NAICS 312112

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the framework federal statistical agencies use to categorize business establishments so they can collect, analyze, and publish data on the U.S. economy. Developed under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) with partners in Canada and Mexico, NAICS replaced the SIC in 1997 to improve cross-country comparability and reflect production processes. ¹

NAICS 312112 — Bottled Water Manufacturing — covers establishments primarily engaged in purifying and bottling water, including naturally carbonated water. It sits within NAICS 312 (Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing), industry group 3121 (Beverage Manufacturing), and industry 31211 (Soft Drink and Ice Manufacturing). Cross-references exclude artificially carbonated waters and certain wholesaling activities, which are coded elsewhere. ²

What this NAICS covers

• Purifying and bottling water for sale as a beverage, including naturally carbonated water. ²
• Producing bottled still water when the establishment performs both purification and bottling. ²
• Filling and sealing water into containers (e.g., retail bottles) as part of the manufacturing process. ²
• Excludes artificially carbonated waters, which are classified under NAICS 312111. ²
• Excludes bottling purchased, already-purified water (a wholesaling activity rather than manufacturing). ²
• Excludes ice manufacturing, which is classified under NAICS 312113. ²

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Type	Code	Descriptor
NAICS	31211	Soft Drink and Ice Manufacturing
NAICS	312111	Soft Drink Manufacturing
NAICS	312113	Ice Manufacturing
NAICS	424490	Other Grocery and Related Products Merchant Wholesalers

NAICS structure and placement for this industry

• Sector: Manufacturing; Subsector: Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing — NAICS 312. ²
• Industry group: Beverage Manufacturing — NAICS 3121. ²
• Industry: Soft Drink and Ice Manufacturing — NAICS 31211. ²
• U.S. industry: Bottled Water Manufacturing — NAICS 312112. ²

2022 NAICS vintage and program adoption

The Census Bureau is transitioning programs from 2017 to the 2022 NAICS vintage. The first 2022 Economic Census outputs began in 2024, and most remaining programs are scheduled to adopt 2022 NAICS by the end of 2027. NAICS is reviewed and revised every five years via OMB’s Economic Classification Policy Committee. ³

Frequently asked questions

• What activities qualify under NAICS 312112? Establishments that purify and bottle water for sale, including naturally carbonated water, are classified in NAICS 312112. Artificially carbonated waters fall under NAICS 312111, and bottling purchased purified water is treated as wholesaling rather than manufacturing. ²

• Is naturally carbonated or flavored water included in 312112? Naturally carbonated water is included in NAICS 312112. Artificially carbonated waters are excluded to NAICS 312111. Flavoring: Not specified by official sources ².

• How does 312112 differ from wholesaling or delivery of bottled water? Manufacturing applies when the establishment performs purification and bottling. Distribution of bottled water processed by others is wholesaling (e.g., Other Grocery and Related Products Merchant Wholesalers) rather than manufacturing. ² See also on G2X: NAICS 424490.

• Did 2022 NAICS change the status of 312112? Census notes adoption of the 2022 vintage across programs and provides a consolidated list of 2017–2022 changes; programs are transitioning through 2027. Specific change details for individual codes are published in Census change documentation. ³

Useful resources

• G2X — NAICS 312112 overview
• U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS 312112 definition and cross-references (Sector 31–33 archive page). ²
• U.S. Census Bureau — Implementation of the 2022 NAICS (timeline and overview). ³
• U.S. Census Bureau — Understanding NAICS (structure and concepts). ⁴

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau — Classifying Businesses: NAICS development and 1997 adoption under OMB. https://www.census.gov/about/history/historical-censuses-and-surveys/census-programs-surveys/economic/classifying-businesses.html
2. U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS Sector 31–33 resource with industry definitions (includes 312112). https://www.census.gov/naics/resources/archives/sect31-33.html
3. U.S. Census Bureau — Implementation of the 2022 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). https://www.census.gov/library/reference/code-lists/naics/2022/implementation-timeline.html
4. U.S. Census Bureau — Economic Census: NAICS Codes & Understanding Industry Classification Systems. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census/year/2022/technical-documentation/code-lists/understanding-naics-redirect.html