Overview
A NAICS code API built from the Census Bureau's NAICS 2022 files and the SBA Table of Size Standards. Every one of the 2,125 codes, from the 20 sectors down to the 6-digit national industries, comes with its official title and description, its parent and full hierarchy, its children and whether it is shared with Canada and Mexico. On paid plans, six-digit codes carry the SBA size standard in receipts or employees, with any exceptions. Keyword search ranks codes by hits in the title, the 20,000 Census index entries and the description. Paid plans add details=true: the index entries, the cross-references to related codes and the NAICS 2017 codes each 2022 code replaced, plus batches of up to 500 codes.
Live Test NAICS Lookup Source →
Formula
One function covers the whole catalog: the first argument names the source, the next are its inputs, and the field after them says which single value lands in the cell. Formulas covers the grammar that applies to all of them.
=VERVE("naicslookup", "count")=VERVE.CALL("naicslookup", "count")Inputs
Required inputs are positional, in the order below, followed by the field. Everything else is passed as a "name", value pair after that — the same shape as SUMIFS. Premium inputs are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.
| Input | Type | Where it goes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
codeOptional | string | "code", value | One NAICS code, or several separated by commas (up to 10 on Free, 500 on paid plans) length 0–4000 |
searchOptional | string | "search", value | Keywords to search titles, index terms and descriptions length 0–200 |
levelOptional | integer | "level", value | Only return codes at this level when searching (2 to 6 digits)23456 |
detailsOptionalPremium | boolean | "details", value | Include index terms, cross-references and the NAICS 2017 concordance |
limitOptional | integer | "limit", value | Maximum search results (1-50) default 10 · range 1–50 |
Passing an option
=VERVE("naicslookup", "count", "code", 541511)=VERVE.CALL("naicslookup", "count", "code", 541511)What lands in your sheet
The field — the argument after the inputs — is what makes the formula resolve to one cell. Its value is a dot-path from the table below, so swapping it is how you pull a different value — one formula per column.
Seeing everything at once
Leave the field out and the formula returns the whole response instead: two columns, field name on the left and value on the right, spilling from the cell you typed in.
=VERVE("naicslookup")=VERVE.CALL("naicslookup")The second row's table would land on top of the first's, and every cell after the first reads #REF! (#SPILL! in Excel). Keep one per sheet, or name a field, and leave the cells below and to the right empty.
Response fields
Paths are relative to data. Each one is exactly what the field argument accepts, so swapping it is how you pull a different value into a cell. On a plan without a Premium field the cell reads #PREMIUM(field) rather than a value, so a locked field never looks like a real answer.
| Use as the field | Type | Example cell value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
count | number | 1 | Number of codes returned |
results | array[1] | ||
results.0.code | string | 541511 | NAICS 2022 code (2 to 6 digits, or a sector range such as 31-33) |
results.0.title | string | Custom Computer Programming Services | Official title |
results.0.level | number | 6 | Number of digits: 2 sector, 3 subsector, 4 industry group, 5 industry, 6 national industry |
results.0.levelName | string | national_industry | sector, subsector, industry_group, industry or national_industry |
results.0.trilateral | boolean | false | The code and title are shared by the US, Canada and Mexico |
results.0.description | string | This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in writing, modifying, testing, and su… | Official Census description of what the code covers |
results.0.parent | object | {…} | The code one level up ({code, title}); null for sectors |
results.0.parent.code | string | 54151 | Parent code |
results.0.parent.title | string | Computer Systems Design and Related Services | Parent title |
results.0.hierarchy | array[5] | Path from the sector down to this code: code, title, level, levelName | |
results.0.hierarchy.0.code | string | 54 | |
results.0.hierarchy.0.title | string | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | |
results.0.hierarchy.0.level | number | 2 | |
results.0.hierarchy.0.levelName | string | sector | |
results.0.children | array | [] | Codes one level down: code, title |
results.0.sizeStandardPremium | object | {…} | SBA small-business size standard (6-digit codes); null above that level |
results.0.sizeStandard.revenueMillionsPremium | number | 34 | Average annual receipts limit in millions of US dollars; null when the standard is in employees |
results.0.sizeStandard.employeesPremium | object | null | Employee limit; null when the standard is in receipts |
results.0.sizeStandard.summaryPremium | string | $34M average annual receipts | The standard in words, e.g. $34M average annual receipts |
results.0.sizeStandard.exceptionsPremium | array | [] | Activities with their own standard under this code: activity, revenueMillions, employees, summary |
results.0.indexTermsPremium | array | ["Applications software programming services, custom computer","Computer program or software development, custom","Computer programming services, custom"] | Census index entries classified under this code (details=true) |
results.0.crossReferencesPremium | array[3] | Activities classified elsewhere, each with text and the codes it points to (details=true) | |
results.0.crossReferences.0.textPremium | string | Software design, development, and publishing, or software publishing only--are classified in Industr… | |
results.0.crossReferences.0.codesPremium | array | ["513210"] | |
results.0.naics2017Premium | array[1] | NAICS 2017 codes this code came from: code, title (details=true) | |
results.0.naics2017.0.codePremium | string | 541511 | |
results.0.naics2017.0.titlePremium | string | Custom Computer Programming Services | |
notFound | array | [] | Requested codes that do not exist in NAICS 2022 |
When a cell doesn't fill
A failed lookup returns readable text starting with #ERR rather than a spreadsheet error, because Excel cannot show a custom message on a real error — you would get a bare #VALUE! with no reason. The trade-off is that IFERROR() will not catch it; test with LEFT(cell, 4) = "#ERR" instead. Error handling covers the rest.
| Cell reads | What happened |
|---|---|
#ERR Not connected | No API key saved. Open the side panel and connect your account. |
#ERR Replace <name> with a cell or value | A preview formula was copied as-is. Swap the placeholder for a cell reference. |
#ERR No "x" in naicslookup | An option name this source does not take. The message lists the ones it does. |
#ERR No data point "…" | The field path is not in the response. Check it against the table above. |
#PREMIUM(field) | The field exists but your plan does not include it. |
#ERR Out of credits | The cycle's credits are spent. Usage resets on your billing date. |
Before the formula works
The add-in reads the API key you saved once in the side panel — the key never goes in the formula, so a shared sheet does not leak it and a collaborator without access simply sees the last calculated values.
- Install the add-in for Google Sheets or Excel.
- Open the side panel and sign in, or paste a key from your dashboard.
- Type the formula above into any cell.
Use cases
- Business Onboarding
- Let applicants search for their industry in plain words and store the matching 6-digit NAICS code.
- Government Contracting
- Check a company against the SBA small-business size standard for the NAICS code on a solicitation.
- Data Normalisation
- Expand stored NAICS codes into titles, sectors and hierarchy for reporting and segmentation.
- Code Migration
- Map records coded under NAICS 2017 to their 2022 successors using the concordance.
Other ways to use NAICS Lookup
Set up NAICS Lookup on VerveSheets, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveSheets account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.
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