What is a CNAE code and how to use it to find Brazilian companies
CNAE (Classificação Nacional de Atividades Econômicas) is Brazil's official activity classification, maintained by IBGE. Every company registered with a CNPJ declares one primary CNAE code and any number of secondary codes. It works like NAICS in the US or SIC/NACE in Europe. You can look up a company's CNAE on its Receita Federal registration card, find the code for an activity in IBGE's CONCLA search, and list every company with a given CNAE by filtering Brazil's public CNPJ data, which is what 1Lead does.
CNAE in one paragraph
CNAE stands for Classificação Nacional de Atividades Econômicas (National Classification of Economic Activities). Brazil's company registry uses CNAE 2.3, with more than 1,300 subclasses. Tax authorities, cities and states use it to set taxation and licensing; sellers use it as the most reliable way to answer "which Brazilian companies do X?"
How to read a CNAE code
Take 6201-5/01 (custom software development):
| Level | Part of the code | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Section | letter (not in the code) | J – Information and communication |
| Division | first 2 digits | 62 – IT services |
| Group | first 3 digits | 620 |
| Class | 4 digits + check digit | 6201-5 |
| Subclass | 2 digits after the slash | 6201-5/01 |
Company records always use the subclass (7 digits). Searching by class or division widens a list; searching by subclass makes it precise.
CNAE vs NAICS, SIC and NACE
CNAE derives from the UN's ISIC classification, like Europe's NACE, so division-level codes map reasonably well between them. It does not map one-to-one to NAICS or SIC. When translating an ideal customer profile from another market, start from the activity description, not from the number.
How to look up a company's CNAE
- Get the company's CNPJ (14-digit tax ID, on invoices and contracts).
- Check the Comprovante de Inscrição e de Situação Cadastral on the Receita Federal website, or any CNPJ lookup tool.
- Read the primary activity (*atividade econômica principal*) and secondary activities (*atividades econômicas secundárias*).
New to CNPJ? Read what a CNPJ is.
How to use CNAE to find customers in Brazil
CNAE turns "I want to sell to gyms in Brazil" into an objective list: every active company with 9313-1/00 as primary or secondary activity. Add city, company size, opening date and registration status to reach a segment your team can serve.
See ready-made examples: restaurants, medical clinics, software companies, construction and accounting firms. For the full workflow, read how to get a list of Brazilian companies by CNAE.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Brazilian company have more than one CNAE?
Yes. Each CNPJ has exactly one primary CNAE and may have several secondary ones.
Is CNAE the same as NAICS?
No. CNAE is based on the UN ISIC standard (like Europe's NACE). Codes don't map one-to-one to NAICS or SIC.
Where can I download the CNAE list?
The full structure is on IBGE's CONCLA site (in Portuguese). The list of companies under each CNAE is in Receita Federal's open CNPJ data.