Our Story & Mission | SICCODE.com Classification Authority Since 1998
Purpose: This page provides historical context and mission clarity for SICCODE.com as a long-running public classification resource.
Our Story & Mission
A Long-Running Public Classification Resource
SICCODE.com was founded in 1998 as an independent classification reference project to make U.S. Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) information easier to access and interpret. At the time, authoritative classification content was fragmented across government documents, printed manuals, and hard-to-navigate sources.
From the beginning, the site was built as a practical reference — not a sales platform — serving students, researchers, small businesses, and professionals who needed reliable classification guidance without barriers or paywalls.
Growth Through Use, Not Promotion
Throughout the early 2000s, SICCODE.com expanded organically as users returned to it as a dependable lookup tool. As the U.S. economy evolved, the site grew to include:
- NAICS codes alongside legacy SIC classifications
- SIC ↔ NAICS crosswalks and mappings
- Expanded industry descriptions and hierarchical structures
This growth was driven primarily by user demand and repeat usage, not advertising campaigns. For many years, SICCODE.com operated as a free public resource, indexed widely by search engines and referenced across educational, research, and business contexts.
Timeline (1998–2026)
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1998
SICCODE.com launched as a free public reference for U.S. Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes.
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Early 2000s
NAICS classifications and SIC–NAICS crosswalks were added to support modern industry classification needs.
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2010s
Industry descriptions, hierarchy coverage, and reference structure expanded to support broader educational and professional use.
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2020
Usage increased during PPP rollout as businesses and advisors sought clarity on industry-code-related eligibility guidance.
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2024–2026
Governance documentation, accuracy benchmarking, and trust framework materials were formalized to support auditability and transparency.
Supporting Businesses During Periods of Change
Industry classification becomes especially important during periods of regulatory or economic change. During the 2020 rollout of the U.S. Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), SICCODE.com experienced a significant surge in usage as small businesses sought clarity on eligibility requirements tied to industry codes.
During that period, the site supported more than 250,000 classification lookups, helping businesses, advisors, and lenders interpret SIC and NAICS requirements under tight timelines. This reinforced a long-standing reality: classification accuracy has real-world consequences.
From Reference Site to Classification Authority
As usage increased over time, so did the complexity of questions users asked. Many organizations needed more than a lookup — they needed:
- Formal verification for filings and compliance
- Human review for ambiguous or multi-sector businesses
- Bulk classification for customer or vendor databases
- Documentation suitable for audits, procurement, or regulatory review
In response to these needs, expertise-based services were introduced to complement — not replace — free public access. Core lookup tools and reference content have remained freely accessible, while paid offerings support organizations requiring higher levels of accuracy, documentation, or scale.
Accurate industry classification also enables organizations to work with large volumes of business data more effectively, supporting market analysis, supplier evaluation, and the identification of relevant companies across complex datasets.
How SICCODE.com Operates Today
SICCODE.com operates as a maintained classification data platform designed to support consistent interpretation of SIC and NAICS taxonomies. Classification workflows emphasize standards alignment, boundary definitions, and documentation for ambiguous cases.
Classification Process (Today)
Machine-assisted methods generate candidate codes based on business descriptions and activity signals, aligned to published taxonomy definitions.
Automated checks evaluate candidate codes against hierarchy rules, included and excluded activity definitions, and common boundary conditions.
Ambiguous cases, multi-activity establishments, and records requiring documentation are reviewed by analysts using standards-based criteria.
Ongoing monitoring, drift checks, and feedback signals inform continuous improvement and targeted updates to reference content.
Stewardship: The platform is maintained by a team working across classification research, data engineering, and quality governance to support consistent interpretation, documentation, and transparency over time.
Governance note: Stewardship, review accountability, and platform governance are documented in the Authority & Trust Hub.
Our Mission
The mission of SICCODE.com is to provide clear, accurate, and accessible industry classification data, while maintaining transparency in how classifications are determined and updated.
This mission includes:
- Preserving free public access to essential classification tools
- Publishing methodology and governance information openly
- Updating classification reference materials on a rolling basis as industries evolve
- Supporting organizations that require compliance-grade or enterprise-scale classification assistance
Independence and Scope
SICCODE.com is an independent resource. It is not a government agency and does not replace official filings or determinations made by regulatory bodies. Instead, it exists to help users understand, interpret, and apply official classification systems accurately and consistently.
Looking Forward
Industry classification continues to grow more complex as businesses span multiple sectors, digital services evolve, and regulatory requirements expand. Ongoing work focuses on improving documentation clarity, strengthening governance transparency, expanding accuracy benchmarking, and supporting responsible automation with expert review.
What began in 1998 as a simple public reference has evolved — gradually and deliberately — into a maintained classification resource used across educational, research, and professional contexts.