NAICS 212115

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the federal statistical standard for classifying U.S. business establishments, developed under the Office of Management and Budget, jointly maintained with Canada and Mexico, and updated on a 5-year cycle; the current vintage is 2022. ¹

NAICS 212115 — Underground Coal Mining — covers establishments primarily engaged in underground extraction of bituminous and anthracite coal, development of underground mine sites, and on-site coal beneficiating by the mining establishment. Federal statistical programs adopt the 2022 NAICS structure for publishing series and tables. ²

See also on G2X:

• G2X — NAICS 212115 overview: https://app.g2xchange.com/naics/212115
• G2X — NAICS 212114 overview: https://app.g2xchange.com/naics/212114
• G2X — NAICS 213113 overview: https://app.g2xchange.com/naics/213113

What this NAICS covers

• Underground mining of bituminous and anthracite coal. ²
• Development of underground coal mine sites prior to production. ²
• Underground extraction accompanied by on-site coal preparation (e.g., cleaning, washing, screening, sizing) performed by the mining establishment. ²
• Specific underground mining methods (e.g., room-and-pillar, longwall). Not specified by official sources. ²
• Beneficiating coal produced by the same underground establishment. ²
• Activities incidental to underground coal extraction carried out by the mining establishment. Not specified by official sources. ²

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Type	Code	Descriptor
NAICS	212114	Surface Coal Mining
NAICS	213113	Support Activities for Coal Mining
NAICS	2121	Coal Mining (Industry Group)

2022 NAICS change and lineage

• NAICS 212115 was created in NAICS 2022 by reorganizing underground coal mining activities that were previously included in 2017 212112 and part of 212113; surface-related activity was consolidated into 2022 212114. See Census NAICS 2022 implementation and change files. ³

Frequently asked questions

• What does NAICS 212115 include?
  This industry includes establishments primarily engaged in underground mining of bituminous or anthracite coal, developing underground mine sites, and underground mining combined with on-site coal preparation (e.g., cleaning, washing, screening, or sizing) by the mining establishment. ²

• How did 212115 differ from 2017 NAICS codes?
  With NAICS 2022, underground coal mining was reorganized into new code 212115, while surface coal activities were consolidated under 212114; BLS CES documentation outlines the 2017-to-2022 mapping used for time series. ⁴

• Are contract exploration or drilling services part of 212115?
  No. Fee- or contract-based support services for coal mining (e.g., exploration, drilling) are classified under 213113 Support Activities for Coal Mining, not in 212115. ⁵

• Where do coal preparation plants without mining fall?
  Beneficiating performed by the underground mining establishment is in 212115, but standalone preparation without mining is classified under 212114 Surface Coal Mining. ⁷

• Do federal data series identify 212115 separately?
  Yes. BLS Current Employment Statistics publishes separate series for “Underground coal mining (212115),” and related resources reflect the NAICS 2022 hierarchy including 212114 and 212115. ⁶

Useful resources

• BLS NAICS 2022 changes affecting CES (coal mining reclassification notes). ⁴
• Census — Implementation of the 2022 NAICS (timeline, change files). ³
• Census — 2022 NAICS definition: Underground Coal Mining (212115). ²
• BLS — CES published series listing for NAICS-based industry series. ⁶

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Manual (overview and history). https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2017/econ/2017-naics-manual.html
2. U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 NAICS definition — 212115 Underground Coal Mining. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=212115&year=2022
3. U.S. Census Bureau, The Census Bureau’s Implementation of the 2022 NAICS (timeline and change files). https://www.census.gov/library/reference/code-lists/naics/2022/implementation-timeline.html
4. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, The NAICS in the Current Employment Statistics Program (NAICS 2022 changes). https://www.bls.gov/ces/naics/naics-2022.htm
5. U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 NAICS definition — 213113 Support Activities for Coal Mining. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=213113&year=2022
6. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CES published series listing. https://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cesseriespub.htm
7. U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 NAICS definition — 212114 Surface Coal Mining. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=212114&year=2022