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The Singapore Standard Industrial Classification (SSIC) Code Search Tool

Selecting the right SSIC code for your business is an extremely important step while incorporating in Singapore. Singapore Standard Industrial Classification (SSIC) Code not only helps define your business but also helps determine whether special licenses or permits are required for it. Our SSIC code search tool will help you explore and select the SSIC code most suitable for your business.

Before you choose an SSIC code for your business, you must:

  1. 01

    Understand how SSIC codes are structured & which code your business needs to select

  2. 02

    Determine what is your business's primary, secondary & ancillary activity

Structure of the SSIC classification

The first and the most important step is to understand how SSIC codes are structured. The latest SSIC classification broadly comprises 21 economic activity categories called ‘sections’. Each section is distinguished by a single alphabet. Each section is further broken down into one or more ‘divisions’. A division is further divided into ‘groups’, a group into ‘classes’, and each class into ‘sub-classes’. Here is an example of how the SSIC hierarchy looks:

Classification levelClassification title & code
SectionManufacturing is one of the sections. The code for which is C
DivisionThere are multiple divisions under the manufacturing section. ‘Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products’ is one such division, the code for which is 26.
GroupUnder the division ‘manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products’ is the group ‘manufacture of electronic components and boards’ holding the corresponding code 261.
ClassThe group ‘manufacture of electronic components and boards’ can be further split into the class ‘manufacture of semiconductor devices’, which holds the classification code 2611.
Sub-classUnder ‘manufacture of electronic components and boards’, there is the sub-class ‘manufacture of wafer fabrication’, which has the SSIC code 26112.

The way to read an SSIC code is to understand that the first two digits stand for the major business division while each digit that follows further refines the classification of the business activity.

When the digit 0 appears at the end of an SSIC code, it is usually an addition because there is no further classification. So, the SSIC code for ‘manufacture of basic iron and steel’ is 2410 because it is the only class within the group ‘manufacture of basic iron and steel’ with the classification code 241.

When 9 appears at the end of your SSIC code, it indicates residual activities that are not significant enough to warrant their own SSIC code. For business activities with SSIC codes ending in 9, the description of the activity ends with the acronym N.E.C, which means ‘not elsewhere classified’.

The SSIC codes that a business unit needs to select are the Sub-class codes which are most relevant to your businesses primary activity (more on this later). This sub-class codes or SSIC codes as they are commonly known are 5 digit codes and include all the information related to the Section, Division, Group, Class and Sub-class. Now that we understand how the SSIC codes are structured, let’s move on to the next step on how to identify one for your business unit.

Primary, Secondary & Ancillary activities & how to define one for your business

Economic activity is at the heart of SSIC classifications, and businesses must grasp this to choose the appropriate SSIC code. According to SSIC 2020, “An economic activity occurs when resources such as labour, capital, goods, and services are used in a production process to produce goods and services.” It states that there are 3 kinds of economic activity:

  1. Principal activity refers to the activity that contributes the most to the value added (VA) of the goods and services produced by the economic unit, or the activity with the highest VA among the activities of the unit.
  2. Secondary activity refers to each separate activity undertaken by the economic unit which is not the unit’s principal activity.
  3. Ancillary activity refers to activity undertaken to support the main productive activities of an economic unit by providing goods or services entirely for the use of that unit. Examples of such activities are human resource functions, bookkeeping, purchasing, storage and sales promotion.

To put this into context, if your primary activity is the retail selling of mobile phones, a secondary activity may be mobile phone repair, while ancillary activities could include everything from human resources and accounting to sales and advertising.

Activity of the economic unitExample
Principal activitySSIC 47411 ‘Retail sale of handphones and peripheral equipment’ (VA = 10)
Secondary activitySSIC 95120 ‘Repair of communications equipment (e.g. mobile phones and fax machines)’ (VA = 5)
Ancillary activityProvision of human resource services to hire workers for the handphone retail shop; repair and maintenance of tools to support the firm’s communication equipment repair business

Source: SingStat

How to determine the principal activity of your business?

Now that you have understood the definitions, the next step would be to determine your principal activity. As mentioned above, it is determined by identifying which activity provides the most Value Added (VA), and the suggested approach to identify the same is using the top-down method.

The top-down method follows a hierarchical principle to ensure that the classification at the lowest level is consistent with the classification at the highest level. So start by creating a table of hierarchy as shown in the illustration below. Starting from top-level i.e. ‘Section’, start plotting which sections does your business operates in. Then move downwards and identify all possible ‘Divisions’, ‘Groups’, ‘Classes’ & ‘Sub-classes’ that your business deals in.

Once this is done, start by identifying the SSIC ‘Section’ that contributes the highest VA, followed by the ‘Division’ and then the ‘Group’ and so on until the highest VA item within the ‘Sub-class’ is obtained. The code of the sub-class that is obtained, is the SSIC code that is most relevant to your business.

Example of how to determine SSIC code using the Top-Down Method

Refer to the example provided below. Based on the top-down method, the SSIC code of the economic unit in the example given below is SSIC 27201 ‘Manufacture of primary batteries’ as the VA of SSIC 27 ‘Manufacture of electrical equipment’ is the highest.

SectionDivisionGroupClassSub-class
C ‘Manufacturing’ (VA = 10)24 ‘Manufacture of basic metals’ (VA = 4)241 ‘Manufacture of basic iron and steel’ (VA = 4)2410 ‘Manufacture of basic metals’ (VA = 4)24101 ‘Iron and steel rolling mills’ (VA = 4)
C ‘Manufacturing’ (VA = 10)27 ‘Manufacture of electrical equipment’ (VA = 6)272 ‘Manufacture of batteries and accumulators’ (VA = 4)2720 ‘Manufacture of batteries and accumulators’ (VA = 4)27201 ‘Manufacture of primary batteries’ (VA = 4)
C ‘Manufacturing’ (VA = 10)27 ‘Manufacture of electrical equipment’ (VA = 6)275 ‘Manufacture of domestic appliances’ (VA = 2)2750 ‘Manufacture of domestic appliances’ (VA = 2)27509 ‘Manufacture of domestic appliances n.e.c’ (VA = 2)
L ‘Real Estate Activities’ (VA = 5)68 ‘Real Estate Activities’ (VA = 5)681 ‘Real estate activities with own or leased property’ (VA = 5)6810 ‘Real estate activities with own or leased property’ (VA = 5)68101 ‘Real estate developers’ (VA = 5)

Note: VA refers to value added. The row in bold is the path the top-down method arrives at. Source: SingStat

What if you cannot determine the Value Added (VA) for your business activities?

If it is difficult to obtain information on VA of the goods sold or services rendered, the principal activity could be determined by other metrics such as:

  • Gross output that is attributable to the goods or services
  • Value of sales or shipments of those groups of products falling into each category of activity
  • Proportion of employment or wages in the various activities

There are multiple businesses & scenarios that can cause confusion e.g. What if you are the retailer of your own manufactured goods - should your primary activity be manufacturing or retail trade? The SSIC 2020 classification highlights many such cases and provides a clear understanding on how to proceed. There are specific scenarios of economic units not yet in operation, outsourcing, online marketplaces, government activities as well as for repair and maintenance activities.

SSIC 2020 edition Vs SSIC 2015 edition - The difference

The SSIC 2020 is the 14th edition of the SSIC and supersedes the previous editions. It is a significant update over the SSIC 2015 (Version 2018) edition.

SectionDivisions (2020 / 2015)Groups (2020 / 2015)Classes (2020 / 2015)Sub-classes (2020 / 2015)
A – Agriculture and Fishing3 / 37 / 813 / 1432 / 35
B – Mining and Quarrying2 / 23 / 33 / 35 / 5
C – Manufacturing23 / 2370 / 70133 / 135355 / 373
D – Electricity, Gas, Steam & Air-Conditioning Supply1 / 13 / 33 / 38 / 8
E – Water Supply; Sewerage, Waste Management and Remediation Activities3 / 35 / 55 / 56 / 6
F – Construction3 / 38 / 811 / 1141 / 40
G – Wholesale and Retail Trade2 / 215 / 1649 / 52168 / 174
H – Transportation and Storage5 / 59 / 917 / 1753 / 57
I – Accommodation and Food Service Activities2 / 24 / 47 / 712 / 14
J – Information and Communications6 / 611 / 1021 / 2046 / 42
K – Financial and Insurance Activities3 / 310 / 1022 / 2358 / 58
L – Real Estate Activities1 / 12 / 22 / 210 / 11
M – Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities7 / 714 / 1416 / 1653 / 56
N – Administrative and Support Service Activities6 / 616 / 1526 / 2547 / 49
O – Public Administration and Defence1 / 12 / 25 / 511 / 11
P – Education1 / 15 / 59 / 825 / 25
Q – Health and Social Services3 / 36 / 69 / 927 / 29
R – Arts, Entertainment and Recreation4 / 45 / 58 / 818 / 20
S – Other Service Activities3 / 37 / 719 / 1943 / 43
T – Activities of Households as Employers of Domestic Personnel1 / 11 / 11 / 12 / 2
U – Activities of Extra-Territorial Organisations and Bodies1 / 11 / 13 / 33 / 3
V – Activities not Adequately Defined0 / 10 / 00 / 00 / 1
Total81 / 82204 / 204382 / 3861,023 / 1,062

Each figure reads SSIC 2020 / SSIC 2015 (Version 2018). Figures in bold changed between the two editions.

Common SSIC Codes by Industry

Technology

  • 62011 – Development of software and applications (except games and cybersecurity)

  • 62013 – Development of software for cybersecurity

  • 62012 – Development of computer games

  • 63119 – Data analytics, processing and related activities N.E.C

Consulting

  • 62021 – Information technology consultancy (except cybersecurity)

  • 62022 – Information technology cybersecurity consultancy

  • 70201 – Management consultancy services

  • 70205 – Public relations, marketing and brand consultancy services

Online Marketplaces

  • 63201 – Online marketplaces for goods (including food)

  • 63202 – Online marketplaces for health services

  • 63203 – Online marketplaces for education services

  • 63209 – Online marketplaces for services N.E.C

Wholesale Trade

  • 46309 – Wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco N.E.C (including dried or canned)

  • 46412 – Wholesale of adults’ clothing

  • 46549 – Wholesale of industrial, construction, and related machinery and equipment N.E.C

  • 46522 – Wholesale of electronic components

Retail Trade

  • 47211 – Retail sale of fruits and vegetables

  • 47411 – Retail sale of handphones and peripheral equipment

  • 47510 – Retail sale of textiles

  • 47729 – Retail sale of pharmaceutical and medical goods N.E.C

Food and Beverage Service Activities

  • 56111 – Restaurants

  • 56121 – Fast food outlets

  • 56130 – Pubs

  • 56200 – Food caterers

Real Estate Activities

  • 68101 – Real estate developers

  • 68102 – Operating serviced apartments

  • 68201 – Real estate agencies and valuation services

  • 68203 – Residential (other than town councils), commercial and industrial real estate management

Transportation and Storage

  • 49214 – Street-hail and ride-hail service providers

  • 50021 – Shipping companies, including chartering of ships and boats with crew (freight)

  • 51001 – Airlines (passengers)

  • 52101 – General warehousing

Financial Services

  • 64120 – Full banks

  • 64140 – Merchant banks

  • 64150 – Finance companies (with deposit-taking functions)

  • 64922 – Credit card services

Other Services

  • 69101 – Legal activities (excluding online marketplaces)

  • 69201 – Accounting and auditing services (excluding online marketplaces)

  • 71111 – Architectural services

  • 73100 – Advertising activities

  • 74192 – Art and graphic design services

  • 85302 – Universities

  • 86102 – Community hospitals

  • 88102 – Social services for persons with disabilities (day activity centres, for example)

  • 93111 – Fitness centres and gymnasiums

  • 93203 – Night clubs, discotheques, dance clubs and karaoke lounges

  • 96022 – Beauty salons and spas (including slimming, skin care and hair care centres)

These are some of the codes businesses in each industry choose most often. Search above for the full list of 1,023 SSIC 2020 codes.

Frequently asked questions related to SSIC codes

An SSIC code is a 5 digit number classifying a company’s business activities that it carries out in Singapore. SSIC code helps businesses to identify licence applications, receive government grants and tax incentives, loans and to identify competitors. The SSIC code serves an administrative function such as to analyse economic activity, tax eligibility, industry support schemes etc.

Read more about it on our blog: Guide to SSIC codes in Singapore

ACRA allows a company to register a maximum of 2 SSIC codes. The primary code should clearly depict the primary business activity. If you are registering 2 codes, it is advisable that both business activities are coherent.

Yes, SSIC codes can be changed. Companies are constantly evolving and there is a good probability that the primary business activity might change over a period of time.

Read more about it on our blog: Guide to SSIC codes in Singapore

To check the SSIC code registered by your company or any other organization, you can visit Bizfile and search the ACRA register for entities and public accountants.

The acronym ACRA stands for Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority. ACRA is a statutory board under the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Singapore. Being a national business registry of Singapore, one of ACRA’s functions is to establish and administer a repository of documents and information relating to business entities and public accountants, and to provide access to the public to such documents and information.

It should be emphasised that an economic unit’s SSIC code does not depend on the following characteristics:

  • Type of ownership - Foreign, local, private or government owned
  • Type of legal organisation - Sole proprietorship, partnership, company
  • Type of production - Formal or informal production, market or non-market production, production by factories or households
  • Mode of delivery - Internet or traditional brick-and-mortar. For instance: firms that retail clothes solely through the Internet are classified with firms that retail clothes through brick-and-mortar stores. Firms that provide virtual banking services are classified with brick-and-mortar banks.

Be careful to select the most relevant SSIC code as a wrong decision could delay your incorporation process by anywhere from two weeks to two months.

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