A picture sorting study with small groups of urban planners and small business entrepreneurs was carried out in order to explore the conceptualization of industrial environments. The participants were asked to sort and characterize 20 photographs of industrial buildings, selected to illustrate a broad range with regard to age, size, standard, exterior design and possible use. Multidimensional scaling analysis and other statistical techniques revealed significant differences between the two groups, where primarily the use of branch classifications discriminated between them. In contrast, consensus analysis of the sortings as such showed no significant differences, indicating the possibility of a dialogue. The results are interpreted and discussed in the context of communicative planning theory and potential conflicts in the industrial property market between owners and occupiers.