NACE Code
aka NACE Rev. 2, industry classification code
EU statistical classification of economic activities. Each business has a primary 4-digit NACE code that identifies its sector. Used by CRO, CSO, Revenue and grant authorities.
Last reviewed April 2026
Definition
NACE (Nomenclature statistique des Activites economiques dans la Communaute Europeenne) is the EU's standard classification of economic activities, currently at Rev. 2 (with NACE Rev. 2.1 being phased in from 2025). Every business has a primary NACE code at filing, structured as four digits: section (1 letter), division (2 digits), group (3 digits), class (4 digits). Examples: 62.01 'Computer programming activities', 47.11 'Retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating', 56.10 'Restaurants and mobile food service activities'. The code is collected by the Companies Registration Office (CRO) on incorporation, by Revenue on tax registration (TR1/TR2), and is used by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) for sector reports. Many Irish grants and supports are NACE-eligibility-gated: Enterprise Ireland, LEO, IDA Ireland, Digital Transformation Grants and others define eligibility by NACE division or class. NACE Rev. 2.1 introduces around 600 new digital, AI and platform-economy categories and is being applied to new statistics from reference year 2025 onward.
Why it matters for software choice
Many software-finder tools and grant calculators key off NACE codes. Vendor and category data tagged with the NACE codes the software actually fits (rather than vendor self-description) makes 'best CRM for hospitality' or 'is this Enterprise Ireland-eligible' answerable mechanically.
Authority sources
- Eurostat: NACE Rev. 2 (ec.europa.eu)
- CSO: NACE Rev. 2 Ireland (www.cso.ie)
Related terms
Companies Registration Office
The Irish state authority that registers and maintains records of all companies, business names and limited partnerships. Issues the CRO number used as a primary legal identifier.
eTenders (Ireland)
Ireland's official public procurement portal. All contracts above EU and national thresholds must be advertised here. Source data for Tenderwatch.ie and any procurement-aware vendor selection.