What is a NACE code?
NACE is the European classification of economic activities: a list that gives every kind of business activity a fixed code, from farming to software. That way every country can produce the same statistics on the same sectors.
Belgium uses its own version, NACE-BEL. It follows the European classification down to four digits and adds a fifth digit for a finer Belgian breakdown.
How is a NACE code built?
The code gets more specific step by step. For a bakery it looks like this:
- SectionCManufacturing
- Division10Manufacture of food products
- Group10.7Manufacture of bakery and farinaceous products
- Class10.71Manufacture of bread and fresh pastry goods
- Subclass10.71xBelgian breakdown (fifth digit)
The section is a letter and is usually not written. The KBO records codes with five digits and no dot (for example 10710); on paper you often see them with a dot after the first two digits.
| Section | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| A | Agriculture, forestry and fishing | arable farming, livestock, horticulture |
| C | Manufacturing | bakeries, breweries, metalworking |
| F | Construction | general building, electricians, roofers |
| G | Wholesale and retail trade | wholesalers, shops, web shops |
| I | Accommodation and food service | hotels, restaurants, cafés |
NACE-BEL 2008 and NACE-BEL 2025
The European classification was revised to better describe new activities, such as digital services. Belgium followed with NACE-BEL 2025, which replaces NACE-BEL 2008. Many codes stayed the same, others were split, merged or renumbered.
So for the same company you may find a different code in older documents than in the KBO today. Nummo shows the description according to NACE-BEL 2025 when it exists, and otherwise according to 2008.
Main activity, secondary activity and source
- A business often has several codes: a main activity and one or more secondary activities.
- Codes are registered per source, for example for VAT or for social security, and sometimes per establishment unit.
- The business declares its own activities, at registration or later when something changes. Codes can therefore be broad or outdated: a company that once also sold furniture may still have that code.
To know what a company really does, also look at its name, website and annual accounts. The NACE code is a hint, not a guarantee.
What are NACE codes used for?
- Statistics: the government measures employment, revenue and bankruptcies per sector.
- Sector comparison: Nummo compares a company's figures with companies in the same activity, region and size.
- Search: on Nummo you can search by activity, such as "bakker gent" (Dutch or French activity words work best), and the NACE codes do the rest.
- Administration: some permits, grants and insurance depend on the registered activity.