> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developer.fabric.inc/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Categories

Categories define the structure of product organization within **Product Catalog**, allowing merchants to group products logically based on shared attributes. Using a hierarchical tree structure, categories help create navigable and scalable product groupings.

Each product in Product Catalog, whether an item, a variant, or a bundle, must be assigned to a category or subcategory when it's created. A product can only be assigned to one category or subcategory at a time.

There is no limit to the number of categories or subcategories you can create.

## Tree Analogy

Categories and subcategories can be best explained with the tree analogy. For instance, consider *furniture* as the main category or root, the branches are subcategories such as *tables* and *chairs*, and the leaves represent individual products. In this example, a leaf could be an oak dining table that seats four. Visually, it looks like this:

> * Root: Furniture
>   * Branch: Tables
>     * Leaf: Dining Tables
>       * Product: Oak dining table seating 4
>       * Product: Oak dining table seating 6
>     * Leaf: Coffee Tables
>       * Product: Oak coffee table
>       * Product: Oak coffee table, glass top
>   * Branch: Chairs
>     * Leaf: Dining Chairs
>       * Product: Oak dining chair
>       * Product: Oak dining chair, with arms
>     * Leaf: Office Chairs
>       * Product: Computer chair
>       * Product: Computer chair, reclining

Any attribute applied to a category is inherited by its subcategories, known as attribute inheritance. However, inherited attributes can be overwritten by assigning the attribute to the subcategory itself. For example, the broad *office chairs* category could have a *material* attribute set to *leather*, but a specific subcategory could be set to *nylon*.

## Related Topics

* [Adding a Category](/v3/product-catalog/user-guides/product-catalog/categories/adding-a-category)
* [Importing Categories](/v3/product-catalog/user-guides/product-catalog/categories/importing-categories)
* [Managing Categories](/v3/product-catalog/user-guides/product-catalog/categories/managing-categories)