category value |
| Use in product feeds | Required / recommended for Google Shopping | Used internally or with trading partners; not for Google Shopping |
Is GS1 GPC More Detailed Than Google Product Taxonomy for Food?
Yes — for food specifically, GS1 GPC is generally more granular than the Google product taxonomy. GS1 GPC uses “bricks” as its leaf categories and each brick includes a set of “attributes” that further describe a product (such as flavour, fat content, processing method, and so on). This makes it significantly more detailed at the leaf level than what Google’s taxonomy provides.
However, GS1 GPC cannot be used as a substitute for the google_product_category attribute. Google Merchant Center only accepts categories from Google’s own taxonomy. If you want to provide more granular food classification information in your feed, you should use the product_type attribute for your own custom categorization hierarchy — and still use the closest available Google taxonomy path for google_product_category.
Bottom line: Use Google’s taxonomy for google_product_category and use the product_type attribute if you want to add more granular food classification details (such as your own internal category structure or GS1-inspired hierarchy) to your product feed.
Google Product Category Path Examples by Product Type
Finding the right category path is one of the most practical challenges merchants face when building product feeds. Below are verified category path examples for a wide range of common products.
Apparel & Accessories Category Examples
| Product | Google Product Category Path |
|---|---|
| Jeans | Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Pants |
| Socks | Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Underwear & Socks > Socks |
| Hoodie / Sweatshirt | Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Activewear > Hoodies & Sweatshirts |
| Pajamas | Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Sleepwear & Loungewear |
| Sweatpants | Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Activewear > Activewear Bottoms |
| Slippers | Apparel & Accessories > Shoes > Slippers |
| Robe | Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Sleepwear & Loungewear > Robes |
| Underwear | Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Underwear & Socks > Underwear |
| White Dress | Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Dresses |
| Sweater | Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Tops > Sweaters |
| Lingerie | Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Underwear & Socks > Lingerie |
| Backpack | Apparel & Accessories > Handbags, Wallets & Cases > Handbags > Backpacks |
| Luggage | Luggage & Bags > Luggage |
Electronics Category Examples
| Product | Google Product Category Path |
|---|---|
| Smartphone / Mobile Phone | Electronics > Communications > Telephony > Mobile Phones |
| Television | Electronics > Video > Televisions |
| Phone Charger | Electronics > Electronics Accessories > Power > Chargers |
| Audio Cable | Electronics > Electronics Accessories > Audio & Video Accessories > Audio Cables |
| Hi-Fi / Speakers | Electronics > Audio > Audio Components > Speakers |
| Robot Vacuum Cleaner | Home & Garden > Household Appliances > Vacuum Cleaners > Robotic Vacuums |
| Scooter | Vehicles & Parts > Vehicles > Scooters & Mopeds |
Home & Other Category Examples
| Product | Google Product Category Path |
|---|---|
| Rug | Home & Garden > Decor > Rugs |
| Bunk Bed | Furniture > Beds & Accessories > Beds > Bunk Beds |
| Toothbrush | Health & Beauty > Personal Care > Oral Care > Toothbrushes |
How to Set Google Product Category in WooCommerce and Shopify
Once you know which Google product category applies to your products, the next step is getting that value into your product feed. Here’s how it works on the two most popular eCommerce platforms.
Setting Google Product Category in WooCommerce
WooCommerce does not have a native field for google_product_category in the default product editor. To add this attribute to your Google Shopping feed, you need a product feed plugin such as CTX Feed.
With CTX Feed, you can set the Google product category in two ways:
- Default category for all products: In the feed configuration, set a default
google_product_categoryvalue that applies to all products in your feed where no individual value has been set. - Category mapping: Map your WooCommerce product categories to matching Google taxonomy categories using the built-in category mapping interface. This means if all products in your “Women’s Shoes” WooCommerce category should map to a specific Google taxonomy path, you configure that once and it applies automatically.
Category Mapping
Next comes the second method: category mapping.
However, to apply this process efficiently, you need to use a third-party tool.
You will find a bunch of third-party plugins for easy category mapping such as CTX Feed. It will save you time and effort.
The category mapping process is really quick and hassle-free compared to the manual categorization process. By mapping your categories according to Google’s taxonomy, you can stay relaxed as you minimize the risk of product disapproval from the Merchant Center.
Mixed Categorization
By the way, it is also possible to make a fusion between category mapping and manual categorization.
Using both together will help you in terms of relevance and a higher degree of personalization.
Following this approach will let you add the finer details and product differences to show how it stands apart from the other products in its category.
Setting Google Product Category in Shopify
Shopify’s Google & YouTube sales channel allows you to assign a Google product category to individual products or to product types directly from the Shopify admin. You can also use Shopify’s metafields to store the google_product_category value and then reference it in your feed template.
When setting the category in Shopify, you can input either the numeric category ID (e.g., 2271) or the full category path (e.g., Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Dresses). Both formats are accepted.
Important for WooCommerce users: The google_product_category attribute and the WooCommerce product_type attribute serve different purposes. Do not confuse your WooCommerce product categories with the google_product_category they are separate fields in your feed, and both should be filled in for best results.
How Does Google Product Category Affect Your Ads?
Google chooses what it will display to the searchers based on different factors and attributes such as Title and GTIN.
Google product category is also one of the many factors Google takes into consideration while showing ads to the audience.
However, that’s not the only reason why you should always try to use the right Google Product category.
You should know that Google treats different categories in different ways. Google has different editorial requirements and advertising policies for different categories.
Let us clarify it to you with an example.
You have to insert the brand attribute for all the products. However, there are exceptions.
For movies, books, and musical recordings, the brand attribute does not make sense. For these kinds of products, what you may alternatively do is to add the publisher as a brand.
No matter what kind or category of products you sell, you must specify the correct Google product category first so that you get them approved. And next comes the use of the brand attribute.
Guidelines for Google Product Category
Here are a few guidelines that you should follow regarding the Google Product Category
- Use only a single and predefined product category: Make sure that you choose either ID or the entire product category path.
- Choose the category that best describes your product: Pick a category depending on the key characteristic of the product. An MP3 player may have functionality such as a clock. But that does not change its primary purpose and so it is still to be considered an MP3 player, not a clock.
- Be very specific: If you are selling an MP3 player charger, don’t just categorize it under the Electronics category. Instead, the ideal category example should look like this: Electronics > Audio > Audio Accessories > MP3 Player Accessories.
- Use categories that went live after August 2011: Do not use terms of the past. Take help from the latest Google product taxonomy page to find out the exact categories and subcategories you should use for your products.
When Should You Use the Google Product Category Attributes?
Though usage of the Google Product Category is optional, you can use override the automated categorization of Google in the cases mentioned below:
- US tax calculation: If you are selling in the US and you want to ensure the application of the correct US tax rate, you can override Google’s by default or automated categorization.
- Enforcement of category-specific attribute requirements: Product categories like Apparel & Accessories, Mobile Phones, or Software may require additional fields. If your product is categorized in one of these categories incorrectly by Google, you can choose to override the categorization and thus remove the requirements imposed by these categories.
- Alcohol: It’s a must to correctly categorize alcoholic beverages. In case the category of your alcoholic beverages is not correctly assigned by Google, you should use the Google Product Category (google_product_category) attribute to make things accurate. Doing this will override the automated category to keep your product fully compliant with the alcoholic beverages policy.
- Google Ads campaigns targeting: In case you defined any of your ad campaigns according to Google’s product categories, you can use this attribute to reassign products within your campaign structure.
What are the Benefits and Challenges of Categorization?
Categorization has multiple benefits as well as some challenges. Let’s explore them one by one.
Categorization Benefits
There are dozens of benefits of using proper and in-depth categorization for your store products.
Let us tell you about some of the categorization benefits in brief:
- Google can easily identify the match between the search query and the products you sell. Though GTIN can help Google to do the same, Google Shopping uses Google Product Categories for both smooth comparison and navigation.
- The right category means better exposure to your products in the search query. This also helps improve the click-through rate.
- Better CTRs will help your product ads perform better compared to the products of your competitors.
- More relevant ads translate into lower ad costs.
- Other channels such as Facebook Dynamic Product Ads and Bing Shopping leverage the Google Product Category. Thus it helps better optimize your website for multichannel marketing.
Though the categorization process may seem a daunting task, its benefits should motivate you to execute the categorization process.
Categorization Challenges
As mentioned above, there are some challenges you may encounter with the product categorization process.
Automatic categorization might end up labeling your products incorrectly. This may cause item disapproval and the display of ads for irrelevant search queries.
This is exactly why Google lets the business owners use the ‘google_product_category’ attribute to override the automatic product categorization.
As Google product taxonomy consists of more than 6000 categories, it is quite a tedious task to categorize all the products, especially if you have hundreds or thousands of products in your product data feed.
How to Set Google Product Category?
You can use any of the three methods for setting the values of Google Product Category in your feed. They are:
Method 1: Just leave the google_product_category attribute blank and wait for Google to auto-categorize it. For most of the common products, Google can easily do the job of categorization. So, you can go for this option if you do not have much time.
Method 2: Set a value that’s the default for all items. You can create a default value that would be applicable for all items in your feed where no other google_product_category value is available or applicable.
Method 3: Map to a field in the catalog. In case you already have the google_product_category values available in your product, you can choose to map your catalog field to the ‘google_product_category’ field in the feed using the CTX Feed plugin.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How Many Categories Are in the Google Product Taxonomy?
As of the most recent update, the Google product taxonomy contains over 6,600 categories in the English (US) version. The total number changes periodically as Google adds new categories, merges existing ones, or removes outdated entries. The exact number can be verified by counting the lines in the official taxonomy.en-US.txt file (excluding the version header line at the top).
How Often Does Google Update the Product Taxonomy?
Google updates the product taxonomy several times per year, though there is no fixed release schedule. Updates tend to add new categories for emerging product types or refine existing paths for better classification accuracy. Each taxonomy file includes a version date in the first line (e.g., #google_product_taxonomy_version: 2025-06-19), which tells you when that version was published. It is good practice to check for taxonomy updates at least once every few months and update any affected category mappings in your feed.
What Is the google_product_taxonomy_version Attribute?
The google_product_taxonomy_version is the version identifier found at the top of the official taxonomy text file. It follows the format #google_product_taxonomy_version: YYYY-MM-DD. This line tells you the date Google last published that version of the taxonomy. If you are programmatically working with the taxonomy file, you can read this line to track whether a newer version has been released since your last download.
Can I Use Google Product Category Numbers (IDs) Instead of Category Names?
Yes, absolutely. Google accepts both the full category path string and the corresponding numeric category ID for the google_product_category attribute. For example, you can submit either Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Dresses or simply 2271 — Google treats them identically. Using numeric IDs can make your feed file smaller and more machine-readable, while using full paths is more human-readable and easier to audit manually.
Is the Google Product Taxonomy the Same as the Google Shopping Category?
Yes, these terms refer to the same thing. “Google product taxonomy,” “Google shopping taxonomy,” “Google merchant categories,” and “google_product_category” all refer to the same standardized classification system that Google uses to organize products in its shopping ecosystem. The taxonomy is maintained by Google and used across Google Shopping, Google Merchant Center, Google Ads product campaigns, and other Google surfaces.
What Is the Google Product Category for Jeans, Socks, or Hoodies?
These are common apparel questions. Here are the correct Google taxonomy paths:
Jeans: Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Pants
Socks: Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Underwear & Socks > Socks
Hoodies & Sweatshirts: Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Activewear > Hoodies & Sweatshirts (ID: 5605)
What Is the Difference Between product_type L1, L2 in Google Shopping Feed?
When you use the product_type attribute in your Google Shopping feed, Google reads the hierarchy you provide using > as a delimiter. In feed reporting and campaign management, these levels are labeled product type L1 (first/top level), product type L2 (second level), and so on. For example, if your product type is Clothing > Tops > T-Shirts, then “Clothing” is L1, “Tops” is L2, and “T-Shirts” is L3. These levels become filterable dimensions in your Google Ads shopping campaigns, allowing you to create product groups and set bids by category level.
Final Thoughts
By now you know almost everything about Google product category taxonomy and how you should leverage it for better categorization of your WooCommerce store’s products.
If you have an opinion or question regarding this blog, please let us know in the comment box.
Also, don’t forget to share this blog. Your sharing will inspire us to write more blogs like this in the days to come.
