What Are SIC Codes?

Filing any document with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) can be an exciting and stressful time for any business owner. To avoid complications, it is important that any and all documents are filled out and filed with the SEC properly. By knowing the SIC number of your business, you can ensure that your documents will be reviewed by the proper section of the SEC and that you will avoid having to refile or rewrite any files you have sent.

Acronym

The acronym SIC stands for Standard Industrial Classification codes.

Regulation

The SEC uses SIC codes when sorting company filings. Companies that deal in a certain industry use a specific SIC code when filing with the SEC so that the type of business is properly identified.

Types

SIC codes range from the number 2000 to number 9999 and cover every classification of industry--from Agriculture and Forestry to Chemical Products and Petroleum Refinery.

History

SIC codes were established in 1937 and augmented in 1997 by the addition of the North American Industry Classification System.

Benefits

SIC codes allow the SEC to gather reliable data quickly within any of the categories listed. This not only makes it easy to analyze data, but it makes analysis cheaper at the same time.

Resources

• SIC Code List at the SEC Website