How to Perform an SIC Code Lookup By Company Name

In brief: 

• A SIC code is a four-digit number used by the US government to classify businesses by industry for research, tax, and securities filing purposes.
• A business may want to know another company’s SIC in order to assess the risk associated with partnering with a company in a particular industry.
• Finding a company’s SIC code usually entails consulting a dedicated business information database, using a single-search lookup tool, or asking a company directly.

Depending on what industry they’re in, certain companies in certain industries – by nature of what they do – are riskier than others. Some are illegal or too lightly regulated, while others are bound by too much regulatory red tape because it’s well-known how risky their industry is.

As a business looking to work with other companies, however, you can’t always tell whether or not a company belongs to a risky industry through basic information such as the company’s name. That’s where SIC codes come in. They classify companies as being part of particular industries, so you can use them to get a better idea of the risks a company might represent before you onboard it. In this guide, we discuss how to find a company’s SIC code by its name or other information.

We begin by explaining what SIC codes are, why you would want to know them for certain companies, and what company information you need to find them. 

A Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code is a four-digit code used to categorize US companies by industry. You need to look it up by company name because SIC codes are a classification system, not an identification system. That means two different businesses could have the same SIC code.

What is the purpose of an SIC code lookup?

There are several reasons why you, as a business, would want to look up another company’s SIC code and thus identify the industry it belongs to. The main one is to assess the risk associated with working with companies in specific industries, ensuring you don’t work with a prohibited company.

What information is needed to look up a company’s SIC code?

Some of the common pieces of information that can be used to perform a company SIC code lookup include a company’s:

• Name
• Address
• Phone number
• Postal code
• Website address
• DUNS number

What are SIC code requirements and regulations?

All US companies are required to have a SIC code. This allows the federal government to study patterns in economic data across industries, as well as classify businesses for tax purposes. The Security and Exchanges Commission (SEC) also uses SIC codes to sort filings for public securities offerings.

Generally, companies are allowed to choose their own SIC codes based on the type of economic activity they consider to be their primary revenue source. Companies may have more than one SIC code if they feel they engage in another kind of business that significantly contributes to their revenue. 

Government agencies may informally assign SIC codes to companies, or ask for them on various documents (such as censuses or business applications). However, none of them have any formal central authority for assigning, approving, or monitoring the use of SIC codes. It is up to a company itself to request an amendment to its SIC code(s) if it feels it has been miscategorized.

SIC code lookups are part of an overall KYB process which requires you to find relevant business information and verify it to ensure you remain compliant. Make sure you have the proper system set up and in place before onboarding new customers.

There are plenty of tools for finding out what SIC codes are or which industries they correspond to. However, there are comparatively few tools for finding out which SIC code is assigned to a particular company. Here are your options. 

1. Use a dedicated business information database like Middesk

The best way to find a SIC code by company name is by using a dedicated classifier tool like Middesk. In addition to making the process simple, we can find much more information on companies for you that is necessary for comprehensive business verification.

From our dashboard, start by placing an order.

Make sure the Industry Classification option is selected, then click Next.

Finally, all you need to do is input the company’s name, address, and (optionally) website URL. Then click Place Order.

Voila! You can see the company’s industry classification details (including SIC code), as well as how confident we are that each of them match.

If you need to check SIC codes for many businesses at once, you can do bulk searches with Middesk by creating orders for businesses through our Industry Classification API.

2. Use a single-search lookup tool

There are a few tools online, such as the NAICS Association’s Company Lookup Tool and the Mailinglists.com lookup tool, that allow you to do a SIC code lookup by company (among other inputs). You can then purchase records of company information (including SIC code) based on your matches.

However, as you can only run one search at a time, this is an inefficient way to look up company information if you need to do it on a large scale. There is also uncertainty regarding where this information is sourced from, as well as how reliable and complete it is.

3. Ask a company directly

Of course, an option is simply to ask a company directly what its SIC code is. However, this self-reporting of SIC codes by companies is usually inadequate for a thorough KYB process. It’s also inefficient if you have to ask each company one by one, and companies may be reluctant to freely give out this information without fully understanding what you intend to use it for.

Also be aware that, based on the types of economic activity a company is involved in, it may have more than one SIC code.

How to automate SIC code lookups by company name

It’s possible to find a SIC code by company name by looking up each company one by one. However, when you’re a business with hundreds or even thousands of business customers – either existing or that you’re currently onboarding – this is a highly inefficient way to identify client business’ industries and assess the corresponding risks.

Your KYB system needs to be faster. That’s why you need to automate your KYB by using Middesk. This will help you reduce issues due to human error, missing sources, working with outdated compliance regulations, lax continuous monitoring, and tying up your risk team’s valuable time with tedious manual tasks.

Learn about how using Middesk’s Business Verification API can automate this procedure, and find an SIC code by company name in a matter of minutes as well as other critical business information, as part of a comprehensive KYB process. 

Find SIC codes by company name, in minutes, with Middesk

Middesk’s Industry Classification tool is more powerful than ever.  All you need to do is input companies’ names and addresses. Then, using machine learning, Industry Classification can accurately find the SIC codes (and other classifications) of a company within seconds. At scale, this can save you an immense amount of time compared to manually looking up companies one by one. 

See for yourself how efficient you can make your industry classification KYB checks by requesting a demo today.