# What is a NAICS code? A NAICS code is a two- to six-digit North American Industry Classification System code; in federal contracting each solicitation carries one six-digit NAICS code, which fixes the small business size standard for that buy. Contractors list every NAICS code they could work under in their SAM.gov registration and mark one as primary. The 2022 edition has 2,125 codes, 1,012 of them six-digit national industries.Checked on 2026-11-12.Official source: [Census NAICS](https://www.census.gov/naics/) | Term | NAICS code | | --- | --- | | Source | Census NAICS | ## NAICS code meaning A NAICS code is a two- to six-digit North American Industry Classification System code; in federal contracting each solicitation carries one six-digit NAICS code, which fixes the small business size standard for that buy.Contractors list every NAICS code they could work under in their SAM.gov registration and mark one as primary. Small business status is set per code, against the SBA size standard for that code in 13 CFR 121.201, so a firm can be small for one code and other than small for another. The 2022 edition has 2,125 codes, 1,012 of them six-digit national industries. ## Questions Can I add NAICS codes later?Yes. Update the assertions section of your SAM.gov registration; changes take effect when the update is processed.Which NAICS code does a solicitation use?The contracting officer assigns one code to each solicitation, and that code's size standard decides who is small for it. ## Related - [NAICS code lookup](https://samgovapi.io/naics-code-lookup) - [All NAICS codes](https://samgovapi.io/naics) - [Size standard checker](https://samgovapi.io/size-standard-checker) - [Glossary](https://samgovapi.io/glossary)Updated 2026-11-12. Sources checked 2026-11-12.Independent. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by GSA, SAM.gov or any U.S. government agency. Registering in SAM.gov is free at sam.gov.

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