Trademark Class 4: Industrial Oils, Lubricants, Fuels and Candles

Trademark Class 4 overview: oils, fuels and candles in one class

Trademark Class 4 covers industrial oils and greases, lubricants, fuels, products that give light, and candles. Engine oil, gear oil, grease, petrol, diesel, coal, charcoal, firewood, biomass briquettes, lamp oil, cotton wicks and candles all sit in this class. It also covers dust binding compositions, industrial wax and even electrical energy.

A simple test helps. If the product burns to give heat, light or power, or it reduces friction between moving parts, it is usually Class 4. If it is an oil you eat, put on your body or use to protect wood from rust or rot, it belongs to another class.

Understanding the official heading of Class 4

The Nice Classification, which India follows under Section 8 of the Trade Marks Act, 1999, gives this heading for Class 4:

Class 4 at a glance

Goods classified under Class 4: full list by type

The official Nice list for Class 4 has a little over 100 items. These are the goods Indian businesses file for most often, grouped so you can find your product quickly.

Lubricants and industrial oils

• Engine oil and motor oil for cars, bikes, trucks and tractors
• Gear oil, lubricating oil and lubricating grease
• Industrial oil, industrial grease and textile oil
• Cutting fluids and dielectric oil for metalworking
• Lubricating graphite and grease for belts
• Oils for releasing formwork on building sites

Fuels

• Petrol (gasoline), diesel, kerosene and fuel oil
• Fuel gas, gas for lighting and natural gas
• Biofuels, ethanol and alcohol used as fuel, biomass fuel, hydrogen fuel
• Non-chemical additives for motor fuel
• Electrical energy

Solid fuels

• Coal, coke, lignite, anthracite and coal briquettes
• Charcoal, including hookah charcoal
• Firewood, wood chips and wood briquettes used as fuel
• Biomass and combustible briquettes, peat briquettes
• Firelighters and wood shavings for lighting fires

Candles, wicks and lighting oil

• Candles, perfumed (scented) candles, soy candles and votive candles
• Wicks for candles and lamp wicks, including cotton wicks for diyas
• Oils for lighting, lighting fuel and wax for lighting

Waxes and other Class 4 goods

• Raw wax, industrial wax, paraffin, beeswax, carnauba wax, stearine
• Beeswax and lanolin sold for making cosmetics
• Grease for leather, footwear and arms (weapons)
• Petroleum jelly for industrial use
• Dust absorbing, dust binding and dust laying compositions
• Industrial castor oil, sunflower oil, rape oil and fish oil
• Wood chips for smoking and flavouring food

What is not in Class 4?

The word "oil" appears in many classes. The use of the oil decides the class, not the word on the label. Filing these in Class 4 would leave the real product unprotected.

Who should file a trademark in Class 4?

• Lubricant and engine oil brands, including blenders and private label sellers
• Grease and industrial oil makers supplying factories and workshops
• Candle makers, from home businesses to gift and decor brands
• Pooja product brands selling lamp oil and cotton wicks (batti) for diyas
• Coal, charcoal, hookah charcoal and briquette traders and makers
• Biomass pellet, biodiesel and ethanol producers
• Re-refiners of used oil selling under their own name
• Wax suppliers to candle, cosmetic and industrial buyers

A dealer who only sells another company's branded oil does not need Class 4 for that product. A dealer who fills oil into his own branded cans does.

Classes related to Class 4 and multi-class filing

Oil, fuel and candle businesses rarely stop at one product. One application under Section 18(2) of the Trade Marks Act can list several classes, but the government fee is charged class by class.

Class 4 vs Class 29 for oil businesses

This is the costliest mix-up for Indian oil mills. Mustard, groundnut, coconut and sunflower oil sold for cooking are Class 29. The same oil sold for industrial use, such as industrial castor oil or sunflower oil for industry, is Class 4. A mill that sells both kinds should file both classes.

Class 4 vs Class 3 for candles and fragrance

Scented candles stay in Class 4 because their main use is lighting. Agarbatti, dhoop, room sprays and essential oils are Class 3. A home fragrance brand that sells candles and incense under one name should file Classes 3 and 4 together.

Class 4 vs Classes 37 and 40 for energy services

Class 4 covers goods. A petrol pump selling fuel uses the fuel company's mark, but its own service brand for vehicle servicing and refuelling falls in Class 37. Generating electricity for others is a Class 40 service, and distributing electricity is Class 39.

Nice Classification changes and Class 4

WIPO's 13th edition (NCL 13-2026) came into force on 1 January 2026, and the Class 4 heading did not change. The current list includes entries such as hydrogen fuel, natural gas, soy candles and dielectric oil for metalworking. The next version, 13-2027, is already published by WIPO and keeps the same heading. Pick your goods from the IP India e-filing list on the day you file, since the Registry examines against that list.

How to write your Class 4 goods description

Your registration protects only the goods written in the application. Examiners prefer the standard Nice or IP India terms, and specific wording keeps a copycat from slipping a near-identical product past your mark.

Brand names that face objections in Class 4

Under Section 9 of the Trade Marks Act, the Registry refuses names that only describe the product or praise it. In Class 4, names like "Super Lube", "Power Oil", "Smooth Drive", "Pure Wax" or "Diya Jyoti" for lamp oil often get objections because they describe the goods or their effect. A coined word, or an ordinary word used in an unrelated way, is far easier to register.

Under Section 11, a name that looks or sounds like an existing lubricant or fuel brand can be refused, and large oil companies watch the Trade Marks Journal closely. The availability check at the top of this page searches the same, similar and sound-alike names in Class 4.

Licences oil, fuel and candle businesses still need

A Class 4 trademark protects your brand name only. It does not give permission to make, store or sell the product. Depending on your goods, you may also need:

• Petroleum storage: a licence from PESO (Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation) under the Petroleum Rules, 2002, above the exempt quantities
• Used oil and re-refining: authorisation from the state pollution control board under the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016
• Denatured spirit and ethanol: state excise permissions
• Factories and briquette plants: consent to establish and operate from the state pollution control board
• Packed goods: Legal Metrology declarations on cans, bottles and boxes

Rules change by product and state, so confirm what your exact product needs before launch. Our team can help with the trademark and the business registrations together.

How to check trademark availability in Class 4

1. Start with the search box at the top. Enter the brand you want for your oil, fuel or candle range. Results list identical, close and sound-alike Class 4 marks along with where each one stands.
2. Look beyond Class 4. If your range touches coolants, incense or cooking oil, repeat the search for Classes 1, 3 and 29 on our trademark search page.
3. Cross-check on the official register. Open the IP India public search, choose class 4 and try spelling variations too.
4. Judge the risk by status. Live marks (registered, accepted or advertised) that resemble yours can block you. Marks shown as abandoned, withdrawn or refused rarely do.

How to register a trademark in Class 4

1. Clear the name: run the Class 4 search above and check neighbouring classes your products touch.
2. Draft the goods list: pick standard terms such as motor oil, lubricating grease, candles or biomass fuel.
3. Apply online: Form TM-A goes in through the IP India e-filing portal. The application number arrives instantly, and from then on the ™ symbol can go on your cans and boxes.
4. Answer the examiner: if the examination report raises an objection, your reply is due within one month under Rule 33 of the Trade Marks Rules, 2017.
5. Get through publication: once accepted, the mark appears in the Trade Marks Journal, and third parties get four months to oppose it.
6. Receive the certificate: after the opposition window closes without a challenge, or after you succeed in one, the mark is registered and the ® symbol can be used. It stays valid for 10 years at a time.

Documents needed for a Class 4 application

• Full name and address of the owner, plus incorporation details for a company, LLP or firm
• Udyam registration or DPIIT recognition, which brings the government fee down to ₹4,500
• The logo as a JPG image, only if a logo is being filed
• The Class 4 products you make or trade
• If the brand is already on the market, the date it was first used, with a user affidavit backed by invoices or label prints
• A signed Form TM-48 when an agent or trademark attorney files for you

Class 4 trademark fee

These are government fees per class under the Trade Marks Rules, 2017. A small candle brand filing Classes 3 and 4 online pays ₹9,000 in government fees.

Common mistakes in Class 4 filings

• Filing cooking oil in Class 4. Edible oil is Class 29.
• Filing hair oil or essential oil in Class 4. These are Class 3.
• Putting anti-rust oil with lubricants. Rust preventives are Class 2.
• Forgetting the diya or lamp. Lamp oil and wicks are Class 4, but the lamp is Class 11.
• Choosing a descriptive name. "Lube", "Power", "Pure" plus a common word is hard to register.
• Skipping Class 35 or 37. A brand that also runs stores or oil change outlets needs the service class.

Benefits of registering your brand in Class 4

• Exclusive right to use the name for your Class 4 goods across India
• Legal action against fake engine oil and look-alike cans, a common problem in the lubricant trade
• Easier dealer, workshop and distributor onboarding
• Protection on online marketplaces through brand registry programmes, useful for candle and pooja brands
• A business asset you can license to contract blenders or sell

Quick guide: is your product in Class 4?

Go down this list and stop at the first question you answer "yes" to.

1. Do people eat it or cook with it? Then it is Class 29.
2. Is it put on the body, or is it a perfume or incense? Then it is Class 3, or Class 5 if it treats a condition.
3. Does it stop rust or protect wood? Then it is Class 2.
4. Is it a lamp, stove or device rather than the fuel itself? Then it is Class 11, 9 or 7.
5. Is it a lubricant, fuel, industrial oil, wax, candle or wick? Then it is Class 4.

Products that sit on a border, like a fragrance oil for diffusers or an additive sold with engine oil, are worth a quick word with our team. Share the label and how buyers use it, and you will get the right class before paying any fee.

Fake engine oil and how a trademark helps

Counterfeit lubricants sold in look-alike cans are a known problem in Indian spare parts markets. A registered Class 4 mark lets the owner file an infringement suit and seek an injunction under the Trade Marks Act. Selling goods with a falsely applied trademark is also an offence under Sections 103 and 104, with imprisonment of six months to three years and a fine. Without registration, the owner has to rely on a passing off case, which needs more proof of reputation.

Protecting the name, logo and pack

File the brand name as a word mark first, because it covers the name however it is written or coloured on a can or candle box. The logo can follow as a separate mark once the artwork is settled. A distinctive can, bottle or candle jar shape can also be registered as a design under the Designs Act, 2000.

After registration: keeping your Class 4 mark safe

• Keep selling under it. Section 47 allows removal of a mark that has gone unused for a continuous five-year period.
• Track new filings. Scan each weekly Trade Marks Journal for lubricant and fuel names close to yours, and file opposition inside the four-month window.
• Renew on time. Form TM-R renews the mark for another 10 years, class by class, and can be filed up to a year before expiry.
• Update the record. A shift of office, a change of company name or a sale of the brand should be recorded with the Registry so the register stays correct.

Examples of choosing classes for Class 4 businesses

Example: a Delhi lubricant blender selling engine oil and coolant under one brand. Engine oil went in Class 4, but coolant is Class 1, so both classes were filed together.

Example: a Jaipur home candle business that added agarbatti and a gift shop website. It filed Class 4 for candles, Class 3 for incense and Class 35 for the online store.

Example: a Coimbatore maker of biomass briquettes for boilers that also delivers fuel to factories. Class 4 covered the briquettes and Class 39 the delivery service.