The Standard Industrial Classification (abbreviated SIC) is a United States government system for classifying industries by a four-digit code. Established in 1937, it is being supplanted by the six-digit North American Industry Classification System, which was released in 1997; however certain government departments and agencies, such as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), still use the SIC codes. The following table is from the SEC's site, which allows searching for companies by SIC code in its database of filings. The acronym NEC stands for "not elsewhere classified."