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.
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.
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.
More on how division 46 codes are built
Companies choose their own codes at incorporation and can change them on any confirmation statement, and Companies House does not check the answer. A company may list up to four. That is worth knowing before you treat any division total as a headcount: the numbers here are what companies said about themselves, on the August 2026 register, and the largest single code in this division is 46900, non-specialised wholesale trade.
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.
More on working division 46
A caveat that matters more in some divisions than others: a company may register up to four SIC codes, and the figures below count every position, not just the first. A business filed under two codes in this division appears under both. Treat the totals as reach rather than a headcount, and if you need a clean list, filter to companies whose FIRST code sits in the division. Every company you pull carries the Companies House record, the director's name, a verified website and a verified email, and the ones we cannot complete are not charged.
Every SIC code in division 46
46110, Agents selling agricultural raw materials, livestock, textile raw materials and semi-finished goods46120, Agents involved in the sale of fuels, ores, metals and industrial chemicals46130, Agents involved in the sale of timber and building materials46140, Agents involved in the sale of machinery, industrial equipment, ships and aircraft46150, Agents involved in the sale of furniture, household goods, hardware and ironmongery46160, Agents involved in the sale of textiles, clothing, fur, footwear and leather goods46170, Agents involved in the sale of food, beverages and tobacco46180, Agents specialised in the sale of other particular products46190, Agents involved in the sale of a variety of goods46210, Wholesale of grain, unmanufactured tobacco, seeds and animal feeds46220, Wholesale of flowers and plants46310, Wholesale of fruit and vegetables46320, Wholesale of meat and meat products46330, Wholesale of dairy products, eggs and edible oils and fats46341, Wholesale of fruit and vegetable juices, mineral water and soft drinks46342, Wholesale of wine, beer, spirits and other alcoholic beverages46350, Wholesale of tobacco products46360, Wholesale of sugar and chocolate and sugar confectionery46370, Wholesale of coffee, tea, cocoa and spices46380, Wholesale of other food, including fish, crustaceans and molluscs46390, Non-specialised wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco46410, Wholesale of textiles46420, Wholesale of clothing and footwear46439, Wholesale of radio, television goods & electrical household appliances46440, Wholesale of china and glassware and cleaning materials46450, Wholesale of perfume and cosmetics46460, Wholesale of pharmaceutical goods46470, Wholesale of furniture, carpets and lighting equipment46480, Wholesale of watches and jewellery46499, Wholesale of household goods (other than musical instruments) n.e.c.46510, Wholesale of computers, computer peripheral equipment and software46520, Wholesale of electronic and telecommunications equipment and parts46610, Wholesale of agricultural machinery, equipment and supplies46620, Wholesale of machine tools46630, Wholesale of mining, construction and civil engineering machinery46650, Wholesale of office furniture46660, Wholesale of other office machinery and equipment46690, Wholesale of other machinery and equipment46711, Wholesale of petroleum and petroleum products46719, Wholesale of other fuels and related products46720, Wholesale of metals and metal ores46730, Wholesale of wood, construction materials and sanitary equipment46740, Wholesale of hardware, plumbing and heating equipment and supplies46750, Wholesale of chemical products46760, Wholesale of other intermediate products46770, Wholesale of waste and scrap46900, Non-specialised wholesale tradeProspecting this division
Division 46 companies, as leads
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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.
Find companies across division 46
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