Section B: Performing Operations; Transporting

Classes

173

Subclasses

2,783

Main Groups

18,398

IPC

56,958

CPC

Description

Section B encompasses mechanical engineering and transportation technologies. It covers manufacturing processes, machines, tools, engines, and mechanical systems used to perform physical operations or move materials and objects. This section includes diverse fields such as metalworking, printing, agriculture, construction, vehicle design, and mechanical propulsion systems. Section B complements Section A (human necessities) by providing the technological means and mechanical infrastructure for implementing practical solutions across industries.

Visualizations

Size of each class by number of subgroups

Classes in section B by descendant count
Class	Title	Descendants
B01	PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL	7,041
B02	CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING; PREPARATORY TREATMENT OF GRAIN FOR MILLING	362
B03	SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLID MATERIALS OR FLUIDS; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS	314
B04	CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS OR MACHINES FOR CARRYING-OUT PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES	145
B05	SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL	1,276
B06	GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS IN GENERAL	86
B07	SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING	222
B08	CLEANING	215
B09	DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE; RECLAMATION OF CONTAMINATED SOIL	105
B21	MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL	1,676
B22	CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY	1,004
B23	MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR	4,278
B24	GRINDING; POLISHING	749
B25	HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS	1,029
B26	HAND CUTTING TOOLS; CUTTING; SEVERING	552
B27	WORKING OR PRESERVING WOOD OR SIMILAR MATERIAL; NAILING OR STAPLING MACHINES IN GENERAL	580
B28	WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE	789
B29	WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL	7,032
B30	PRESSES	265
B31	MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER	595
B32	LAYERED PRODUCTS	1,045
B33	ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY	12
B41	PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS	2,638
B42	BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER	413
B43	WRITING OR DRAWING IMPLEMENTS; BUREAU ACCESSORIES	418
B44	DECORATIVE ARTS	222
B60	VEHICLES IN GENERAL	8,225
B61	RAILWAYS	913
B62	LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS	1,550
B63	SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT	1,363
B64	AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS	1,271
B65	CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL	8,975
B66	HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING	1,011
B67	OPENING, CLOSING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING	822
B68	SADDLERY; UPHOLSTERY	123
B81	MICROSTRUCTURAL TECHNOLOGY	451
B82	NANOTECHNOLOGY	40
B99	SUBJECT MATTER NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR IN THIS SECTION	2

IPC and CPC are identically structured here. All 38 subcodes exist in both systems.

2 shared codes have differing titles between IPC and CPC.

Child Classifications

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B01 PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
B02 CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING; PREPARATORY TREATMENT OF GRAIN FOR MILLING heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
B03 SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLID MATERIALS OR FLUIDS; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
B04 CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS OR MACHINES FOR CARRYING-OUT PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
B05 SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
B06 GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS IN GENERAL heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
B07 SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
B08 CLEANING heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
B09 DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE; RECLAMATION OF CONTAMINATED SOIL heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
B21 MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
B22 CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
B23 MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
B24 GRINDING; POLISHING heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
B25 HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
B26 HAND CUTTING TOOLS; CUTTING; SEVERING heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
B27 WORKING OR PRESERVING WOOD OR SIMILAR MATERIAL; NAILING OR STAPLING MACHINES IN GENERAL heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
B28 WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
B29 WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
B30 PRESSES heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
B31 MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC