# Product classification

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Classification of goods and services

**Product classification** or **product taxonomy** is a type of [economic taxonomy](/source/Economic_taxonomy) which organizes products for a variety of purposes. However, not only products can be referred to in a standardized way but also sales practices in form of the “[Incoterms](/source/Incoterms)” and industries can be classified into categories.[1]

Some standard product classifications include:

- CPA — Classification of Products by Activity, a product nomenclature that was used in the [European Economic Community](/source/European_Economic_Community) and now in use in the [EU](/source/European_Union), a European version of the [CPC](/source/Central_Product_Classification) - CPA 1996[2] - CPA 2002 - CPA 2008[3] - CPA 2.1[4]

- CPC — [Central Product Classification](/source/Central_Product_Classification), a United Nations standard classification for products

- [ETIM](/source/ETIM_(standard)), the ETIM Technical Information Model

- [Global Classification](/source/Global_Classification) and [Harmonized Schedule Numbers](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harmonized_Schedule_Numbers&action=edit&redlink=1) for customs classification

- HS — [Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System](/source/Harmonized_Commodity_Description_and_Coding_System)

- SITC — [Standard International Trade Classification](/source/Standard_International_Trade_Classification)

- [Trade in Services](/source/Trade_in_Services)

- [UNSPSC](/source/UNSPSC), the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code

- [IEC Common Data Dictionary](/source/IEC_Common_Data_Dictionary) (IEC CDD), a product classification and product description based on international standards and defined by the [International Electrotechnical Commission](/source/International_Electrotechnical_Commission)

- [eCl@ss](/source/ECl%40ss), a global and ISO/IEC-conform system for classification and description of products and services, maintained by the non-governmental eCl@ss e.V. association

## See also

- [Industry classification](/source/Industry_classification)

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Product Classification: Categorization & Classifying of Products"](https://intrepidsourcing.com/trade-wiki/classifications-how-to-distinguish-between-products/).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [CPA 1996 - Statistical classification of products by activity in the European Economic Community // Eurostat](http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/web/products-manuals-and-guidelines/-/CA-14-98-114)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Statistical classification of products by activity in the European Economic Community, 2008 version](http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/ramon/nomenclatures/index.cfm?TargetUrl=DSP_GEN_DESC_VIEW_NOHDR&StrNom=CPA_2008&StrLanguageCode=EN)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Statistical Classification of Products by Activity, Version 2.1](http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/ramon/nomenclatures/index.cfm?TargetUrl=DSP_GEN_DESC_VIEW_NOHDR&StrNom=CPA_2_1&StrLanguageCode=EN)

## References

- [CPA 2.1](http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/ramon/nomenclatures/index.cfm?TargetUrl=LST_NOM_DTL&StrNom=CPA_2_1&StrLanguageCode=EN&IntPcKey=&StrLayoutCode=HIERARCHIC) at the Eurostat website

- United Nations Statistical Commission, "International Family of Economic and Social Classifications", p. 5 [PDF](http://unstats.un.org/unsd/class/family/preamble.pdf)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Product classification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_classification) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_classification?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.