15 August 2026 · 6 min read
ANZSIC codes explained: divisions, groups and classes
How an ANZSIC code is structured, how to read one from division down to class, the 19 divisions, and how to map a code to a plain-English industry.
An ANZSIC code isn't a single number — it's a position in a four-level hierarchy. Read it from the top down and it tells you, at increasing resolution, what a business does. Here's how the structure works and how to decode one.
The four levels, top to bottom
- Division — a single letter, A–S. The widest cut of the economy.
- Subdivision — 2 digits, a sector within a division.
- Group — 3 digits, a narrower activity.
- Class — 4 digits, the most specific unit and the one usually quoted as “the ANZSIC code.”
Reading a code end to end
Take a plumber. The full path is:
DivisionE— Construction → Subdivision32— Building Installation Services → Group323— Plumbing → Class3231— Plumbing Services.
Each digit narrows the meaning. You can report at whichever level you need: broad segments use the division, detailed benchmarking uses the class. The first digits of a class always place it inside its group and subdivision, so a class implies the whole path above it.
The 19 divisions
Divisions are the easiest level to work with day to day. In order, A to S:
- A — Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
- B — Mining
- C — Manufacturing
- D — Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services
- E — Construction
- F — Wholesale Trade
- G — Retail Trade
- H — Accommodation and Food Services
- I — Transport, Postal and Warehousing
- J — Information Media and Telecommunications
- K — Financial and Insurance Services
- L — Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services
- M — Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- N — Administrative and Support Services
- O — Public Administration and Safety
- P — Education and Training
- Q — Health Care and Social Assistance
- R — Arts and Recreation Services
- S — Other Services
Mapping a code to plain English
A bare code isn't much use without its label. ABR Insights shows both — the division and class code plus their names — so E · 3231 reads as Construction · Plumbing Services, with a confidence score on the label. Because the register doesn't carry industry at all, that label is a prediction, not official data — see how to find a business's ANZSIC code.
New to ANZSIC? Start with what is ANZSIC.
Frequently asked
- How many digits is an ANZSIC code?
- The most detailed level — the class — is 4 digits. Above it sit 3-digit groups, 2-digit subdivisions, and single-letter divisions (A–S).
- How many ANZSIC divisions are there?
- 19 divisions, labelled A through S, from A (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) to S (Other Services).
- What's the difference between a division and a class?
- A division is the broadest grouping (a letter, e.g. E Construction); a class is the most specific (a 4-digit code, e.g. 3231 Plumbing Services). Groups and subdivisions sit in between.
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