YouTube inventory types: what each tier lets through
Part of YouTube brand safety
The short answer
YouTube inventory types are the three content suitability tiers Google applies to video ads across an account: Maximum, Moderate and Limited. The Google Ads API still calls them Expanded, Standard and Limited. Each tier admits or excludes content by the strength of its profanity, sexual themes, violence and drug references, and YouTube defaults to Maximum.
Key takeaways
- Maximum shows ads across all available inventory that meets YouTube's monetization standards, Moderate leaves out strong profanity, dramatized violence and sexually suggestive themes, and Limited leaves out even moderate profanity and suggestive themes.
- A small set of content, the Video Ad Safety Promise, is excluded under every tier.
- Inventory type is the one content suitability control Google applies on the YouTube Home and Subscriptions feeds.
- The setting sits at the account level in Google Ads and the advertiser level in Display & Video 360, so it cannot vary campaign by campaign.
What are the three YouTube inventory types?
Google's content suitability page (opens in a new tab) defines three tiers. Maximum inventory lets an advertiser show ads across all available inventory, and Google adds that all inventory is subject to its content policies and automatically excludes highly sensitive content. Moderate inventory excludes strong profanity, dramatized violence and sexually suggestive themes. Limited inventory aims to exclude as much sensitive content as possible, including moderate profanity and sexually suggestive themes even in mainstream content such as music videos or makeup tutorials.
Google recommends Limited only for brands with strict suitability requirements and says it may limit reach and performance. The default matters because an account that never changes it runs on Maximum: Google's Performance Max brand suitability guide (opens in a new tab) says YouTube and Display ads both default to Maximum inventory, and Display & Video 360 Help (opens in a new tab) says all line items use Maximum by default.
Why do some Google documents still say Expanded and Standard inventory?
Google's help centers and its developer reference use different names for the same three tier control. The BrandSafetySuitability enum (opens in a new tab) in Google Ads API v26, last updated October 13, 2026, lists EXPANDED_INVENTORY, STANDARD_INVENTORY and LIMITED_INVENTORY. The descriptions match: the API says Standard ads won't show, for example, on content with repeated strong profanity, strong sexual content, or graphic violence, the same sentence Display & Video 360 Help uses for Moderate.
| Where the name appears | Broadest tier | Middle tier | Strictest tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Ads Help, content suitability | Maximum | Moderate | Limited |
| Display & Video 360 Help, brand suitability | Maximum | Moderate | Limited |
| Google Ads API v26 enum | EXPANDED_INVENTORY | STANDARD_INVENTORY | LIMITED_INVENTORY |
The API description of Expanded adds a useful detail: it covers inventory on YouTube and video partners that meets Google's standards for monetization. Inventory types therefore work inside the advertiser-friendly content guidelines (opens in a new tab) that decide which videos can earn ad revenue at all, and narrow that pool further.
What does each YouTube inventory type include, category by category?
Display & Video 360 Help publishes a detailed public breakdown of the tiers, a set of tables by content category. The table below summarizes them in plain words. Read each row as a description of the strongest content of that kind the tier still lets through.
| Content | Maximum | Moderate | Limited |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light, non-hateful profanity in comedy or art | Included | Included | Included |
| Moderate profanity, or a music video with frequent profanity | Included | Included | Excluded |
| Strong profanity throughout or at the very start, in comedy, documentary, news or education | Included | Excluded | Excluded |
| Romance, kissing, general talk about relationships or sexuality | Included | Included | Included |
| Sensual dancing, moderately suggestive behavior, sexual music videos | Included | Included | Excluded |
| Blurred nudity, sex as a topic, sex acts without visible contact | Included | Excluded | Excluded |
| Violence in video games, comedy or music videos | Included | Included | Included |
| Blood, gore, serious injury in sports, accidents, pranks or fails | Included | Excluded | Excluded |
| Drug use, production or distribution in music, comedy, news or documentaries | Included | Excluded | Excluded |
| News or education using words that could be seen as demeaning to a group | Included | Excluded | Excluded |
Definition
- Video Ad Safety Promise
- Google's commitment that certain content can't be monetized for ads on YouTube, applied under all three tiers: profanity in a title or thumbnail or used throughout, nudity or sexual content in a thumbnail, content showing abusing, buying, making, selling or finding drugs, and content discussing terrorism or sensitive events like war, death or tragedy.
One exception in the promise matters for news. Google says content about terrorism or sensitive current events can run in Moderate inventory when it is posted by authoritative news sources and complies with the advertiser-friendly content guidelines. A brand on Moderate can therefore appear beside serious news coverage from established newsrooms. Google also states that it can't guarantee all related content will be excluded.
Where do inventory types apply, and where do they not?
Inventory type reaches more of YouTube than any other content suitability control. Google's coverage table marks it as applying to in-stream and watch next placements, YouTube Shorts, and the Home and Subscriptions feeds, as well as the Display Network and Google video partners. On the Home and Subscriptions feeds it is the only content suitability control Google lists as applying.
| Buy | Inventory type applies? | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Google Ads Video, Demand Gen and Performance Max on YouTube | Yes | Set at the account level; Google's help pages gave two paths when checked in October 2026, Tools > Content suitability and Admin > Account settings |
| Google Ads App campaigns | No | Google lists App campaigns as outside the setting |
| YouTube Sponsorship campaigns | Partly | Run on Moderate even if Limited is selected |
| Display & Video 360 line items | Yes | Set at the advertiser level; cannot be edited in campaigns, insertion orders or line items |
| Display & Video 360 sponsorship line items | Partly | Adjusted to Moderate when the advertiser is set to Limited |
Display & Video 360 Help adds a warning for live buys: advertiser level changes take effect immediately on existing non-guaranteed YouTube instant deal line items, and changes that make serving more restrictive may lead to underdelivery. Google Ads Help notes that older Video and Display campaigns may still carry their previous campaign level brand safety settings, which can be viewed and adjusted.
How should a brand choose between Maximum, Moderate and Limited?
Each tier is a trade. Maximum gives the widest pool but admits strong profanity, gore and drug content in entertainment and documentaries. Moderate removes those while keeping popular music and serious news from authoritative sources. Limited removes even mainstream music videos with frequent profanity or suggestive themes, which Google says may limit reach. The choice is easier when the brand answers a few concrete questions.
Four questions that settle the tier
- Ask about strong language. If the brand accepts strong profanity in comedy and documentaries, Maximum fits; if not, Moderate is the floor.
- Ask about music and pop culture. If music videos with frequent profanity or sensual dancing are a problem, only Limited removes them.
- Ask about news. If the brand wants to stay beside serious news from authoritative sources, Moderate keeps it; Limited may not.
- Ask how the campaign is bought. Sponsorships run on Moderate regardless, and App campaigns sit outside the setting, so plan their safeguards separately.
Fictional example
A credit union in Saskatchewan
A fictional credit union in Regina and Saskatoon is launching a YouTube campaign for a first home savings account. The marketing lead asks for Standard inventory, the name used in an old agency guide, and the compliance team asks for Limited because it sounds safest.
The planner puts the category table in front of both. The credit union is comfortable with mainstream music and wants to stay beside personal finance news, but objects to strong profanity and drug content. The team agrees on Moderate, records the description beside the name, and keeps a reviewed channel list as the second layer. The decision and its reasons go into the brief.
Inventory type is one layer of several. The YouTube brand safety hub shows how it combines with exclusions and channel choice, and the brand suitability guide covers setting tolerances by category.
How does PlacementGraph line up a client's tolerance with the chosen inventory type?
PlacementGraph builds the channel list before launch; the inventory type stays an account setting. Nothing is sent to an ad account.
Frequently asked questions
Which inventory type does a new Google Ads account use for YouTube?
Maximum. Google's Performance Max brand suitability guide says YouTube and Display ads both default to Maximum inventory, and the interface highlights the default selection. Display & Video 360 also uses Maximum for all line items by default. A brand that wants a stricter tier has to choose it.
Can one campaign use a different inventory type from the rest of the account?
Not in current setups. Google sets brand safety controls for Display and Video campaigns at the account level, and Display & Video 360 sets them at the advertiser level, where campaigns and line items cannot edit them. Older Google Ads campaigns may still show earlier campaign level settings.
Do inventory types decide which channels a campaign runs on?
No. Inventory types filter videos by the kind and strength of their content, wherever they sit. They do not judge whether a channel fits the brief, re-uploads other creators' work or suits the audience. That needs a reviewed channel list, applied through placements, on top of the tier.
Does Moderate inventory keep ads away from news about tragedies?
Not entirely. Google excludes content about terrorism and sensitive events like war, death or tragedy under every tier, but says such content can run in Moderate inventory when it comes from authoritative news sources that follow the advertiser-friendly guidelines. Brands that want no news adjacency can add the News (sensitive) content theme exclusion.
Sources
- About content suitability (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- How to use brand suitability features in Performance Max (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Brand suitability (opens in a new tab)Display & Video 360 Help
- BrandSafetySuitabilityEnum.BrandSafetySuitability (v26) (opens in a new tab)Google Ads API reference, last updated October 13, 2026
- Advertiser-friendly content guidelines (opens in a new tab)YouTube Help
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.