NAICS
North American Industry Classification System
Acronyms & AbbreviationsDefinition
NAICS codes are six-digit codes that classify businesses by industry. In government contracting, your NAICS code determines which contracts you're eligible for, your small business size standard, and how agencies categorize procurements. Every federal solicitation is assigned at least one NAICS code.
The NAICS system replaced the older SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) codes and is used across the US, Canada, and Mexico. Codes range from broad two-digit sectors (like 54 for Professional Services) down to specific six-digit industries (like 541512 for Computer Systems Design Services).
Your primary NAICS code matters because the SBA uses it to determine whether you qualify as a "small business" for set-aside contracts. Size standards vary dramatically by NAICS — a company with $16.5 million in annual revenue might be "small" under one code and "large" under another.
Contractors can (and should) list multiple NAICS codes in their SAM.gov profile. When searching for opportunities, filtering by NAICS code is more reliable than keyword search because it captures all relevant procurements regardless of terminology.
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