NAICS 238320

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the federal standard for classifying business establishments to produce consistent statistics about the U.S. economy. Developed with Canada and Mexico under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NAICS replaced SIC in 1997 and is revised about every five years; the current vintage is 2022, and Census programs are transitioning to it through 2027. ¹

NAICS 238320 covers establishments primarily engaged in interior or exterior painting and installing interior wall coverings. Work may include new construction, additions, alterations, maintenance, and repair activities performed on buildings and certain nonbuilding structures, per official NAICS industry descriptions. ²

What this NAICS covers

• Interior and exterior building painting (new work and existing facilities). ²
• Installation of interior wall coverings (e.g., wallpaper, vinyl, fabric wallcoverings). ²
• Paint and wall covering removal as part of preparation or refurbishment. ⁴
• Building finishing trade work limited to painting and wall covering scopes. ²
• Maintenance and repair repainting of occupied or in-service facilities. ²
• Bridge and similar structural painting when performed as a specialty trade. ³

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Type	Code	Descriptor
NAICS	238390	Other Building Finishing Contractors; cross-reference notes paint/wall covering work is classified in 238320. 4
NAICS	237310	Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction; bridge painting is classified in 238320. 3
PSC	Z1LB	Maintenance of Highways, Roads, Streets, Bridges, and Railways (often used for structural maintenance painting). 5
PSC	Z2LB	Repair or Alteration of Highways, Roads, Streets, Bridges, and Railways (used for repair/alteration projects that can include bridge repainting). 5

Frequently asked questions

• What work falls under NAICS 238320?

  • It includes interior and exterior building painting and the installation of interior wall coverings for new construction, additions, alterations, maintenance, and repairs. Related preparation such as removal of paint or wall coverings performed as part of these activities is also in scope. ²

• Is bridge painting classified in NAICS 238320 or NAICS 237310?

  • Census cross-references specify that painting bridges is classified in NAICS 238320; NAICS 237310 covers construction of highways, streets, and bridges rather than specialty painting. ³

• Are paint and wall covering removal activities in scope?

  • Yes. Census industry descriptions and cross-references indicate that installing or removing paint or wall coverings as part of painting or wall covering contracts is classified in NAICS 238320. ⁴

• Which PSC codes commonly appear with NAICS 238320 work?

  • For facility and infrastructure projects, agencies often use Category Z and Y PSCs. Bridge and roadway repainting commonly maps to Z1LB (maintenance) and Z2LB (repair/alteration), depending on scope and funding. ⁵

• What is the SBA small business size standard for NAICS 238320?

  • SBA assigns receipts-based size standards to NAICS industries and updates them periodically. Refer to SBA’s current Table of Size Standards to confirm the latest receipts threshold for NAICS 238320 before bidding. ⁶

Useful resources

• G2X — NAICS 238320 overview: https://app.g2xchange.com/naics/238320
• Census — Implementation of 2022 NAICS and overview of NAICS purpose and timing. ¹
• NAICS Manual (2022) — official industry descriptions for Construction and Specialty Trade Contractors. ²
• Census — Industry cross-references indicating bridge painting and finishing trade classification. ³
• SBA — Table of Small Business Size Standards (current table). ⁶

References

1. 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
2. U.S. Census Bureau — North American Industry Classification System: United States, 2022 (NAICS Manual PDF): https://www.census.gov/naics/reference-files/2022/NAICS_2022_Manual.pdf
3. U.S. Census Bureau — Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction (NAICS 237310) cross-reference noting bridge painting classified in 238320: https://www2.census.gov/econ2007/Reference_materials/htm%20files/23731000.htm
4. U.S. Census Bureau — Other Building Finishing Contractors (NAICS 238390) cross-reference to painting/wall covering removal in 238320: https://www2.census.gov/econ2012/Reference_materials/htm%20files/23839000.htm
5. U.S. General Services Administration — Product and Service Codes (PSC) Manual, April 2025: https://www.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/manual/PSC%20Manual%20April%202025.pdf
6. U.S. Small Business Administration — Size Standards: https://www.sba.gov/size-standards