We determine conformal symmetry classes for the pp-wave spacetimes. This refines the isometry classification scheme given by Sippel and Goenner (1986 Gen. Rel. Grav. 18 1229). It is shown that every conformal Killing vector for the null fluid type N pp-wave spacetimes is a conformal Ricci collineation. The maximum number of proper non-special conformal Killing vectors in a type N pp-wave spacetime is shown to be three, and we determine the form of a particular set of type N pp-wave spacetimes admitting such conformal Killing vectors. We determine the conformal symmetries of each type N isometry class of Sippel and Goenner and present new isometry classes.