NAICS 311513

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the federal standard for classifying business establishments to support the collection, analysis, and publication of U.S. economic statistics. Developed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in cooperation with Canada and Mexico, NAICS replaced the SIC system in 1997 and remains the common North American framework. ¹

Under NAICS 2022, 311513 defines establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing cheese products (except cottage cheese) from raw and/or processed milk and in making cheese substitutes from soybeans or other nondairy substances. Federal statistical programs use this code to tabulate industry data within Dairy Product Manufacturing. ²

What this NAICS covers

• Manufacturing cheese products from raw milk. ²
• Manufacturing cheese products from processed milk. ²
• Producing cheese products other than cottage cheese. ²
• Manufacturing processed cheese products. ²
• Producing cheese substitutes from soybeans. ²
• Producing cheese substitutes from other nondairy substances. ²

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Type	Code	Descriptor
NAICS	311511	Fluid Milk Manufacturing
NAICS	311512	Creamery Butter Manufacturing
NAICS	311514	Dry, Condensed, and Evaporated Dairy Product Manufacturing
PSC	8910	Dairy Foods and Eggs

Cross‑references and boundary notes

• Cottage cheese manufacturing is not in 311513; it is classified under 311511 Fluid Milk Manufacturing. ²
• Cheese‑based salad dressings are excluded and classified under 311941 Mayonnaise, Dressing, and Other Prepared Sauce Manufacturing. ²
• Creamery butter belongs in 311512; dry, condensed, and evaporated dairy products are in 311514. ²

Frequently asked questions

• What activities are included in NAICS 311513?

  • Establishments primarily manufacture cheese (except cottage cheese) from raw or processed milk and produce processed cheese. The industry also includes makers of cheese substitutes from soy or other nondairy ingredients (for example, plant‑based “cheese” analogs). Examples include cheddar, mozzarella, and pasteurized process cheese. ²

• Does NAICS 311513 cover cottage cheese?

  • No. Cottage cheese manufacturing is classified under 311511 because it falls within fluid milk manufacturing activities, not cheese manufacturing as defined for 311513. Use 311511 for cottage cheese operations. ²

• Which PSC code commonly aligns with cheese products for federal buys?

  • PSC 8910 “Dairy Foods and Eggs” is used to classify supply purchases of dairy items, including cheese and related products, in federal procurement. It covers milk, cheese, butter, and eggs for supply contracting and cataloging purposes across agencies. ⁴

• How does 311513 differ from 311514?

  • 311513 covers manufacturing cheese and nondairy cheese substitutes. 311514 covers dry, condensed, and evaporated dairy products, such as powdered milk and condensed milk—products that are not cheeses or cheese substitutes. ²

• What NAICS vintage applies to current federal economic statistics?

  • The Census Bureau is implementing the 2022 NAICS vintage across programs. The 2022 Economic Census already uses 2022 classifications, and remaining surveys and series are transitioning on a schedule that completes by 2027. Agencies should verify the vintage used for each dataset. ³

Useful resources

• G2X — NAICS 311513 overview: https://app.g2xchange.com/naics/311513
• Census — NAICS 311513 (industry description and cross‑references). ²
• Census — Implementation of the 2022 NAICS (vintage and transition timeline). ³
• Economic Census 2022 — Manufacturing (NAICS 31–33) data access page. ⁵
• Census — 2017 NAICS Manual (background and definition). ¹

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Manual. https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2017/econ/2017-naics-manual.html
2. U.S. Census Bureau, NAICS 311513 — Cheese Manufacturing (NAICS 2022). https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=311513&year=2022
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. Acquisition.gov, Product and Service Code Manual (current edition). https://www.acquisition.gov/psc-manual
5. U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 NAICS Sector 31–33 — Manufacturing (Economic Census data tables). https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2022/econ/economic-census/naics-sector-31-33.html