Decide this rule before importing. It usually makes sense to keep your own verified details and not to treat missing import values as deletion instructions. Test the field mapping with a copy and check your system’s preview.
Export
Before a real import, check how your application handles the export fields. The fictitious sample file helps you test delimiters, special characters and text columns. CSV is the standard format; XLSX, JSON and custom columns are agreed before delivery. A direct integration with a particular CRM is not guaranteed.
File structure
Each row is a business, each column a data item. The structure is the same for all industries, so you can combine several exports or import them into the same CRM template.
| Column in the CSV | Label | Content |
|---|---|---|
company_name | Company name | trading name or registered name as given in the source, including the legal suffix (Ltd, PLC, LLP). |
legal_form | Legal form | for example private limited company, PLC or LLP, once the record is matched with the Companies House register (matching in progress). Most records have not been matched yet, so an empty field does not mean the business is a sole trader or partnership. |
company_number | Company number | Companies House registration number (8 characters, for example 01234567 or SC123456), once the record is matched with the Companies House register (matching in progress). |
address_line | Address | street, number and building as given in the source. |
post_town | Post town | town or locality of the business address. |
postcode | Postcode | full UK postcode (for example LS1 4AP), stored as text. |
postcode_area | Postcode area | the letters at the start of the postcode (for example LS, EH, CF, BT) for a finer regional selection. |
business_category | Business category | category of the place in the map data, for example plumber, accountant or restaurant. |
nation | Nation | England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, assigned via the postcode or, without one, via the region code in the map data; empty if neither is available; the main filter for a regional selection. |
industry | Industry | assignment to one of the 21 firmdat.co.uk industries; the assignment is in progress and the quote states which records carry it. |
sic_code | SIC code | economic activity under UK SIC 2007 as supplied by the company to Companies House, once the record is matched with the Companies House register (matching in progress). |
phone | Phone | publicly listed business number in international format (+44 …). |
email | publicly listed business email address as given in the source, for example info@; named addresses only where the business publishes them on its own website; a data field, not a consent to marketing. | |
website | Website | address of the company website including the protocol. |
company_status | Company status | status on the Companies House register (for example Active), once the record is matched with the Companies House register (matching in progress). |
An empty field means the information was not available in the sources. We never fill it with assumed values. As of 4 November 2026, the records come from Overture Maps and company websites: the industry is not yet assigned, and the company number, legal form, SIC code and company status are only filled in once a record is matched with Companies House; that matching is in progress. VAT numbers are not part of the export. The quote states which fields your selection contains.
Import guide
postcode, phone and company_number in particular as text. Before loading, check a phone number with +44 and a company number with a leading zero or a prefix such as SC.A large file may be of little use for your purpose if a field you need is often missing. Compare the agreed required fields and the confirmed selection size. The database status page explains what the contact figures say and what they leave open.
Preview
The following rows are sample data. The businesses in the table and in the sample file are entirely fictitious so that you can see the structure. Company numbers are deliberately invalid, phone numbers come from the Ofcom range reserved for drama, and the email addresses end in the reserved domain .example. This is neither a real extract nor a list of contacts to approach.
| Company name | Legal form | Nation | Industry | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sampleford Builders Ltd | private limited company | England | Construction and building trades | +44 20 7946 0001 | info@sampleford-builders.example |
| Example Electrical Services | – | England | Construction and building trades | +44 113 496 0002 | – |
| Fictional Precision Engineering Ltd | private limited company | England | Manufacturing | +44 121 496 0005 | sales@fictional-precision.example |
| The Specimen Arms | – | Wales | Hospitality and tourism | +44 29 2018 0010 | bookings@specimen-arms.example |
| Placeholder Haulage Ltd | private limited company | Scotland | Transport and logistics | +44 141 496 0015 | office@placeholder-haulage.example |
| Mock Software LLP | LLP | England | IT and software | +44 161 496 0016 | hello@mock-software.example |
| Demo Design Architects Ltd | private limited company | Northern Ireland | Architects and engineering consultancies | +44 28 9649 6018 | studio@demo-design.example |
| Testbridge Motors Ltd | private limited company | England | Motor trade and garages | +44 117 496 0023 | service@testbridge-motors.example |
In a real export, every row contains all 15 columns where the information is available. The column names in the CSV are in English snake_case.
Technical details
The standard format is CSV in UTF-8 with BOM, semicolons as delimiters and CRLF line endings. Excel and LibreOffice Calc open this combination without character errors if you use the CSV import.
UTF-8 with BOM, semicolon, header row with column names
ready-made Excel workbook; very large selections are split across several sheets or files
for direct import into your own applications
name the fields you need
You receive the file by email as a download link. Other delivery methods or regular deliveries are agreed individually.
Price
Exporting a whole industry costs £199 to £379, depending on the industry. Selections by nation, postcode area or your own filters are quoted on request. Prices shown are the full price – nothing is added. Prices per industry are on the pricing page.
FAQ
Decide this rule before importing. It usually makes sense to keep your own verified details and not to treat missing import values as deletion instructions. Test the field mapping with a copy and check your system’s preview.
An identical or similar name alone is not enough. Use the Companies House number where the record is matched with the register, plus the postcode. Sole traders and ordinary partnerships have no company number. The export does not guarantee a universally complete key.
Do not open the file by double-clicking, otherwise Excel may display special characters incorrectly, drop the leading zeros of company numbers and read phone numbers with a leading plus as a formula or number.
In an empty workbook choose Data › From Text/CSV, set the file origin to Unicode (UTF-8) and the delimiter to semicolon. Set the postcode, phone and company number columns to text and confirm with Load. LibreOffice Calc opens the import dialogue automatically.
We deliver CSV in UTF-8 with BOM, semicolons as delimiters and CRLF line endings. In Excel, open the file via Data › From Text/CSV rather than by double-clicking; LibreOffice Calc opens the import dialogue automatically. If your application expects commas or tabs, we prepare the file accordingly.
The published figures are as at 4 November 2026; the records come from the initial load from Overture Maps on 4 November 2026. Every quote states how current the data for your selection are. The date an export is created is not the date each individual contact was checked.
We do not guarantee a fixed update interval for all sources. Details are on the data sources and methodology page.
Yes. By default we deliver all 15 columns; on request you receive a file with only the fields you need for your CRM or postal mailing. Records without a complete address or without a website can also be excluded.
Within the PECR rules. Limited companies, PLCs and LLPs may receive marketing emails without prior consent if you identify yourself and give a valid opt-out address in every message; sole traders and partnerships outside Scotland need consent or a soft opt-in (regulation 22(3) PECR). Use the legal form column where it is filled in; an empty field does not mean a sole trader or partnership, because most records have not been matched with Companies House yet. Keep a suppression list. Details: PECR rules for B2B email and calls.
That depends on industry, region and filters. An Excel worksheet holds at most 1,048,576 rows; on request we split very large selections by nation or postcode area or deliver them as JSON.
We state the size after filters, price and the date of the data before you order.