NIC code list: NIC 2008 vs NIC 2025 and how to pick yours

The quick answer

A NIC code is the number the Government of India uses to say what a business does, from the National Industrial Classification published by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). There are now two NIC code lists: NIC 2008, with 5-digit codes in 21 sections (A to U), which most registration forms and older records use, and NIC 2025, released on 18 November 2025, with 6-digit codes in 22 sections (A to V). To find your code, start from your main source of revenue, pick the section, then the 2-digit division, the group, the class and finally the sub-class that best describes it. On a form such as Udyam, choose from the list the form itself offers, and put your main activity first.

This guide is for business owners filling in Udyam or a loan form, for accountants and consultants who choose codes for clients, and for sales teams who want to use the official classification to define a market. It explains how the NIC code list is built, what changed between NIC 2008 and NIC 2025 (including the section letters that moved, which trips up many readers), where NIC codes are used and where they are not (GST uses HSN and SAC codes instead), a step-by-step way to pick your code, and how to turn the classification into a list of real businesses to sell to. The official facts come from MoSPI's releases on the Press Information Bureau, the UN Statistics Division's ISIC pages, the Ministry of MSME's Annual Report 2024-25 and the GST Council's notification, all read on 31 October 2026.

How the NIC code list is built

The NIC is a ladder. Every step adds a digit and narrows the activity:

• Section (a letter): the broad sector, such as C for manufacturing or G for wholesale and retail trade.
• Division (2 digits): an industry within the section, such as 47 for retail trade.
• Group (3 digits) and class (4 digits): narrower slices, such as a class for retail sale in non-specialised stores where food predominates, which is the kirana and supermarket business.
• Sub-class (5 digits in NIC 2008, 6 digits in NIC 2025): India's own final level, where the code describes one activity as precisely as the list allows.

The first four levels are not India's invention. MoSPI's September 2025 release on the draft NIC 2025 explains that India's classification has been revised in step with the United Nations' International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) since the first Indian version in 1962, and that NIC 2025 is in sync with ISIC Revision 5 up to the 4-digit class, while the sub-class level is used for national needs. The UN Statistics Division's ISIC page says the UN Statistical Commission endorsed ISIC Revision 5 at its 54th session in 2023, to reflect industries and activities that have emerged over the past 15 years. That is why a 4-digit class in NIC 2025 matches the ISIC Rev. 5 class with the same number, and why an Indian code can be compared with data from other countries.

MoSPI's release of NIC 2025 on 18 November 2025 gives the size of the two versions side by side:

Level	NIC 2008	NIC 2025
Sections (letters)	21 (A to U)	22 (A to V)
Divisions (2-digit)	88	87
Groups (3-digit)	238	257
Classes (4-digit)	403	463
Sub-classes (final level)	1,304 (5-digit codes)	1,887 (6-digit codes)

The release says MoSPI prepared NIC 2025 with an expert committee and consultations with ministries, states and academia, and that it "will form the standard framework for all statistical surveys, administrative datasets, national accounts, and other official statistics". It is already in use: MoSPI's first Index of Industrial Production release on the new 2022-23 base, for April 2026, reports manufacturing growth at the 2-digit level of NIC 2025. Forms that businesses fill in move on their own timetable, so you will meet both versions for a while.

NIC 2008 vs NIC 2025: what changed

Most pages that rank for "NIC code list" still print only the 2008 codes. Three changes matter in practice.

1. Six digits instead of five, and many more sub-classes

The release says NIC 2025 moves to a 6-digit structure "for greater granularity and flexibility". The September 2025 draft release adds that the number of sub-classes went up from 1,304 mainly because of finer detail in health, finance, agriculture, and information and telecommunication, with special attention to renewable energy, fintech, intermediation, AYUSH health, e-commerce and the digital economy. A 5-digit NIC 2008 code and a 6-digit NIC 2025 code are different numbers; you cannot turn one into the other by adding a zero.

2. The section letters after H moved

This is the change that confuses people most. ISIC Rev. 5 split the old "Information and communication" section in two: publishing, broadcasting and content in one, and telecom, computer programming and computing infrastructure in another. Every section after it shifted by one letter. The section titles below are from the UN's ISIC Rev. 4 and Rev. 5 structure files, which NIC 2008 and NIC 2025 follow at section level:

Activity	Letter in NIC 2008	Letter in NIC 2025	2-digit divisions (examples)
Agriculture to accommodation and food (manufacturing, construction, trade, transport, hotels)	A to I	A to I (unchanged)	10-33 manufacturing, 41-43 construction, 46 wholesale, 47 retail, 55-56 hotels and restaurants
Publishing, broadcasting and content	J (Information and communication)	J	58, 60
Telecom, computer programming, IT consultancy, hosting	J (Information and communication)	K	61, 62, 63
Financial and insurance activities	K	L	64, 65, 66
Real estate activities	L	M	68
Professional, scientific and technical (legal, accounting, consulting, advertising)	M	N	69, 70, 73
Administrative and support services (call centres, travel agents, security)	N	O	79, 80, 82
Public administration and defence	O	P	84
Education	P	Q	85
Human health and social work	Q	R	86, 87, 88
Arts, entertainment (sports and recreation in 2025)	R	S	90-93
Other service activities	S	T	94-96
Households as employers	T	U	97-98
Extraterritorial organisations	U	V	99

The practical lesson: "Section K" means finance in a 2008 document and IT services in a 2025 one. Quote the division number (62 for computer programming, 86 for human health) rather than the letter, and always say which version you mean.

3. New classes for platforms, and no class for "selling online"

The release lists "enhanced classification of intermediation services" among the main features, with new classes for intermediaries in power, retail, logistics, healthcare, education, real estate and food services. In the ISIC Rev. 5 structure that NIC 2025 follows, these show up as classes such as 4790 (intermediation service activities for retail sale), 5540 (for accommodation), 5640 (for food and beverage services), 6821 (for real estate), 8561 (for courses and tutors) and 8691 (for medical, dental and other health services). A marketplace that connects buyers with sellers now has a home of its own instead of being forced into retail or IT.

The release also says the classification is "technology agnostic": an activity is classed by what it is, not by whether it is done the traditional or the modern way. ISIC Rev. 4 had a class 4791 for retail sale via mail order or the internet; ISIC Rev. 5 has no such class. Under NIC 2025, a seller of clothes online is classed with retail sale of clothing, and a computer programming firm sits under new classes (6211 for video games and 6219 for other programming) instead of the old single class 6201.

Where you need a NIC code, and where you don't

Where	What it asks for	What to know
Udyam registration (MSME)	Your activities, picked from the NIC list in the form, and whether you are manufacturing, services or trading	Free and based on self-declaration, as the Ministry of MSME's annual report puts it. Choose your main activity first; use the codes the form offers.
Company incorporation (MCA)	The main business activity, which becomes the industry code in characters 2 to 6 of the CIN	The code reflects the NIC version and activity at registration, so it is a rough guide to what a company does today. Our CIN and DIN guide explains each part of the number.
Loan and tender forms	Varies: some ask for the Udyam certificate, some for the activity or a NIC code	Give the same main activity you declared on Udyam, so the business looks the same everywhere.
GST registration and invoices	HSN codes for goods and SAC codes for services, not NIC	The GST Council's Notification 78/2020-Central Tax requires at least 4 HSN digits on tax invoices if the previous year's aggregate turnover was up to ₹5 crore and 6 digits above that, from 1 April 2021; up to ₹5 crore you may leave HSN off invoices to unregistered buyers.
Official statistics	NIC 2025, and NIC 2008 in older series	Surveys, national accounts and the new IIP series use NIC 2025, as above.

The most common mix-up is between NIC and HSN. A trader in steel pipes has one NIC activity (wholesale of metals or of construction materials) but may sell dozens of products, each with its own HSN code on the invoice. NIC describes the business; HSN and SAC describe what is on the bill.

How to find your NIC code, step by step

1. Write one sentence about your main revenue. "We make corrugated boxes for FMCG companies", "We sell sanitaryware wholesale to dealers in Rajasthan", "We run a call centre for banks". The activity that earns the most money is your main activity; everything else is secondary.
2. Decide: making, trading or a service. If you transform materials into a new product, it is manufacturing (Section C). If you buy and resell without transforming, it is trade: wholesale (division 46) when you sell to businesses, retail (47) when you sell to the public. If you sell your time, skill or a facility, it is a service. Getting this right matters more than the last digit.
3. Find the division. Pick the 2-digit division in that section: 13 textiles, 14 wearing apparel, 22 rubber and plastics, 25 fabricated metal products, 41-43 construction, 46 wholesale, 47 retail, 49 land transport, 56 food service, 62 computer programming and consultancy, 69 legal and accounting, 73 advertising, 79 travel agencies, 82 business support such as call centres, 86 human health.
4. Narrow to the class. Read the classes in that division and their descriptions. Many activities have an "n.e.c." (not elsewhere classified) class; use it only when nothing more specific fits.
5. Choose the sub-class in the version the form asks for. On Udyam or a loan form, pick from the list in the form, not a code copied from a blog, because the list in the form is the one the system will accept. For NIC 2025, MoSPI's release says the full document is on mospi.gov.in.
6. Add secondary activities sparingly. If the form lets you add more activities, add only those that bring in real revenue. A long list of unrelated codes makes the business harder to understand for a banker or a buyer checking you.
7. Keep it consistent and update it. Use the same main activity on Udyam, loan applications and tenders. When the business changes, say a trader starts manufacturing, update the registration rather than leaving the old code in place.

Worked examples

These show the reasoning down to the 4-digit class, which is the same number in NIC 2025 and ISIC Rev. 5 (class titles from the UN's ISIC Rev. 5 structure file). Pick the final sub-class from the official list or the form.

• A kirana or supermarket: retail trade, division 47, class 4711 "non-specialized retail sale with food, beverages or tobacco predominating".
• A wholesale distributor of tiles, pipes and hardware: division 46, class 4673 "wholesale of construction materials, hardware, plumbing and heating equipment and supplies".
• A road transporter carrying goods: division 49, class 4923 "freight transport by road". A transport broker who books trucks for others is a different activity: class 5231 "intermediation service activities for freight transportation".
• A BPO or telecalling firm: division 82, class 8220 "activities of call centres".
• A CA or tax practice: division 69, class 6920 "accounting, bookkeeping and auditing activities; tax consultancy".
• A travel agent: division 79, class 7911 "travel agency activities"; a tour operator who packages trips is 7912.
• A garment unit: manufacturing, division 14, class 1410 "manufacture of wearing apparel, except fur apparel". The same unit's shop selling to the public is a second, retail activity.

NIC codes for trading

"NIC code for trading" is a common search because so many registrations are traders. The Ministry of MSME's Annual Report 2024-25 says that as on 31 December 2024 there were 5,77,03,550 MSMEs registered on Udyam and the Udyam Assist Platform: 1,17,53,385 in manufacturing, 2,01,23,279 in services and 2,58,26,886 in trading. Trading is the largest of the three. The choice for a trader is between division 46 (wholesale, selling to businesses, retailers or institutions) and division 47 (retail, selling to the public), and then the class that names the goods. A trader who sells on commission without owning the goods is in wholesale "on a fee or contract basis" (class 4610 in ISIC Rev. 5), not in ordinary wholesale. Our guide on how to start a trading business covers the registrations a new trader needs in order, and the MSME database guide explains the Udyam data and MSME definitions.

Using NIC codes to define a market and find customers

The NIC is also the best common language for "who do we sell to?". A packaging company can say its customers are in divisions 10, 11 and 20 (food, beverages, chemicals); a payroll software firm can target division 82 (call centres and business support), where headcounts are large. The classification tells you the market's shape. It does not give you names or phone numbers: official datasets built on NIC are published as statistics, not as contact lists, and a free company search shows one company at a time (our company search guide explains the MCA, GST, IEC and Udyam look-ups).

Starleads sells business contact lists by industry, state and city, built from business directories. Its industries are directory categories, not NIC codes, and no row carries an official NIC code. The table below is our own rough mapping from NIC classes to the nearest Starleads list, with the count of contacts in each All-India list. These are counts of contacts in Starleads' data as on 31 October 2026, not an official census, and a list can include a few businesses that a statistician would place in a neighbouring class.

NIC 2025 class or division (ISIC Rev. 5 title)	Nearest Starleads list	Contacts in Starleads' data
Section F, divisions 41-43: construction	Civil Engineers & Contractors	2,80,324
8620: medical and dental practice activities	Doctors & Clinics	2,65,071
8220: activities of call centres	BPO & Call Centres	2,19,845
4711: non-specialised retail sale, food predominating	Grocery & Supermarkets	2,12,501
6612: security and commodity contracts brokerage	Stock Brokers & Broking Firms	1,87,286
7911 and 7912: travel agency and tour operator activities	Tour & Travel Agents	1,80,765
5610: restaurants and mobile food service activities	Restaurants, Cafes & Bars	1,44,421
Division 46: wholesale trade	Suppliers & Distributors	1,01,800
7310: advertising activities	Advertising & Media Agencies	89,859
Division 62: computer programming, consultancy and related	IT & Software Companies	64,547
6920: accounting, bookkeeping and auditing; tax consultancy	Chartered Accountants & Tax Consultants	47,994
4923: freight transport by road	Transporters & Logistics Companies	41,932

Some things the mapping shows. Starleads' eCommerce & Online Sellers list has 1,69,318 contacts, yet under NIC 2025 "selling online" is not an industry of its own: those sellers belong to whichever retail or wholesale class matches their goods. And "exporter" is a role, not an NIC activity; a garment exporter is a garment manufacturer or trader who also ships abroad (our IEC code guide covers the export side). Across all industries, Starleads holds 1,59,87,535 contacts in 201 industries, and its general business directory covers 56,62,886 businesses by state and city; the Insights page breaks these down by industry, state and city.

To turn a NIC-defined market into a list: write down the divisions or classes you sell to, find the nearest list for each, check the free 60-row sample on the list page to see whether the businesses are really the ones you want, and narrow by state or city. The list builder combines up to 10 industries and any states or cities in one file. A city, state or specialisation list costs ₹499 and bulk data for one industry across India ₹1,999, plus 18% GST.

Contacting the businesses you find: the rules

A classification code is harmless; what you do with a contact list is regulated. Before a promotional call or SMS, check each number against the National Customer Preference Register (NCPR), often called DND. TRAI's preference registration page explains that people can block commercial communication fully or by category (banking and finance, real estate, education, health, consumer goods and automobiles, IT and entertainment, tourism, food and beverages), by mode (calls, SMS, auto-dialler and robo calls), by time band and by day, by calling or sending an SMS to 1909 or through their telecom operator. Promotional SMS must be sent through a sender registered on the telecom operators' DLT platform, with registered headers and templates, which is what the entity, header and template registration sections of TRAI's site deal with. Our DND check guide explains how to check numbers before a campaign and how consent works.

Email is not covered by DND, but say who you are, write to businesses about something relevant to their work, and remove anyone who asks. Starleads sells business and professional contacts only, not lists of private individuals.

Questions people ask

What is a NIC code?

It is the code for a business activity in the National Industrial Classification, India's standard list of economic activities, maintained by MoSPI. Registration forms, surveys and official statistics use it to record what a business does.

Is the NIC code 5 digits or 6 digits?

Both exist. NIC 2008 sub-classes have 5 digits; NIC 2025, released on 18 November 2025, has 6-digit sub-classes. Use the version the form or document in front of you asks for, and say which version you mean when you quote a code.

What is the NIC code for trading?

There is no single trading code. Wholesale trade is division 46 and retail trade division 47, and within them the class depends on the goods: groceries, textiles, hardware, medicines and so on. A commission agent who does not own the goods is in "wholesale on a fee or contract basis".

Can I choose more than one NIC code?

Many forms, including Udyam's, ask for a main activity and allow others. Put the activity that earns the most first, and add others only if they bring in real revenue.

Is the NIC code the same as an HSN or SAC code?

No. NIC describes what your business does; HSN (for goods) and SAC (for services) classify what you sell on each GST invoice. A business has one main NIC activity but may use many HSN codes.

Where can I download the official NIC code list?

From MoSPI's website, mospi.gov.in, which MoSPI's release names as the home of the full NIC 2025 document; MoSPI also published the draft NIC 2025 structure as an Excel file during the 2025 consultation. Commercial sites reprint the lists, but check any code against MoSPI's own document or the form you are filling in.

Does Starleads sell lists by NIC code?

No. Starleads' lists are organised by industry categories from business directories, by state and city, and no row carries an official NIC code. The mapping table above shows the nearest list for common NIC classes; check each list's free sample before you buy.