China: registering a trademark costs an estimated US$265 for one class, plus US$240 for each further class. China is a member of the Madrid System, so a trademark can be filed with its office directly or extended to China through an international registration. China is a leading import market for fuels and lubricants (class 4) and machines (class 7). It is also one of the world's leading exporters of haberdashery (class 26) and household utensils (class 21).
Figures by trademark class count branded goods only: raw commodities that are traded mostly without brands - such as gold bars, fuel, bulk chemicals, grain and fabric by the metre - are left out. Hong Kong, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates are left out of the rankings, as much of their trade is re-exported.
In colour: goods where China is among the world's 10 largest exporters, or has at least 5% of world exports. In grey, for comparison: its next-largest shares.
Goods where China is among the world's 3 largest exporters, has at least 15% of world exports, or that make up at least 25% of its own exports - of at least US$500m a year.
Our estimate is about US$265 for one class, from filing to registration: about US$40 in official fees and about US$225 in professional (law firm) fees. Each further class costs about as much again (US$240). Responses to office actions and oppositions are not included. These are estimates only: the actual cost depends on the law firm and the application. Request a quote from a law firm on this site for an exact price.
China is a member of the Madrid System, so a trademark can be filed with its office directly or extended to China through an international registration. WIPO's fee to designate China is CHF 220 for one class (about US$264) and CHF 330 for two classes, on top of WIPO's basic fee for the international application.
China's 10 largest import markets by trademark class are electronics and software (class 9, US$357.7bn), machines (class 7, US$139.2bn), vehicles (class 12, US$56.4bn), pharmaceuticals (class 5, US$38.5bn), medical apparatus (class 10, US$17.4bn), cosmetics and cleaning (class 3, US$15.0bn), clothing, footwear and headwear (class 25, US$14.7bn), rubber and plastics (class 17, US$14.2bn), coffee, tea, bakery and confectionery (class 30, US$10.0bn) and chemicals (class 1, US$9.8bn). Within its region, it stands out for fuels and lubricants (#1 in East Asia and Pacific), machines (#1 in East Asia and Pacific), electronics and software (#1 in East Asia and Pacific), chemicals (#1 in East Asia and Pacific), paints (#1 in East Asia and Pacific) and cosmetics and cleaning (#1 in East Asia and Pacific). Imports are growing fastest for haberdashery (28% a year), clothing, footwear and headwear (10% a year) and tobacco and smokers' articles (8% a year). Foreign applicants filed 187,893 trademark classes in China in 2024 - #1 in East Asia and Pacific - a sign of how many brand owners already protect their marks there.
China's exports of goods came to US$3,605.7bn in 2024. Its 10 largest exports were mobile phones and network equipment (US$281.0bn, 8% of its exports, #1 in the world), computers (US$190.4bn, 5% of its exports, #1 in the world), integrated circuits (chips) (US$167.5bn, 5% of its exports, #2 in the world), cars (US$91.3bn, 3% of its exports, #3 in the world), batteries (US$75.5bn, 2% of its exports, #1 in the world), vehicle parts (US$54.5bn, 2% of its exports, #2 in the world), semiconductors and solar cells (US$52.2bn, 1% of its exports, #1 in the world), transformers and converters (US$52.1bn, 1% of its exports, #1 in the world), computer parts (US$45.7bn, 1% of its exports, #1 in the world) and toys (US$40.7bn, 1% of its exports, #1 in the world). By trademark class, its 10 largest exports were electronics and software (class 9, US$1,294.0bn, #1 in the world), machines (class 7, US$343.2bn, #1 in the world), vehicles (class 12, US$212.1bn, #2 in the world), clothing, footwear and headwear (class 25, US$198.1bn, #1 in the world), lighting, heating and cooking appliances (class 11, US$110.2bn, #1 in the world), furniture (class 20, US$107.0bn, #1 in the world), games, toys and sports goods (class 28, US$87.9bn, #1 in the world), metal goods (class 6, US$82.2bn, #1 in the world), household utensils (class 21, US$55.9bn, #1 in the world) and rubber and plastics (class 17, US$36.1bn, #1 in the world). Where goods are made and exported, copies are often made too: a registered trademark there lets you act against counterfeits at the source, including with the help of customs.
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Find the best countries for your trademarkTrade: imports and exports of each trademark class's branded goods. Rankings compare countries' trade in those goods, without the re-export hubs. Costs are estimates.