Section C: Chemistry; Metallurgy

Classes

Subclasses

1,806

Main Groups

15,230

IPC

38,319

CPC

Description

Section C encompasses inventions in chemistry and metallurgy, covering the preparation, composition, and properties of chemical compounds, metals, alloys, and related processes. This broad section includes organic and inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, metallurgical treatments, and chemical engineering applications spanning industrial production, materials science, and pharmaceutical development. Section C typically excludes pure theoretical chemistry and physics, which fall under other sections, while serving as the foundational classification for chemistry-related patents across manufacturing and scientific domains.

Visualizations

Size of each class by number of subgroups

Classes in section C by descendant count
Class	Title	Descendants
C01	INORGANIC CHEMISTRY	1,977
C02	TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE	560
C03	GLASS; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL	1,486
C04	CEMENTS; CONCRETE; ARTIFICIAL STONE; CERAMICS; REFRACTORIES	2,079
C05	FERTILISERS; MANUFACTURE THEREOF	148
C06	EXPLOSIVES; MATCHES	181
C07	ORGANIC CHEMISTRY	6,898
C08	ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON	5,084
C09	DYES; PAINTS; POLISHES; NATURAL RESINS; ADHESIVES; COMPOSITIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR	3,572
C10	PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT	2,625
C11	ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES	620
C12	BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING	10,623
C13	SUGAR INDUSTRY	105
C14	SKINS; HIDES; PELTS; LEATHER	123
C21	METALLURGY OF IRON	503
C22	METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS	713
C23	COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL	962
C25	ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR	444
C30	CRYSTAL GROWTH	228
C40	COMBINATORIAL TECHNOLOGY	42
C99	SUBJECT MATTER NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR IN THIS SECTION	2

IPC and CPC are identically structured here. All 21 subcodes exist in both systems.

1 shared codes have differing titles between IPC and CPC.

Child Classifications

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C01 INORGANIC CHEMISTRY heading +1 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C02 TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C03 GLASS; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C04 CEMENTS; CONCRETE; ARTIFICIAL STONE; CERAMICS; REFRACTORIES heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C05 FERTILISERS; MANUFACTURE THEREOF heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C06 EXPLOSIVES; MATCHES heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C07 ORGANIC CHEMISTRY heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C08 ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C09 DYES; PAINTS; POLISHES; NATURAL RESINS; ADHESIVES; COMPOSITIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C10 PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C11 ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C12 BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING heading +1 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C13 SUGAR INDUSTRY heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C14 SKINS; HIDES; PELTS; LEATHER heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C21 METALLURGY OF IRON heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C22 METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C23 COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C25 ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C30 CRYSTAL GROWTH heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C40 COMBINATORIAL TECHNOLOGY heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC