UK SIC 2007 · Division 46

Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles (SIC division 46)

Division 46 of the UK SIC 2007 list. It holds 47 codes, listed in full below with the number of active UK companies filed under each.

232,031active UK companies across the 47 codes of division 46 on the public recordCompanies House · every SIC position counted

Sector context

What sits in division 46

Division 46 is the business-to-business trading layer of the UK economy. These companies buy goods and resell them to retailers, trade customers and other wholesalers. They do not sell to the public. The catch-all 46900, non-specialised wholesale, is easily the most registered code. Importers with mixed ranges rely on it. A second big family covers agents (46190, 46160, 46180 and their siblings). Agents sell on commission and never own the stock. The rest of the division is sorted by product: clothing on 46420, cosmetics on 46450, alcohol on 46342, machinery on 46690, food lines across 46310 to 46390, and construction materials on 46730.

Wholesalers and importers are prime accounts for freight forwarders, pallet networks, warehousing operators and customs brokers. Moving and storing stock is their whole cost base. Trade credit insurers, packaging suppliers and accountants who handle import VAT and duty deferment also work this division. A brand new wholesale company often means a first container is on its way. Growing filed accounts suggest the firm is holding more stock. Many trade-only wholesalers put little effort into their website, so the poor-website filter is a fast way to spot them.

Anatomy

How to read a division 46 code

A UK SIC code is five digits and division 46 is the first two of them. Everything filed under 46 shares those digits: all 47 codes below begin 46, then the third digit narrows to a group, the fourth to a class and the fifth to the subclass a company actually picks. Division 46 sits inside section G, wholesale and retail trade, which is the broadest tier of the classification. So a code is read left to right, from an industry down to a specific activity.

Working division 46 as a list

Division 46 holds 47 codes and 232,031 active companies between them. No single code dominates: the largest, 46900, is only 18 per cent and the top three take 34 per cent, with the rest spread across the remaining 44 codes. Companies here describe themselves in many different ways, so the division is the sensible filter and picking one code will lose you most of the market.

Every SIC code in division 46

46110Agents selling agricultural raw materials, livestock, textile raw materials and semi-finished goods1,550 ACTIVE 46120Agents involved in the sale of fuels, ores, metals and industrial chemicals1,999 ACTIVE 46130Agents involved in the sale of timber and building materials3,910 ACTIVE 46140Agents involved in the sale of machinery, industrial equipment, ships and aircraft4,361 ACTIVE 46150Agents involved in the sale of furniture, household goods, hardware and ironmongery4,580 ACTIVE 46160Agents involved in the sale of textiles, clothing, fur, footwear and leather goods8,987 ACTIVE 46170Agents involved in the sale of food, beverages and tobacco3,656 ACTIVE 46180Agents specialised in the sale of other particular products9,157 ACTIVE 46190Agents involved in the sale of a variety of goods21,179 ACTIVE 46210Wholesale of grain, unmanufactured tobacco, seeds and animal feeds1,233 ACTIVE 46220Wholesale of flowers and plants1,540 ACTIVE 46310Wholesale of fruit and vegetables4,520 ACTIVE 46320Wholesale of meat and meat products3,332 ACTIVE 46330Wholesale of dairy products, eggs and edible oils and fats1,820 ACTIVE 46341Wholesale of fruit and vegetable juices, mineral water and soft drinks2,560 ACTIVE 46342Wholesale of wine, beer, spirits and other alcoholic beverages6,612 ACTIVE 46350Wholesale of tobacco products513 ACTIVE 46360Wholesale of sugar and chocolate and sugar confectionery1,559 ACTIVE 46370Wholesale of coffee, tea, cocoa and spices4,112 ACTIVE 46380Wholesale of other food, including fish, crustaceans and molluscs3,965 ACTIVE 46390Non-specialised wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco6,220 ACTIVE 46410Wholesale of textiles4,767 ACTIVE 46420Wholesale of clothing and footwear15,438 ACTIVE 46439Wholesale of radio, television goods & electrical household appliances1,477 ACTIVE 46440Wholesale of china and glassware and cleaning materials706 ACTIVE 46450Wholesale of perfume and cosmetics8,790 ACTIVE 46460Wholesale of pharmaceutical goods4,205 ACTIVE 46470Wholesale of furniture, carpets and lighting equipment3,481 ACTIVE 46480Wholesale of watches and jewellery3,279 ACTIVE 46499Wholesale of household goods (other than musical instruments) n.e.c.7,029 ACTIVE 46510Wholesale of computers, computer peripheral equipment and software4,455 ACTIVE 46520Wholesale of electronic and telecommunications equipment and parts6,657 ACTIVE 46610Wholesale of agricultural machinery, equipment and supplies1,804 ACTIVE 46620Wholesale of machine tools1,107 ACTIVE 46630Wholesale of mining, construction and civil engineering machinery906 ACTIVE 46650Wholesale of office furniture986 ACTIVE 46660Wholesale of other office machinery and equipment757 ACTIVE 46690Wholesale of other machinery and equipment6,092 ACTIVE 46711Wholesale of petroleum and petroleum products925 ACTIVE 46719Wholesale of other fuels and related products1,170 ACTIVE 46720Wholesale of metals and metal ores2,222 ACTIVE 46730Wholesale of wood, construction materials and sanitary equipment3,980 ACTIVE 46740Wholesale of hardware, plumbing and heating equipment and supplies4,010 ACTIVE 46750Wholesale of chemical products2,628 ACTIVE 46760Wholesale of other intermediate products3,984 ACTIVE 46770Wholesale of waste and scrap2,009 ACTIVE 46900Non-specialised wholesale trade41,802 ACTIVE

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What you get

Division 46 companies, as leads

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The 232,031 companies across division 46, each with a verified website and email.

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Questions

Division 46 questions

What is the difference between an agent code like 46190 and a normal wholesale code?

Agents in the 461 group sell goods for someone else and earn a fee or commission. They never own the stock. Wholesalers under the other 46 codes buy in their own name and resell. If you broker deals between suppliers and buyers, pick an agent code. If the invoices and the stock run through your company, pick the product-specific wholesale code.

Should I register 46900 or a specific wholesale code for my import business?

Either works, because Companies House does not vet SIC choices. Use 46900 if your range is genuinely mixed. A specific code such as 46420 for clothing describes your trade more clearly. Banks, insurers and customers searching the public record will understand it faster. You can hold up to four codes and swap them on any confirmation statement.

UK SIC 2007 · Division 46

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