If you want to find every plumbing business in Yorkshire, or every commercial cleaning company in the South East, or every accountancy firm in Manchester, SIC codes are your tool. Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes are 5-digit numbers that classify every UK business by what they do. They're assigned when a company is incorporated and filed with Companies House.
Why SIC codes matter for acquisition When you're sourcing acquisition targets, sector focus is everything. Most buyers have a clear mandate: "I want to buy a business in [sector] with [revenue range] in [region]." SIC codes allow them to filter Companies House's 5.5 million businesses down to exactly the right universe.
The most useful SIC codes for acquisition buyers Professional Services: 69201 – Accounting and auditing · 69202 – Bookkeeping · 70229 – Management consultancy · 73110 – Advertising agencies · 73200 – Market research. Trade & Construction: 43210 – Electrical installation · 43220 – Plumbing and heating · 43310 – Plastering · 43341 – Painting · 43999 – Other construction. Manufacturing: 25110 – Metal structure manufacturing · 28290 – Other machinery manufacturing · 22280 – Plastics manufacturing. Healthcare & Wellbeing: 86210 – General medical practice · 86900 – Other human health activities · 96020 – Hairdressing and beauty. Hospitality & Food: 56101 – Licensed restaurants · 56102 – Unlicensed restaurants · 56120 – Event catering · 55100 – Hotels. Technology: 62012 – Software development · 62020 – IT consultancy · 63110 – Data processing. Transport & Logistics: 49410 – Road freight transport · 52290 – Other logistics.
How to search by SIC code on ownered.ai In the Targets search, enter your SIC code in the sector search field. You can search by code or by keyword, the platform maps both. Combine with region and employee count filters to narrow your list to the exact businesses you want to approach.
Multiple SIC codes per company Companies can have up to 4 SIC codes. A business might be classified as 43210 (electrical installation) but also 43220 (plumbing). Always check both the primary and secondary codes when evaluating targets.
Using SIC codes in your outreach When you email a business owner, referencing their specific sector shows you've done your research. "I've been focusing specifically on electrical contractors in the North East" lands very differently from a generic "I'm looking to acquire a business." SIC codes make that specificity possible at scale.