Does General Liability Include Product Liability?
Often, commercial general liability includes products-completed operations coverage, but a policy can limit or exclude particular products or exposures.
California’s Commercial Insurance Guide describes products liability and completed operations as part of commercial general liability coverage. An illustrative ISO CG 00 01 form also includes bodily injury or property damage arising out of the insured’s products after they leave the insured’s possession, subject to its terms. That does not guarantee every CGL quote includes the needed products, limits, territory, or endorsements.
Check the declarations for products-completed operations aggregate limits and review the full exclusions and endorsements. Confirm that your actual products, manufacturing locations, imports, and sales territories are disclosed. For a specialized or high-hazard product, ask whether separate or modified coverage is needed. The product-completed operations aggregate may be separate from or subject to the general aggregate depending on the wording and endorsements. Compare those limits against expected claim exposure and contractual requirements.
Related Coverage
Sources
- Product liability, recall and contamination insurance. Insurance Information Institute; Product liability opening (design/manufacture/distribute/sell; injury, property damage or death; added to GL or stand-alone); What could go wrong? (roles; directions/warnings); Covering the costs of a product recall; Contamination insurance. Accessed 2026-09-25.
- Commercial Insurance Guide. California Department of Insurance; Commercial General Liability Coverage: premises, products liability and completed operations; major exclusions including damage to your work, impaired property, sistership liability and failure to perform; Limits of Insurance products and completed operations aggregate; glossary Sistership Liability. Accessed 2026-09-25.
- Commercial General Liability Coverage Form. ISO Properties, Inc.; specimen hosted by Hiscox; Recall exclusion p.5; Supplementary Payments pp.8–9; Section III limits p.10; V.16 and V.21 p.15, warnings/instructions continue p.16. Accessed 2026-09-25.
