NAICS Codes for Federal Contracting: How to Pick the Right Code

NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) codes are 6-digit codes that classify businesses by their primary economic activity. The US Census Bureau maintains the classification system, and the SBA uses it to set small business size standards. In SAM.gov, you list your primary NAICS code and any additional codes for your business activities.

Your CAGE code record in SAM.gov includes your primary NAICS code — this is visible to anyone who decodes your CAGE code or searches SAM.gov for your entity.

The SBA assigns a size standard to every NAICS code — either a revenue threshold (average annual receipts) or an employee count. To be a small business for a specific contract, you must meet the size standard for that contract's NAICS code (not necessarily your primary NAICS).

Yes. SAM.gov allows you to add multiple NAICS codes to your entity profile. Your primary NAICS code is the one that appears on your CAGE code record and is used for overall size determination. Your additional NAICS codes expand the range of contracts you can bid on.

Key rules:

• You must have a bona fide business reason for each NAICS you claim
• Your size is calculated separately for each NAICS on each specific contract
• Misrepresenting your size is a federal False Claims Act violation

Set-aside eligibility depends on the NAICS code of the specific contract — not your primary NAICS. A company with $30M revenue might be small under 541512 ($34M) but not under 236220 ($45M threshold — wait, that's higher) — or vice versa. Always check the size standard for the NAICS code assigned to each specific solicitation.

SBA has a Size Standards Tool at sba.gov/size-standards where you can enter any NAICS code to see the current size standard.

To find the right NAICS code for your business:

1. Visit census.gov/naics and use the keyword search
2. Look at how your competitors describe themselves in SAM.gov
3. Check how contracting officers are classifying similar contracts on SAM.gov (beta.sam.gov opportunities)
4. Review the NAICS manual — each code has an official description, industry snapshot, and illustrative examples