NAICS 212210

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the framework federal statistical agencies use to classify business establishments for consistent collection, analysis, and publication of U.S. economic data. Developed under the Office of Management and Budget and adopted in 1997, NAICS was created jointly by the U.S. and its North American partners to enable cross-country comparability. The current standard for new federal economic statistics is NAICS 2022.¹

NAICS 212210 defines Iron Ore Mining. According to the official description, this industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in developing mine sites, mining, and/or beneficiating iron ores and manganiferous ores valued chiefly for their iron content. It also includes producing sinter iron ore and other iron ore agglomerates, excluding iron ore produced in iron and steel mills. Beneficiation activities are part of mining and are distinct from smelting or refining.²

See also on G2X:

• G2X — NAICS 212210 overview
• G2X — NAICS 2122 Metal Ore Mining
• G2X — NAICS 212230 Copper, Nickel, Lead, and Zinc Mining

What this NAICS covers

• Developing iron ore and manganiferous ore mine sites.²
• Operating iron ore mines (surface or underground).²
• Beneficiating iron ore by crushing and grinding.²
• Beneficiating/preparing iron ore by washing and drying.²
• Concentrating iron ore, including mechanical separation steps.²
• Sintering and producing other iron ore agglomerates (not in iron and steel mills).²

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Type	Code	Descriptor
NAICS	212230	Copper, Nickel, Lead, and Zinc Mining.2
NAICS	212299	All Other Metal Ore Mining.2
PSC	9610	Ores (commodity PSC often used for ore materials).6
PSC	9620	Minerals, Natural and Synthetic (commodity PSC that can cover mineral materials).7

SBA small business size standard for NAICS 212210

SBA’s current small business size standard for NAICS 212210 is 1,400 employees (effective March 17, 2023), as shown in the SBA Table of Small Business Size Standards.⁵

2022 NAICS update context

In the 2022 NAICS revision, selected metal mining classifications were realigned. For example, prior 2017 codes 212221 and 212222 were consolidated into 212220 Gold Ore and Silver Ore Mining. The definition of Iron Ore Mining remains centered on mining and beneficiating iron-bearing ores.⁴

Frequently asked questions

• What activities fall under NAICS 212210?

  • Establishments develop iron ore mine sites; mine iron and manganiferous ores valued chiefly for iron; and perform beneficiation such as crushing, grinding, washing, drying, concentrating, and sintering, including production of iron ore agglomerates not made in iron and steel mills.²

• Does NAICS 212210 include smelting or refining?

  • No. Smelting and refining are part of Primary Metal Manufacturing (331), which covers making pig iron, steel, and ferroalloys from ore or concentrate. Beneficiation in 212210 is mechanical preparation, not metallurgical refining.⁸

• Are exploration and contract support services included in 212210?

  • No. Support services for mining are classified in Subsector 213 Support Activities for Mining; 212210 covers mine site development and mining/beneficiation operations themselves.²

• Which PSC applies when procuring iron ore as a commodity?

  • Agencies commonly use PSC 9610 for Ores and PSC 9620 for Minerals, Natural and Synthetic, to code relevant supply purchases; verify the best-fit code against the official PSC Manual.⁹

Useful resources

• U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS 212210 Iron Ore Mining (industry description).²
• U.S. Census Bureau — Implementation of the 2022 NAICS (timeline and guidance).³
• U.S. Small Business Administration — Table of Small Business Size Standards (effective March 17, 2023).⁵

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS: Official site and system overview. https://www.census.gov/naics/
2. U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS 2022: 212210 Iron Ore Mining (definition and examples). https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=212210&year=2022&details=212210
3. U.S. Census Bureau — The Census Bureau’s Implementation of the 2022 NAICS. https://www.census.gov/library/reference/code-lists/naics/2022/implementation-timeline.html
4. U.S. Census Bureau — America Counts: Impact of changes to the NAICS (example of 212220 consolidation). https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2024/11/naics-changes.html
5. U.S. Small Business Administration — Table of Small Business Size Standards (PDF, effective March 17, 2023). https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/Table%20of%20Size%20Standards_Effective%20March%2017%2C%202023%20%282%29.pdf
6. PSC Tool — 9610 Ores. https://psctool.us/psc/9610
7. PSC Tool — 9620 Minerals, Natural and Synthetic. https://psctool.us/psc/9620
8. U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS 2022: 331 Primary Metal Manufacturing. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=331&year=2022&details=331
9. Acquisition.gov — Product and Service Codes (PSC) Manual. https://www.acquisition.gov/psc-manual