NAICS 311920

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the federal standard for classifying business establishments to support consistent collection, analysis, and publication of U.S. economic statistics. Developed under the Office of Management and Budget in cooperation with Statistics Canada and Mexico’s INEGI, NAICS replaced SIC in 1997 and is revised on a 5-year cycle; the current structure is the 2022 vintage. ¹

NAICS 311920 covers establishments primarily engaged in roasting coffee; manufacturing coffee and tea concentrates (including instant and freeze-dried); blending tea; producing herbal tea; and making coffee extracts, flavorings, and syrups. Bottling and canning ready-to-drink iced tea are classified in 312111. This code is used across Census economic programs and surveys for industry statistics. ²

See also on G2X:

• G2X — NAICS 311920 overview
• G2X — NAICS 311930
• G2X — PSC 8955

What this NAICS covers

• Coffee roasting for wholesale distribution. ²
• Production of instant and freeze-dried coffee. ²
• Manufacturing coffee and tea concentrates for further preparation. ²
• Blending and packaging of tea, including black and green teas. ²
• Manufacturing herbal tea products. ²
• Production of coffee extracts, flavorings, and syrups. ²

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Type	Code	Descriptor
NAICS	312111	Soft Drink Manufacturing; includes bottling/canning ready-to-drink iced tea (exclusion from 311920). 2
NAICS	311930	Flavoring Syrup and Concentrate Manufacturing; coffee extracts are excluded to 311920. 2
NAICS	424490	Other Grocery and Related Products Merchant Wholesalers; wholesaling coffee/tea (roasting and blending remain in 311920). 3
PSC	8955	Coffee, Tea, and Cocoa (product/service category commonly used for procurements of these items). 5

Frequently asked questions

• What activities fall under NAICS 311920?
  Coffee roasting; manufacturing instant or freeze-dried coffee; producing coffee/tea concentrates; blending tea; making herbal teas; and producing coffee extracts, flavorings, and syrups. These are manufacturing activities, not retailing. ²

• What activities are excluded from 311920?
  Ready-to-drink beverage manufacturing such as iced tea is classified under 312111, and wholesaling activities (e.g., distributing coffee or tea) fall under 424490, not manufacturing. ²

• Are herbal teas and tea blending included?
  Yes. Tea blending and manufacturing herbal tea products are explicitly included within 311920. ²

• Where are coffee substitutes from grain classified?
  Coffee substitutes made from grain are included in 311920; this is cross-referenced from Breakfast Cereal Manufacturing 311230. ²

• Which PSC is typically used when procuring coffee, tea, or cocoa?
  PSC 8955 (“Coffee, Tea, and Cocoa”) is commonly used for federal procurement categorization of these commodities. ⁵

Useful resources

• U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS main page and 2022 NAICS search. ¹
• U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS 311920: Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (definition and cross-references). ²
• U.S. Census Bureau — Implementation of the 2022 NAICS (timeline and program adoption). ⁴

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau — North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) home and 2022 NAICS search. https://www.census.gov/naics
2. U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS 311920 Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (2022 NAICS details). https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=311920&year=2022&details=311920
3. U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS 424490 (2022 NAICS details). https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=424490&year=2022&details=424490
4. U.S. Census Bureau — The Census Bureau’s Implementation of the 2022 NAICS (timeline). https://www.census.gov/library/reference/code-lists/naics/2022/implementation-timeline.html
5. General Services Administration — Product and Service Code (PSC) Manual (April 2025). https://www.acquisition.gov/content/psc-manual-april-2025.docx