How can I find a listing of SIC, ICB, GICS or NAICS codes and other industry classifications?
An industry classification system is a means of categorising industries so that similar industries are grouped together and narrower industries appear within broader categories. Companies have a primary industry code and additional secondary ones. Most company databases offer industry screening by classification system as well as by keywords in the business description. Screening in a company database by use of an industrial classification system such as NAICS or SIC (see below) can result in more comprehensive results than key word searching as many descriptions are incomplete or may be absent from a database.
On the other hand, industry classification systems do not keep up with industry trends (such as wearables, big data) so new buzz words are not captured. For this reason, a combination of approaches usually yields the best results.
The main sector or industry classifications are:
- SIC codes are Standard Industrial Classification codes. The first SIC system was established in the US in 1937. The current version of US SIC is available from the SEC. The UK also established its version of the SIC system in 1948. The most recent version of UK SIC is 2007 from ONS.
- NAICS codes (US), or North American Industrial Classification System codes, are maintained by the Census Bureau (NAICS page).
- The NAICS Association maintains a NAICS and SIC lookup page where you can look up an industry by either code, or both codes by industry name.
Other Industrial classification systems include:
- ISIC: International Standard Industrial Classification on all Economic Activities by the United Nations Statistics Division.
- NACE codes: Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community.
Other classifications such as ICB and GICS are used to classify companies stocks on a market:
- ICB: Industry Classification Benchmark is operated and managed by FTSE Russell for categorizing companies and securities across four levels of classification (11 industries, 20 super-sectors, 45 sectors, 173 sub-sectors), updated March 2021.
- GICS: The Global Industry Classification System (GICS) was developed in 1999 by MSCI and Standard and Poors (S&P). It categorises companies and securities across four levels of classification (11 sectors, 24 industry groups, 69 industries, 158 sub-industries).
See also National Classifications, a table of classifications by country provided by the United Nations.
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