The MSME registration asks for the business activity by NIC code. For processing and canning of fish, that activity is 10205.
NIC code · National Industrial Classification 2008
10205 is the 5-digit NIC 2008 code for processing and canning of fish: a sub-class of class 1020, processing and preserving of fish, crustaceans and molluscs and products thereof, within division 10, manufacture of food products. Search a code or activity below, or copy the code for your Udyam or SPICe+ form.
This code
Division 10Group 102Class 1020Sub-class 10205
Processing and canning of fish
Sub-class 10205 · Class 1020 · Group 102 · Division 10 · Section C, NIC 2008
The code
Where the code sits in the National Industrial Classification 2008, from section to sub-class, in the official wording.
102055 digits: 10 + 2 + 0 + 5NIC 2025 · Notice dated 16 October 2026
On 18 November 2025 the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released NIC 2025, which uses 6-digit codes aligned with the UN's ISIC Revision 5. This page shows the NIC 2008 code 10205. The matching NIC 2025 code will be added here once it is mapped from MoSPI's official concordance.
How to read it
An NIC code is built in layers. Each digit narrows the one before it: the division, the group, the class, and finally the 5-digit sub-class. Divisions themselves are grouped under lettered sections.
The broadest numbered layer. Division 10 covers manufacture of food products. It sits in section C, manufacturing.
Processing and preserving of fish, crustaceans and molluscs and products thereof.
Processing and preserving of fish, crustaceans and molluscs and products thereof. The official note for this class is quoted below.
Processing and canning of fish. The full 5-digit code you enter where a form asks for the business activity by NIC code.
What it covers
10205 is a sub-class of class 1020, processing and preserving of fish, crustaceans and molluscs and products thereof. The NIC 2008 document explains the class in the note below, quoted exactly.
This class excludes:
- - processing of whales on land or specialized vessels, see 1010
- - production of oils and fats from marine material, see 1040
- - manufacture of prepared frozen fish dishes, see 1075
- - manufacture of fish soups, see 1079
Where you use it
Two registration forms ask for the business activity by NIC code. This is where 10205 is entered.
The MSME registration asks for the business activity by NIC code. For processing and canning of fish, that activity is 10205.
The company incorporation form asks for the main industrial activity of the proposed company by NIC code.
Not GST. GST registration does not use NIC codes; goods and services there are classified by HSN and SAC codes.
Choosing the right code
10205 is for processing and canning of fish. The codes below sit closest to it in NIC 2008: the other sub-classes of class 1020. Each has its own page with the official wording.
10206Class 1020 · another sub-class of the same class10207Class 1020 · another sub-class of the same class10209Class 1020 · another sub-class of the same class10201Class 1020 · another sub-class of the same class10202Class 1020 · another sub-class of the same classClass 1020 has 8 sub-classes in NIC 2008, including 10205. 5 of the others are shown here.
Questions
Processing and canning of fish, in the National Industrial Classification 2008. It is a sub-class of class 1020, processing and preserving of fish, crustaceans and molluscs and products thereof.
Class 1020, processing and preserving of fish, crustaceans and molluscs and products thereof, has 8 sub-classes in NIC 2008. Besides 10205, those with a page here are: 10206 (Processing and canning of frog legs); 10207 (Production of fishmeal for human consumption or animal feed); 10209 (Production, processing and preservation of other fish products n.e.c.); 10201 (Sun-drying of fish); 10202 (Artificial dehydration of fish and sea food).
In Udyam Registration, which asks for the business activity by NIC code, and in the SPICe+ company incorporation form, which asks for the main industrial activity by NIC code. GST registration does not use NIC codes.
About this page
The section, division, group, class and sub-class on this page, and the explanatory note for class 1020, are taken word for word from the official document “National Industrial Classification (All Economic Activities) 2008”, Central Statistical Organisation, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India.
This is reference information on the classification of a business activity. It is not advice on which code your own business should declare, and the official NIC document prevails if the two ever differ. A change in the classification, including the MoSPI concordance to NIC 2025, re-opens this page for checking.
Not sure which code fits your activity, or spotted a mismatch? Use the WhatsApp button on this page and tell us what the business sells and how.