SEO Texts for UK SIC 2026 Sections
Section A — AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHING
Section A covers everything from growing crops and raising livestock to forestry, logging, and commercial fishing. It also takes in support services like crop spraying, shearing, and post-harvest grain handling. If a business works the land, tends animals, or harvests from the sea and the product leaves in raw form, the right code almost certainly sits in this section.
Section B — MINING AND QUARRYING
Coal mining, oil and gas extraction, metal ore mining, stone quarrying, and sand dredging all fall under Section B. So do the support services that keep extraction running — test drilling, well maintenance, and geological survey work. Any business that pulls raw natural resources out of the ground before any processing takes place belongs here.
Section C — MANUFACTURING
The largest section in the entire classification. It covers every business that physically transforms raw materials into a finished product — baking bread, weaving fabric, assembling cars, refining chemicals, printing packaging. The defining test is simple: something goes in as one thing and comes out as another, ready to be sold.
Section D — ELECTRICITY, GAS, STEAM AND AIR CONDITIONING SUPPLY
Power generation, gas distribution through mains, steam supply, and air conditioning provision for buildings — four activities, one section. It follows the full chain from power station to end user. Solar farms, wind parks, gas network operators, and district heating companies all pick their code from Section D.
Section E — WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE, WASTE MANAGEMENT AND REMEDIATION ACTIVITIES
Section E handles water and waste. Collection, treatment, and distribution of drinking water; sewerage and sewage treatment; refuse collection, recycling, and disposal; and clean-up of contaminated land. If a business runs a recycling plant, drives bin lorries, or operates a water treatment works, this is the right section.
Section F — CONSTRUCTION
House building, commercial development, road laying, bridge construction, electrical installation, plumbing, plastering, and demolition — Section F pulls together the entire construction industry. It covers the main contractor running a major project and the sole trader fitting a kitchen. Separate codes exist for groundwork, roofing, and scaffolding.
Section G — WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE
Buying and reselling goods without altering them. A wholesaler who sources electronics from a factory and distributes to shops sits here, and so does the shop selling to the public. Online retailers belong in Section G too, provided they resell finished products rather than manufacture their own.
Section H — TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE
Moving freight and passengers by road, rail, sea, or air, plus warehousing, logistics, and postal services. Courier firms, freight forwarders, port terminal operators, bus companies, airlines, and pipeline operators all find their code in Section H. It covers the physical movement of goods and people from one place to another.
Section I — ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD SERVICE ACTIVITIES
Hotels, guest houses, holiday parks, restaurants, cafés, pubs, takeaways, and catering companies all sit in Section I. The common thread is straightforward: the business either provides short-stay accommodation or serves prepared food and drink for immediate consumption, whether eaten on the premises or taken away.
Section J — PUBLISHING, BROADCASTING, AND CONTENT PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION ACTIVITIES
Book publishers, film production companies, television broadcasters, music studios, and digital content distributors — Section J captures the full cycle. Creating, packaging, and delivering text, audio, or video content to an audience, whether that means a print run, a streaming platform, or a podcast feed.
Section K — TELECOMMUNICATION, COMPUTER PROGRAMMING, CONSULTING, COMPUTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND OTHER INFORMATION SERVICE ACTIVITIES
Telecoms operators, software developers, IT consultancies, cloud providers, and data centre operators all belong to Section K. It forms the digital backbone of the economy — from laying fibre-optic cable and managing servers to writing mobile apps and running managed hosting for enterprise clients.
Section L — FINANCIAL AND INSURANCE ACTIVITIES
Banks, building societies, investment funds, insurance firms, pension funds, and securities brokers — Section L covers every business that deals in money, credit, or financial risk. It also includes supporting roles: payment processing, stock exchanges, actuarial work, and fund administration.
Section M — REAL ESTATE ACTIVITIES
Buying, selling, letting, and managing residential or commercial property. Estate agents, lettings agencies, property management firms, and developers who hold completed buildings for rental income rather than resale all choose a code from Section M. If the revenue comes from owning or brokering property, it belongs here.
Section N — PROFESSIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES
Law firms, accountancy practices, architects, engineering consultants, advertising agencies, management consultancies, research laboratories, and veterinary surgeries — Section N. The common factor is specialist expertise sold as a service rather than a physical product. Qualifications and professional knowledge drive the value.
Section O — ADMINISTRATIVE AND SUPPORT SERVICE ACTIVITIES
Recruitment agencies, cleaning companies, security firms, call centres, equipment hire, travel agencies, and event organisers — the operational services that keep other businesses running day to day. Section O collects every support function a company might outsource so it can focus on its core activity.
Section P — PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEFENCE; COMPULSORY SOCIAL SECURITY
Central and local government, the armed forces, courts, police, fire services, and compulsory social security schemes. Section P is not for private businesses — it captures the work of public authorities at every level, from parish councils to Whitehall departments, including regulation, licensing, and tax administration.
Section Q — EDUCATION
State schools, academies, colleges, universities, driving schools, language courses, corporate training providers, and private tutors — Section Q covers every form of education. It makes no distinction between public and private, or between classroom and distance learning. If the core activity is teaching, the code comes from here.
Section R — HUMAN HEALTH AND SOCIAL WORK ACTIVITIES
Hospitals, GP surgeries, dental practices, ambulance services, care homes, and social work — Section R brings together medical treatment and social support under one roof. It runs from major surgery to domiciliary care for the elderly. Private clinics and NHS trusts are classified in exactly the same way.
Section S — ARTS, SPORTS AND RECREATION
Theatres, museums, sports clubs, gyms, amusement parks, betting shops, and live event promoters — Section S. Any business whose main purpose is leisure, entertainment, or physical activity for an audience or participants finds its code here. Libraries, zoos, and botanical gardens are included as well.
Section T — OTHER SERVICE ACTIVITIES
Appliance repair, tailoring, hairdressing, beauty salons, dry cleaning, funeral services, and the work of membership organisations — Section T catches everything that does not fit neatly elsewhere. If a service is delivered directly to a consumer and falls outside trade, healthcare, or education, it most likely belongs in this section.
Section U — ACTIVITIES OF HOUSEHOLDS AS EMPLOYERS AND UNDIFFERENTIATED GOODS- AND SERVICE-PRODUCING ACTIVITIES OF HOUSEHOLDS FOR OWN USE
Private households that employ domestic staff — nannies, gardeners, cooks, housekeepers, and personal drivers. It also covers goods and services produced by households purely for their own consumption where the activity cannot be assigned to a specific industry. In practice Section U is rarely used outside national statistics.
Section V — ACTIVITIES OF EXTRATERRITORIAL ORGANISATIONS AND BODIES
Embassies, consulates, and offices of international organisations such as the United Nations, NATO, and the European Union operating on UK soil but outside UK legal jurisdiction. Section V is the narrowest in the classification — it exists to account for economic activity that formally sits beyond British domestic law.