Warehousing and support activities for transportation (SIC division 52)
Division 52 of the UK SIC 2007 list. It holds 10 codes, listed in full below with the number of active UK companies filed under each.
What sits in division 52
Division 52 keeps freight moving without driving, sailing or flying it. The dominant code is 52290. Freight forwarders, customs brokers, shipping agents and logistics arrangers of every kind sit there. Warehousing has its own code, 52103, for land-linked storage sites. Cargo handlers use 52243. Code 52219 sweeps up other services around road and rail transport, from lorry parks to transport management. Companies here sell coordination and space, not wheels. That is what separates them from the carriers in divisions 49 to 51.
Suppliers to logistics treat these codes as their master list. Warehouse fit-out and racking firms, forklift and materials handling dealers, WMS and freight software vendors, industrial property agents and cargo insurers all sell to forwarders and warehouse operators. Recruiters supplying warehouse and customs staff do the same. Watch new incorporations. They often line up with a first unit or an anchor contract win. Watch growth between filed accounts too, which usually means more pallets, more people and more software seats. Customs-facing firms often neglect their website, so the poor-website filter reads as unmet need rather than a dead end.
How to read a division 52 code
A UK SIC code is five digits and division 52 is the first two of them. Everything filed under 52 shares those digits: all 10 codes below begin 52, then the third digit narrows to a group, the fourth to a class and the fifth to the subclass a company actually picks. Division 52 sits inside section H, transportation and storage, 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 52 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 52290, other transportation support activities.
Working division 52 as a list
Division 52 holds 10 codes and 43,268 active companies between them. One code carries most of it: 52290 accounts for 50 per cent on its own, and the top three take 79 per cent, with the rest spread across the remaining 7 codes. Filtering by the whole division is therefore close to filtering by 52290 with a tail attached, so start from the code and widen only if the list runs dry.
More on working division 52
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 52
52101, Operation of warehousing and storage facilities for water transport activities52102, Operation of warehousing and storage facilities for air transport activities52103, Operation of warehousing and storage facilities for land transport activities52219, Other service activities incidental to land transportation, n.e.c.52220, Service activities incidental to water transportation52230, Service activities incidental to air transportation52241, Cargo handling for water transport activities52242, Cargo handling for air transport activities52243, Cargo handling for land transport activities52290, Other transportation support activitiesProspecting this division
Division 52 companies, as leads
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Division 52 questions
Which SIC code should a freight forwarder choose?
Use 52290, other transportation support activities. It is the standard forwarder code. It also covers customs brokerage, ship and air cargo agency, and general logistics arranging. The company picks it at incorporation or on a confirmation statement, and nobody vets it. Forwarders who also run their own vehicles often add 49410 as a second code.
Should a 3PL with its own warehouse and trucks register under 52 or 49?
Use both. Register 52103 for the warehousing side and 49410 for road transport. Companies House allows up to four SIC codes per company. Listing the pair gives customers, insurers and lenders an accurate picture. You can rebalance the codes later on a CS01 if the business model shifts.
Find companies across division 52
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