Standard Industrial Classification (SIC)

A four-digit numerical system for categorizing business establishments by their primary economic activity, developed by the U.S. government in the 1930s.

The code structure is hierarchical: the first two digits identify the major industry sector, the third digit designates the industry group, and the fourth digit specifies the particular industry within that group. Ten divisions (A-J) organize the roughly 1,500 codes across Agriculture, Mining, Construction, Manufacturing, Transportation/Utilities, Wholesale Trade, Retail Trade, Finance/Insurance/Real Estate, Services, and Public Administration.

Despite being officially replaced by NAICS in 1997, SIC remains the primary classification system for SEC filings and many financial databases.

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