SIC to NACE Conversion: How UK SIC Codes Map to EU NACE Codes

If you need to perform a SIC to NACE conversion - or a NACE to SIC conversion - the good news is that for UK data this is one of the more straightforward cross-system translations you will encounter. UK SIC 2007 was built directly on the EU's NACE Rev. 2 classification, so the two systems are structurally aligned at the four-digit level. This article explains how the relationship works, walks through a real conversion example, and provides an illustrative mapping table for common sectors.

The Relationship Between SIC 2007 and NACE Rev. 2

UK SIC 2007 (Standard Industrial Classification 2007) is the UK's official industry classification system, maintained by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It replaced the older SIC 2003 and has been in use since January 2008. NACE Rev. 2 is the EU's equivalent, maintained by Eurostat and adopted at the same time.

The two systems are not merely similar - they are structurally identical at the four-digit class level. The ONS designed SIC 2007 to be fully compatible with NACE Rev. 2, so that UK economic statistics could be compared with those of EU member states. At every level up to and including the class (four digits), the code number and description are the same in both systems. The only difference is that the UK added a fifth digit to create UK-specific subclasses within some four-digit classes, allowing finer-grained classification of activities that are particularly relevant to the UK economy.

This means:

• A UK SIC section (letter), division (two digits), group (three digits), and class (four digits) all correspond directly to the NACE equivalent at the same level.
• A UK SIC subclass (five digits) does not exist in NACE. It maps to the parent four-digit NACE class.
• NACE uses a dot separator at the class level (e.g. 62.01), while UK SIC writes the same code without a dot (e.g. 6201 at the class level, or 62012 at the subclass level).

How to Convert a SIC Code to NACE - Step by Step

Converting a five-digit UK SIC subclass to its NACE equivalent is a two-step process.

Step 1 - Take the first four digits of the SIC code. Drop the fifth digit. This gives you the four-digit SIC class, which is identical to the NACE class.

Step 2 - Insert the NACE dot separator. NACE writes the class as two digits, a dot, then two digits. So the four-digit SIC class 6201 becomes NACE 62.01.

Worked example

Take SIC subclass 62012, which covers "Business and domestic software development." Converting this to NACE:

• Drop the fifth digit: 62012 becomes 6201.
• Insert the NACE dot: 6201 becomes NACE 62.01.
• NACE 62.01 is "Computer programming activities" - the parent class that SIC 62012 sits within.

To go in the other direction - NACE to SIC conversion - you take the four-digit NACE class (e.g. 62.01), remove the dot to get the SIC class (6201), and then look up which UK SIC subclasses exist within that class (in this case, 62011 "Ready-made interactive leisure and entertainment software development" and 62012 "Business and domestic software development").

For a broader look at how SIC 2007 relates to NACE, NAICS, and other international classification systems, see our guide to SIC, NACE and NAICS codes explained.

Illustrative Mapping Table for Common Sectors

The table below shows the SIC 2007 class (four digits) alongside the equivalent NACE Rev. 2 class for a selection of common sectors. This is an illustrative guide for common activities, not a complete official crosswalk. For the full authoritative classification, refer to the ONS SIC 2007 index and Eurostat RAMON for NACE Rev. 2.

Sector	UK SIC 2007 class	SIC description	NACE Rev. 2	NACE description
Agriculture	0111	Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds	01.11	Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Manufacturing	2511	Manufacture of metal structures and parts of structures	25.11	Manufacture of metal structures and parts of structures
Construction	4110	Development of building projects	41.10	Development of building projects
Retail	4711	Retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating	47.11	Retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating
IT / Software	6201	Computer programming activities	62.01	Computer programming activities
IT / Consultancy	6202	Computer consultancy activities	62.02	Computer consultancy activities
Professional services	6910	Legal activities	69.10	Legal activities
Professional services	6920	Accounting, bookkeeping and auditing activities; tax consultancy	69.20	Accounting, bookkeeping and auditing activities; tax consultancy
Finance	6419	Other monetary intermediation	64.19	Other monetary intermediation
Healthcare	8621	General medical practice activities	86.21	General medical practice activities
Education	8531	General secondary education	85.31	General secondary education
Real estate	6810	Buying and selling of own real estate	68.10	Buying and selling of own real estate

As the table illustrates, at the four-digit class level the SIC and NACE descriptions are identical. The conversion is a formatting change, not a classification change. The examples above are drawn from common sectors to illustrate the pattern - they do not represent a complete official mapping. For any regulatory, compliance, or statistical purpose, always consult the primary sources: the ONS SIC 2007 Volume 1 index for UK SIC codes, and Eurostat RAMON (ec.europa.eu/eurostat/ramon) for the authoritative NACE Rev. 2 classification.

What About NAICS and CNAE?

The SIC-to-NACE relationship is clean because both systems share the same structure. NAICS - the North American Industry Classification System used in the US, Canada, and Mexico - is different. NAICS was developed independently and uses a different hierarchy and different boundaries for many industries. There is no official complete SIC-to-NAICS crosswalk, and for many codes the match is approximate rather than exact.

If you need to find an approximate NAICS equivalent for a UK SIC code, use our SIC to NAICS converter tool. The converter provides indicative matches useful for market research and cross-border data work - but always verify for any regulatory or compliance purpose. For more on how NAICS relates to SIC and NACE, including a summary comparison table, see our overview article on SIC, NACE and NAICS codes explained.

CNAE (Brazil's industry classification) is also derived from the UN's ISIC framework, like NACE, so it shares some structural similarities. However, there is no official SIC-to-CNAE crosswalk either.

Look Up or Convert a SIC Code

If you need to find a UK SIC code before converting it, or want to explore which codes apply to a particular type of business, our free tools can help:

• SIC to NAICS converter - get approximate NAICS equivalents for any UK SIC subclass.
• SIC code lookup - search for UK SIC codes by keyword or business activity.
• How to find the right SIC code - a step-by-step guide to choosing the correct SIC code for a company.