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Part of Set up a limited company: step by step
Guidance

Standard industrial classification of economic activities (SIC)

A condensed list of SIC codes for providing Companies House with a description of your company's nature of business.

Updates to this page

From:
Companies House
Published:
1 January 2008
Last updated:
17 November 2025
Show all updates

  1. Added link to webchat.

  2. Attachment removed

  3. CSV format and link to online SIC code lookup added

  4. Added translation

  5. First published.

Documents

Find your trade description or nature of business

http://resources.companieshouse.gov.uk/sic

Condensed SIC list in CSV format

MS Excel Spreadsheet, 35.7 KB

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

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Details

Companies House uses a condensed version of the full list of codes available from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

Only use SIC codes on the condensed list when filing to Companies House or your filing may be rejected.

This publication shows a condensed list of the ONS codes used to classify business establishments and other standard units by the type of economic activity in which they’re engaged.

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This page is Part of Set up a limited company: step by step

  1. Step 1 Check if setting up a limited company is right for you

    1. Check what a private limited company is

    How you set up your business depends on what sort of work you do. It can also affect the way you pay tax and get funding.

    Most businesses register as a limited company or a sole trader.

    1. Find out about the different ways to set up a business
    1. Find local advice and free support for your business on business.gov.uk

  2. Step 2 Choose your limited company type

    1. Check whether you'll be limited by shares or guarantee

  3. Step 3 Choose directors and a company secretary

    You must appoint a director but you do not have to appoint a company secretary.

    1. Find out what directors are responsible for
    2. Check who can be a director or company secretary

  4. Step 4 Decide who the shareholders are

    You need at least one shareholder, who can be a director.

    1. Check how to choose shareholders for a company limited by shares
    2. Find out how dividends from shares are taxed

  5. or Decide who your guarantors are

    You need at least one guarantor who can be a director.

    1. Check how to choose guarantors for a company limited by guarantee

  6. and Identify people with significant control (PSC) over your company

    You need to identify people with significant control (PSC) - for example, anyone with more than 25% of the shares or voting rights.

    1. Find out what counts as a PSC

    You'll confirm these when you register your company with Companies House.

  7. Step 5 Prepare documents agreeing how to run your company

    You need to prepare documents agreeing how to run your company. These documents include the :

    • 'memorandum of association'
    • 'articles of association'
    • 'statement of capital'
    • 'statement of guarantee'
    1. Find out how to create these documents

  8. Step 6 Check what records you'll need to keep

    1. Check the company and accounting records you must keep

  9. Step 7 Choose a name

    1. Check the rules for company names
    2. Check if the name you want is available
    3. Check existing trade marks

  10. Step 8 Register your company with Companies House

    You'll need to register an official address and choose a SIC code - this identifies what your company does.

    1. Check the rules for registered office addresses and email addresses
    2. You are currently viewing: Check what your SIC code is
    3. Register your company with Companies House

  11. Step 9 Find out what to do after you've registered

    There are some things you may need to do once you've registered a limited company.

    1. Add Corporation Tax services to your business tax account
    2. Check the next steps for your limited company