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SIC classification is available through a dedicated endpoint: GET /web/sic. The endpoint supports two SIC datasets:
  • original_sic (default): the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification system, with 1,004 four-digit codes grouped into 82 two-digit major groups.
  • latest_sec: the current SIC list as published by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, used for EDGAR filings. 430 codes, each tagged with the SEC review office that handles filings under that code.
Choose with the type query parameter.

SIC code structure

SIC codes are 4 digits. The leading 2 digits identify the major group; the leading 3 digits identify the industry group; the full 4 digits identify the industry.
LevelDigitsExample
Division(letter)D: Manufacturing
Major Group235: Industrial and Commercial Machinery and Computer Equipment
Industry Group3357: Computer and Office Equipment
Industry43571: Electronic Computers
The /web/sic endpoint returns 4-digit industry codes: the most specific level. When type=original_sic, each result also carries its parent majorGroup (2-digit) and majorGroupName. When type=latest_sec, each result carries the SEC office instead.

Choosing a classification

Use caseRecommended type
General-purpose industry tagging, broadest coverageoriginal_sic
Matching a company to its SEC EDGAR filing classificationlatest_sec
Mapping to public-company review offices (e.g. “who at the SEC reviews this issuer?”)latest_sec
Working with historical datasets that pre-date NAICS (pre-1997)original_sic
The two lists are not drop-in replacements for one another. The SEC list is a curated subset focused on industries that file with EDGAR. The 1987 list is exhaustive across all sectors of the US economy.

Prerequisites

  • A Context.dev API key. Sign up at context.dev/signup, copy the key from the dashboard (prefix ctxt_secret_), and export it:
  • An SDK (optional). Install for your language, or skip the install and call directly with curl:

Send a request

Pass an input (a domain or company title) and an optional type. The example below shows both datasets:
10 credits per successful call

Request parameters

ParameterTypeDescription
inputstringRequired. A brand domain or title. If a valid domain is provided, it’s used directly; otherwise the resolver searches for the brand by title.
typestringWhich SIC dataset to classify against. One of original_sic or latest_sec. Defaults to original_sic.
minResultsintegerMinimum number of SIC codes to return. Range: 1–10. Defaults to 1.
maxResultsintegerMaximum number of SIC codes to return. Range: 1–10. Defaults to 5.
timeoutMSintegerOptional request timeout (1,000–300,000 ms). Returns 408 if exceeded.

Response shape

Top-level fields are always present on a 200 response. The shape of each entry in codes depends on the requested type (echoed back in the response’s classification field).

type=original_sic

type=latest_sec

FieldTypeDescription
statusstring"ok" on success.
domainstringThe resolved domain that was classified.
typestringAlways "sic".
classificationstringThe SIC dataset that was used: original_sic or latest_sec.
codes[]arrayThe matched SIC codes, one object per match.
codes[].codestringThe 4-digit SIC code. Keep it as a string in storage to preserve leading zeros (codes like 0111 exist in original_sic).
codes[].namestringThe official SIC title for that code.
codes[].confidenceenumhigh, medium, or low. Indicates how well the code matches the company.
codes[].majorGroupstringoriginal_sic only. 2-digit major group identifier.
codes[].majorGroupNamestringoriginal_sic only. Description of the 2-digit major group.
codes[].officestringlatest_sec only. SEC review office responsible for filings under this code.
Use minResults / maxResults to control how aggressive the classification is. If you only want the strongest match, set both to 1. For richer classification across diversified businesses, raise maxResults and filter by confidence === "high" downstream.
For the official taxonomies, see:

Major groups (original_sic, 1987)

All 82 two-digit major groups returned when type=original_sic:
CodeMajor Group
01AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION - CROPS
02AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION - LIVESTOCK AND ANIMAL SPECIALTIES
07AGRICULTURAL SERVICES
08FORESTRY
09FISHING, HUNTING AND TRAPPING
10METAL MINING
12COAL MINING
13OIL AND GAS EXTRACTION
14MINING AND QUARRYING OF NONMETALLIC MINERALS, EXCEPT FUELS
15BUILDING CNSTRCTN - GENERAL CONTRACTORS & OPERATIVE BUILDERS
16HEAVY CNSTRCTN, EXCEPT BUILDING CONSTRUCTION - CONTRACTORS
17CONSTRUCTION - SPECIAL TRADE CONTRACTORS
20FOOD AND KINDRED PRODUCTS
21TOBACCO PRODUCTS
22TEXTILE MILL PRODUCTS
23APPAREL, FINISHED PRDCTS FROM FABRICS & SIMILAR MATERIALS
24LUMBER AND WOOD PRODUCTS, EXCEPT FURNITURE
25FURNITURE AND FIXTURES
26PAPER AND ALLIED PRODUCTS
27PRINTING, PUBLISHING AND ALLIED INDUSTRIES
28CHEMICALS AND ALLIED PRODUCTS
29PETROLEUM REFINING AND RELATED INDUSTRIES
30RUBBER AND MISCELLANEOUS PLASTIC PRODUCTS
31LEATHER AND LEATHER PRODUCTS
32STONE, CLAY, GLASS, AND CONCRETE PRODUCTS
33PRIMARY METAL INDUSTRIES
34FABRICATED METAL PRDCTS, EXCEPT MACHINERY & TRANSPORT EQPMNT
35INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL MACHINERY AND COMPUTER EQUIPMENT
36ELECTRONIC, ELCTRCL EQPMNT & CMPNTS, EXCPT COMPUTER EQPMNT
37TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT
38MESR/ANLYZ/CNTRL INSTRMNTS; PHOTO/MED/OPT GDS; WATCHS/CLOCKS
39MISCELLANEOUS MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES
40RAILROAD TRANSPORTATION
41LOCAL, SUBURBAN TRANSIT & INTERURBN HGWY PASSENGER TRANSPORT
42MOTOR FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION
43UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
44WATER TRANSPORTATION
45TRANSPORTATION BY AIR
46PIPELINES, EXCEPT NATURAL GAS
47TRANSPORTATION SERVICES
48COMMUNICATIONS
49ELECTRIC, GAS AND SANITARY SERVICES
50WHOLESALE TRADE - DURABLE GOODS
51WHOLESALE TRADE - NONDURABLE GOODS
52BUILDING MATRIALS, HRDWR, GARDEN SUPPLY & MOBILE HOME DEALRS
53GENERAL MERCHANDISE STORES
54FOOD STORES
55AUTOMOTIVE DEALERS AND GASOLINE SERVICE STATIONS
56APPAREL AND ACCESSORY STORES
57HOME FURNITURE, FURNISHINGS AND EQUIPMENT STORES
58EATING AND DRINKING PLACES
59MISCELLANEOUS RETAIL
60DEPOSITORY INSTITUTIONS
61NONDEPOSITORY CREDIT INSTITUTIONS
62SECURITY & COMMODITY BROKERS, DEALERS, EXCHANGES & SERVICES
63INSURANCE CARRIERS
64INSURANCE AGENTS, BROKERS AND SERVICE
65REAL ESTATE
67HOLDING AND OTHER INVESTMENT OFFICES
70HOTELS, ROOMING HOUSES, CAMPS, AND OTHER LODGING PLACES
72PERSONAL SERVICES
73BUSINESS SERVICES
75AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR, SERVICES AND PARKING
76MISCELLANEOUS REPAIR SERVICES
78MOTION PICTURES
79AMUSEMENT AND RECREATION SERVICES
80HEALTH SERVICES
81LEGAL SERVICES
82EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
83SOCIAL SERVICES
84MUSEUMS, ART GALLERIES AND BOTANICAL AND ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS
86MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATIONS
87ENGINEERING, ACCOUNTING, RESEARCH, MANAGEMENT & RELATED SVCS
89SERVICES, NOT ELSEWHERE CLASSIFIED
91EXECUTIVE, LEGISLATIVE & GENERAL GOVERNMENT, EXCEPT FINANCE
92JUSTICE, PUBLIC ORDER AND SAFETY
93PUBLIC FINANCE, TAXATION AND MONETARY POLICY
94ADMINISTRATION OF HUMAN RESOURCE PROGRAMS
95ADMINISTRATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND HOUSING PROGRAMS
96ADMINISTRATION OF ECONOMIC PROGRAMS
97NATIONAL SECURITY AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
99NONCLASSIFIABLE ESTABLISHMENTS

SEC review offices (latest_sec)

The 13 SEC review offices that own filings under type=latest_sec:
OfficeCodes
Office of Manufacturing148
Office of Trade & Services97
Industrial Applications and Services48
Office of Energy & Transportation43
Office of Technology38
Office of Real Estate & Construction22
Office of Finance22
Office of Life Sciences4
Office of International Corp Fin3
Office of Finance or Office of Crypto Assets2
Office of Structured Finance1
Office of Crypto Assets1
Office of Trade & Services or Office of Energy & Transportation1

Full list of original_sic codes

All 1,004 four-digit codes returned when type=original_sic. Use the copy button to grab the full list: CSV for spreadsheets, JSON for programmatic use.

Full list of latest_sec codes

All 430 codes returned when type=latest_sec, each annotated with its SEC review office.

Next steps

Prefetch for Faster Response

Hide cold-hit latency from your users.

Handle Rate Limits

Backoff strategies, client cache, and prefetch fallbacks.

Best Practices

Caching, error handling, and key hygiene.

Troubleshooting

Status codes, retry patterns, and common errors.