NAICS/SIC Mapper

Describe what a business sells or does, and this free mapper returns ranked NAICS and SIC classification guesses. Each guess shows a match-strength score and the exact keywords that produced it, so you can judge the result instead of trusting a black box. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you type is uploaded or stored.

What this NAICS/SIC mapper does

A NAICS/SIC mapper is a translation tool. You describe a business in ordinary words — what it sells, what it makes, what service it performs — and the mapper suggests industry codes that fit. NAICS and SIC are two classification systems used to group businesses by their main activity. They matter when you are building a lead list, sizing a market, segmenting a CRM, writing a grant, or filling in a vendor form that asks for an industry code.

This tool returns ranked guesses, not a single official answer. Each guess shows a match-strength score and the keywords that caused it. That way you can see why a code appeared, judge whether it describes the business, and check the official manual when the answer has to be exact.

NAICS vs SIC: the short version

System	Digits	What it is	Where you still see it
NAICS	2 to 6	The North American Industry Classification System, maintained through the U.S. statistical system and revised periodically. The 2022 edition is used for current NAICS codes. Codes are built as a hierarchy: sector, subsector, industry group, and national industry.	Economic data, market research, government contracting, business databases, grant and loan forms.
SIC	4	The Standard Industrial Classification, an older U.S. system. It was largely replaced by NAICS in 1997, but it was never fully switched off.	Legacy CRM fields, old vendor lists, some insurance and credit forms, and data feeds that still ask for SIC.

The two systems do not map one-to-one. A single SIC code can cover several NAICS industries, and a NAICS industry can draw from more than one SIC code. That is why this page shows separate ranked lists instead of pretending there is one perfect crosswalk.

How the keyword matching works

The mapper runs entirely in your browser against a curated index of common industries. Each index entry links a plain-English business activity to one NAICS 2022 code and one 4-digit SIC code, and carries a set of strong and weak keyword phrases.

When you type a description, the tool:

1. Lowercases and normalizes the text, strips punctuation, and reduces simple plurals so “restaurants” and “restaurant” match the same phrase.
2. Looks for whole-phrase matches. A phrase must appear as a complete word sequence, so “bar” does not match inside “barrier”.
3. Weights specific phrases more than broad ones. A three-word phrase such as “commercial construction” carries more evidence than a single term such as “construction”.
4. Removes overlapping sub-phrases so one long match is not counted several times.
5. Adds smaller credit for weak terms, with the weight set by the Sensitivity control.
6. Aggregates the evidence by code, then converts the total into a 0–100 match-strength score.

Signal	Approximate weight	Example
Single distinctive phrase	1.3	“plumber”
Two-word phrase	2.1	“coffee shop”
Three-word phrase	2.8	“commercial construction”
Four or more words	3.2	“custom software development”
Weak term, Balanced	0.45 each, capped	“fitness” for a gym
Multiple distinct matches	+0.35 bonus	Two separate phrases pointing to one code

The raw evidence total is converted with 100 × (1 − e−score/2.2), capped at 97. The result is a match-strength score, not a probability. A score of 80 means the index found strong keyword signals for that code; it does not mean there is an 80% chance the code is legally correct.

Scores rise at broader detail levels because more six-digit codes roll into one four-digit or two-digit bucket. A high two-digit sector score is easy to earn; a high six-digit score is a sharper claim. Do not compare match strength across different detail levels.

How to read the result

1. Top guess — the highest-scoring code for the selected standard. The ring shows its match strength, and the label tells you whether it is a strong, likely, possible or weak signal.
2. Best evidence — the exact phrases that matched. If the evidence is not what you meant, the guess is probably wrong even if the score is high.
3. Ranked lists — the other plausible codes. A close second is a warning that the description covers more than one activity.
4. Codes found — how many distinct codes in the selected standard received any evidence. Signal terms counts the distinct matched phrases behind the top code. Lead over #2 is the gap in match-strength points.
5. SIC crosswalk — when both standards are shown, the footer gives the top SIC guess for the same description. It is a second opinion, not a certified equivalence.

Use Load example to see how a description is scored, Copy results to take the ranked list into a spreadsheet or brief, and Clear to start again. The tool recalculates as you type, with a short debounce so it does not run on every keystroke.

Worked examples

Description	Top guesses (NAICS / SIC)	Why
Custom software development agency building B2B SaaS products	NAICS 541511 — Custom Computer Programming Services (93%) SIC 7371 — Computer Programming Services (93%)	Matches custom software, software development, and SaaS phrases.
Commercial HVAC and plumbing contractor serving office buildings	NAICS 238220 — Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors (85%) SIC 1711 — Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning (85%)	Matches plumbing contractor and commercial HVAC phrases.
Independent coffee shop and retail bakery	NAICS 722515 — Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (62%) SIC 5812 — Eating Places (62%)	Matches coffee shop first, but retail bakery (311811) scores the same and appears as a close call.
Digital marketing agency for ecommerce brands	NAICS 541613 — Marketing Consulting Services (87%) SIC 7311 — Advertising Agencies (87%)	Matches digital marketing and marketing agency phrases.

These values are outputs from the current version of the tool, not benchmarks from real campaigns. Paste each description into the tool to see the live scores and the exact phrases that matched.

Where this is useful

• Lead scoring and segmentation. Add a likely industry code to a prospect record so sales can route the account to the right motion.
• ICP and market maps. Turn a description of your best customers into a first-pass code list for filtering a database.
• Market sizing. Feed codes into a TAM/SAM/SOM exercise, then verify the definitions before relying on the numbers.
• Vendor and partner review. Classify suppliers consistently enough to compare them, even when their own descriptions are inconsistent.
• Administrative forms. Get close enough to find the right section of the official manual instead of scrolling the whole list.

Limitations you should know

• Curated, not complete. The built-in index covers common B2B, local-service, retail, health, hospitality, manufacturing and logistics categories. Niche or emerging industries may not appear at all.
• Keywords are not a ruling. A high score means the words match; it does not mean an official body would assign that code. The official decision depends on the establishment’s primary activity and the current manual.
• One business can have several codes. Large companies often have different codes for different establishments. This tool classifies the description you give it, not a legal entity.
• NAICS revisions change codes. The index uses NAICS 2022 labels. Older lists may use 2017 or earlier codes with different boundaries. SIC is a legacy system and is not updated like NAICS.
• Phrases can be ambiguous. “Restaurant software” could mean a restaurant or a software vendor serving restaurants. Add words such as “agency”, “company”, or “platform” to make the intent clearer.
• No server-side lookup. The tool cannot call an official database. It works from the embedded index, in your browser, with no network request.
• Not legal, tax or procurement advice. Verify codes with the official NAICS manual or the agency that requested them before filing, bidding or reporting.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a NAICS code lookup by keyword or a full classification?

It is a keyword-to-code mapper. It ranks likely codes from a curated index; it is not the complete official taxonomy and it does not assign a code with legal authority.

Why do NAICS and SIC results differ?

They are different systems with different boundaries. The mapper scores each standard separately from the same keyword evidence, so the top NAICS and top SIC guesses can point to related but non-identical activities.

What does the match-strength percentage mean?

It is a normalized summary of the keyword evidence: stronger and more numerous phrase matches produce a higher number. It is not a probability, a confidence interval or a prediction from a statistical model.

Can one business have more than one NAICS code?

Yes. Codes are assigned at the establishment level, and a company can operate several establishments with different primary activities. A single description can also contain more than one activity, which is why the tool shows alternatives and warns about close calls.

Which NAICS edition does the tool use?

The embedded index uses NAICS 2022 labels for the codes it covers. The official manual is updated periodically, so confirm the current code and title before using it in a formal filing.

Can I use the result for government contracting or grants?

Use it as a first pass, then verify with the official manual and the agency’s instructions. Registration systems and grant applications may require a specific code and may have their own rules about size, location or ownership.

Is my description uploaded anywhere?

No. The page is HTML, CSS and JavaScript running in your browser. There is no server request, no account, no cookie and no local storage. The text you type stays on the page.

Why did a niche description return no match?

The index only contains common categories and phrases. An emerging or highly specialized term may not be represented. Try a broader description of the activity, or check the official manual directly.

Related tools

• ICP Builder — turn a good-fit customer description into a structured profile.
• Job-Title to Decision-Maker Mapper — find the roles that usually own the purchase.
• Lead List Quality Scorer — check completeness before you segment a list by industry.
• Company Name to Domain Finder — enrich a company record before classification.
• TAM/SAM/SOM Estimator — use a code-based market definition in a sizing model.
• B2B lead generation services — if you want the list built and segmented for you.

Next step

Map the description, read the evidence, and verify the code that matters. If you are building a repeatable lead-generation process around these codes, the B2B lead generation service is the place to continue.