The MSME registration asks for the business activity by NIC code. For wholesale of software, that activity is 46512.
NIC code · National Industrial Classification 2008
46512 is the 5-digit NIC 2008 code for wholesale of software: a sub-class of class 4651, wholesale of computers, computer peripheral equipment and software, within division 46, wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles. Search a code or activity below, or copy the code for your Udyam or SPICe+ form.
This code
Division 46Group 465Class 4651Sub-class 46512
Wholesale of software
Sub-class 46512 · Class 4651 · Group 465 · Division 46 · Section G, NIC 2008
The code
Where the code sits in the National Industrial Classification 2008, from section to sub-class, in the official wording.
465125 digits: 46 + 5 + 1 + 2NIC 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 46512. 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 46 covers wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles. It sits in section G, wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles.
Wholesale of machinery, equipment and supplies.
Wholesale of computers, computer peripheral equipment and software. The official note for this class is quoted below.
Wholesale of software. The full 5-digit code you enter where a form asks for the business activity by NIC code.
What it covers
46512 is a sub-class of class 4651, wholesale of computers, computer peripheral equipment and software. The NIC 2008 document explains the class in the note below, quoted exactly.
This class excludes:
- - wholesale of electronic parts, see 4652
- - wholesale of office machinery and equipment, (except computers and peripheral equipment), see 4659
- - wholesale of computer-controlled machinery, see 4659
Where you use it
Two registration forms ask for the business activity by NIC code. This is where 46512 is entered.
The MSME registration asks for the business activity by NIC code. For wholesale of software, that activity is 46512.
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
46512 is for wholesale of software. The codes below sit closest to it in NIC 2008: the other sub-classes of class 4651 and other classes in group 465. Each has its own page with the official wording.
Class 4651 has 2 sub-classes in NIC 2008, including 46512.
These belong to other classes in group 465, wholesale of machinery, equipment and supplies. 46512 itself is in class 4651. Use the search above for any other code on this page.
Questions
Wholesale of software, in the National Industrial Classification 2008. It is a sub-class of class 4651, wholesale of computers, computer peripheral equipment and software.
Class 4651, wholesale of computers, computer peripheral equipment and software, has 2 sub-classes in NIC 2008. Besides 46512, they are: 46511 (Wholesale of computers and computer peripheral equipment).
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 4651, 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.